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The Battle of Inkerman, Crimean War, shown by military
artists Lady Butler, Robert Gibb and Thomas Jones Barker, published by Cranston
Fine Arts, the military print company. Battle
of Inkerman, 5th November 1854. A
Russian Sortie from Sebastopol attacked the British forces on the heights
of Inkerman, Although the British defence line was fairly weak. It
withstood the Russian heavy attacks. The heavy fighting caused large losses
for the Russians (over 12,000 men) and they withdraw, the British lost
2,500 and the French 1,000 troops. The siege of Sebastopol teemed with tragic episodes and
Inkerman was one of the most tragic of them. As Henry
Russell says, "The Battle of Inkerman admits no
description. It was a series of dreadful deeds of daring,
of sanguinary hand to hand fights, of despairing rallies, of
desperate assaults in glens and valleys, in brushwood glades and
remote dells, hidden from all human eyes." The
besiegers were themselves threatened with investment, and once
more it was necessary to defend, at all costs, the communication
with the sea. Worn out by continual fighting, half starved
and exposed to the severities of a Russian winter, the British
faced the enemy reinforced by fifty thousand men. The
attack was sudden and fierce, and the Muscovites were at last
confident that they would drive the invaders into the sea.
Under cover of darkness they stole out of the city and in
silence approached the British right. A shot from a
surprised picket was the first warning, and the soldiers sprang
from their sleep into a hand to hand fight against overwhelming
numbers. Shoulder to shoulder they stood firm and resolute
while the Russian batteries hurled death among them. A
detachment charged up the hill to a redoubt in possession of the
enemy. Again and again they were repulsed and again and
again they came on until this little fort had about it a rampart
of dead. The Duke of Cambridge led the Guards to the
assault and a few hundred Coldstreamers held the redoubt against
six thousand. They fought till the ground was wet with
blood, and ammunition was exhausted. Then clubbing rifles
they burts through the enemy's ranks and regained the Household
Brigade. Cathcart's division advanced over the body of
their leader, pierced by a bullet as he gave the word of
command. With the courage of despair the Russians fought,
meeting heroism with heroism. Their reserves seemed
inexhaustible. No sooner was one regiment destroyed than
anotherappeared. And so the struggle went on - the
bloodiest in history. It looked as though the sheer weight
and numbers of the enemy must prevail. But Canrobert was
at hand. With Zouaves, infantry, and artillery he assailed
the flanks of the Russians, till with a wail of despair they
broke and fled, leaving us the victory and our heaped up slain. (extract
from British Battles 1898) Grenadier
Guards at Inkerman At Inkerman, "the soldier's battle",
the Guards took 1,331 men into action. Tremendous was the conflict that
the Guards and Adam's brigade waged about the Sandbag Battery, that
"symbol of victory", as Hamley calls it, and the Fore Ridge. It
fell to the centre companies to occupy the battery, their right flank
companies thrown back along the ridge facing the Tchernaya plain and the
left facing the general Russian advance. "A continued struggle,"
says Sir F Hamilton, who was present, "and hand-to-hand combat now
ensued, the men fighting with the desperation of those who know their is
no support if they fail, and being often at such close quarters, that
having no opportunity of reloading, they would make use of the butt ends
of their muskets." On came Pauloff's Russians, hurling themselves in
successive waves against the battery, mown down by the steady fire f the
Grenadiers and the Scots Guards. So, to and fro, for six long hours the
terrific conflict at the Sandbag Battery was waged, and many an incident
of individual heroism bore testimony to the magnificent courage of the
Guards. At one time, in the heat of the conflict, the headquarters and
colours of the regiment, carried by Lieutenants Verschoyle and Turner,
being halted near the battery, several officers impetuous led their
companies in pursuit of the enemy, and after fighting desperately, retuned
to the hill by a circuitous route. It is believed that the
Grenadiers were the only corps to carry their colours into action that
day. In the thick of the fight, gallant Captain Peel of the Navy joined
the Grenadiers, who were now reduced to about 100 officers and men at the
battery. At the close the Grenadiers had but 236 effective officers and
men on the field. Three officers (Lieutenant-Colonel Pakenham, and
Captains Sir R Newman, and the Honourable Henry Neville) were killed, and
six (including Colonel F W Hamilton, the historian of the regiment)
wounded, while of non-commissioned officers and rank and file, 101 were
killed and 124 wounded. |
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The 20th Foot at the Battle of Inkerman, 5th November 1854 by David Rowlands.
