Inkerman, Battle of

In the Crimean War, British and French victory on 5 November 1854 over Russians attacking the Inkerman Ridge, which was occupied by the British army besieging Sevastopol.

The British troops were first attacked on 25 October by a Russian force which they drove off without difficulty. A more serious attack was launched on 5 November under cover of fog which enabled the Russians to reach the British lines without being seen. The Russians outnumbered the British at their selected point of attack, and were able to seize the hilltop and bring up artillery. However, mist prevented them from opening effective fire, and a rapid counterattack by the British 2nd Division recaptured the hilltop and drove off the Russians. The Russians then launched a second attack at a fresh objective, the ‘Sandbag Battery’ which was again driven off by the arrival of British and French reinforcements. The fighting lasted about seven hours, during which time the British lost about 2,400 troops, the French about 1,000 and the Russians an estimated 11,000.