The battle of Inkerman, during the Crimean War, British and French victory over the Russian Empire.
Open edition print. Image size 12 inches x 8 inches (31cm x 20cm). Price £14.00
Signed edition print. Image size 12 inches x 8 inches (31cm x 20cm). Price £25.50
Limited edition of 200 giclee canvas prints. Image size 36 inches x 24 inches (91cm x 61cm). Price £500.00
Limited edition of 200 giclee canvas prints. Image size 30 inches x 20 inches (76cm x 51cm). Price £390.00
ITEM CODE VAR0356
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The Roll Call by Lady Elizabeth Butler.
Grenadier Guards exhausted, standing in the snow after the battle, during the Crimean war awaiting the reading of the Roll Call. Published by Pompador Gallery in 1989, this print sold out at the publisher over ten years ago. We have only 40 prints remaining.
Open edition print. Image size 30 inches x 15 inches (76cm x 38cm). Price £68.00
Antique black and white Photogravure circa 1898. Size 15 inches x 25 inches (38cm x 64cm). Price £900.00
Postcard size 6 inches x 4 inches (15cm x 10cm). Price £1.50
ITEM CODE VAR0310
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Return from Inkerman by Lady Elizabeth Butler.
A column of exhausted and wounded men of the Coldstream Guards and the 20th East Devonshire regiment returning from the heights of Inkerman, 5th November 1854, during the Crimean War.
Open edition print. Image size 30 inches x 15 inches (76cm x 38cm). Price £51.00
Open edition print. Image size 21 inches x 14 inches (53cm x 36cm). Price £33.50
Small number of giclee canvas prints available. Size 40 inches x 26 inches (102cm x 66cm). Price £600.00
Small number of giclee canvas prints available. Size 36 inches x 22 inches (91cm x 56cm). Price £450.00
Postcard size 6 inches x 4 inches (15cm x 10cm). Price £1.50
ITEM CODE DHM0002
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The Barrier by Marjorie Weatherstone.
Depicting the Royal Scots Fusiliers holding position in the heights of Inkerman against the Russian advance during the Crimean War.
Open edition print. Image size 20 inches x 14 inches (51cm x 36cm). Price £33.50
**Open edition print. (3 copies reduced to clear) Image size 20 inches x 14 inches (51cm x 36cm). Price £24.00
ITEM CODE DHM0003
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The 55th Regiment at the Battle of Inkerman by Orlando Norie.
Open edition print. Image size 16 inches x 11 inches (41cm x 28cm). Price £25.50
ITEM CODE DHM0212
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The Guards at Inkerman, November 5th 1854 by Robert Gibb.
Open edition reprint. Image size 9 inches x 12 inches (23cm x 31cm). Price £14.00
Original antique print published 1915. Paper size 10.5 inches x 7.5 inches (26cm x 19cm). Price £25.00
**Open edition reprint. (2 copies reduced to clear) Image size 9 inches x 12 inches (23cm x 31cm). Price £8.00
ITEM CODE VAR0701
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| The 20th Foot at the Battle of
Inkerman, 5th November
1854 by David Rowlands The battle of Inkerman, during the Crimean War, British and French
victory over the Russian Empire.
The Roll Call by Lady Butler Grenadier Guards exhausted, standing in the snow after the battle,
during the Crimean war awaiting the reading of the Roll Call.
Return from Inkerman by lady Butler A column of exhausted and wounded men of the Coldstream Guards and the
20th East Devonshire regiment returning from the heights of Inkerman, 5th
November 1854, during the Crimean War.
The Barrier by Marjorie Weatherstone Depicting the Royal Scots Fusiliers holding position in the heights of
Inkerman against the Russian advance during the Crimean War. |
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Inkerman 1854, The
Soldiers Battle by
Patrick Mercer
On 5 November 1854 the Russians marched out of the
besieged city of Sevastopol to throw off the allied British and French
forces by mounting a joint attack with their troops from outside the city.
Despite outnumbering their enemies five to one the Russians failed to
achieve what looked to be an almost foregone conclusion. The third major
action of the Crimean War, the battle fought in heavy fog at Inkerman
proved to be a testament to the skill and initiative of the individual men
and officers of the British Army of the day.
Book price £12.99
Book serial number Osprey 51.
Post
For UK £2.50 (max post for multiple books £6).
For Europe £3.00 per book plus one charge of £2.50 airmail
recorded fee must be included.
Rest of World £4.00 per book plus one charge of £2.50 airmail
recorded fee must be included.
To order your copy: secure
order form
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The Middlesex Regiment at
the Battle of Inkerman Excerpt form the Navy and
army Illustrated August 18th 1897 by Colonel W W Knollys The 77th
formed part of the Light Division in the Crimea. At the Alma it was not
heavily engaged. At Inkerman it was in the thick of the fight and did
splendid service under Colonel Egerton. Almost at the beginning of the
action, when deployed in the mist and smoke, Lieutenant Clifford, ADC to
Major-General Buller, commanding the brigade, saw a column of Russians
coming up on the left rear of the regiment by a ravine. Clifford called
out cheerily to the nearest men "Who will come and charge with
me?" Comparatively few could hear, but of those who did a score or
two followed him. Without waiting for them Clifford dashed on ahead and
drove his way into the Russian column. The Russians, taken by surprise,
were partially paralysed. A few, however, fired and used their bayonets,
but Clifford killed one Russian, disabled another, and his handful of men
coming up, a fierce melee ensued. Soon those of the enemy immediately
opposed the the daring band fled down the ravine, throwing their comrades,
already vexed by the fire of Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar's company of the
Grenadier Guards on the opposite bank - into disorder and bringing about
their retreat. As to the head of the column, which had been, so to speak,
amputated by the daring rush of Clifford and his followers, they threw
down their arms and surrendered. About the same time a body of
about 1,500 Russians bore down upon Egerton, who had but 260 men with
him.. He gave the word "Fire a volley and charge," and nobly his
men responded. Delivering their fire with deadly effect, They sprang at
the Russians, and plunging into the mist, the smoke, and brushwood,
penetrated into the crowd, and plying the bayonet and butt end vigorously,
in a few minutes broke up and pressed back their adversaries. These they
followed up to the foot of Shell Hill, where they maintained themselves
till late in the fight, when Egerton was sent to another part of the
field. Late in the evening of 19th April 1855, Colonel Egerton,
with a portion of the regiment, supported by a wing of the 33rd, in all
about 600 bayonets, attacked certain Russian lodgments - afterwards
called, in honour of the feat, "Egerton's Rifle Pits". These
were carried by our men with the bayonet, scarcely a shot being fired by
our people, though they were received with a shower of musket bullets. Our
engineers resolved only to retain one , which they placed in a state of
defence and connected with our nearest approach. It took some three hours
to accomplish this task, performed under a heavy fire of artillery and
small arms. It was at this time that Captain Lempriere, a very young
officer who had fought manfully at Inkerman, was mortally wounded, being
shot through the lungs as he stood by the side of Colonel Egerton. Egerton
was very fond of the lad, whom he was wont to call his child, and lifting
him in his arms, carried him to a place of shelter in the trenches,
immediately after returning to his post. Immediately after Sergeant
McDonald, a gallant sapper who won the Victoria Cross by his conduct on
the occasion, fell badly wounded by a grape shot in the right side.
Colonel Egerton, ever as mindful of others as he was careless about
himself, strove to keep up the sergeant's strength by giving him brandy
out of his flask. His deed of mercy had scarcely been done than the enemy
made a vigorous effort to recapture the lodgment, and in assisting to
repulse them Egerton was slain. Lord Raglan described the conduct of the
troops as "admirable", and in his despatch declared the army
could not have suffered a more severe loss than that of Egerton, "who
was one of the best officers in the army". On this occasion
Sergeant John ark and Private Alexander Wright of the 77th won the
Victoria Cross. Both had on previous occasions shown great courage. |
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