Battle of the Chernaya facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of the Chernaya |
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| Part of Crimean War | |||||||
 Battle of the Tchernaya, August 16th 1855 William Simpson, 1856 |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 French Empire Kingdom of Sardinia |
 Russian Empire |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Aimable Pélissier Alfonso La Màrmora Giovanni Durando |
Prince Michael Gorchakov Pavel Liprandi N.A. Read † |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 36,000: 27,000 French 9,000 Piedmontese |
60,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 1,800-1,900 casualties:(1,700 French, 200 Sardinians) 250 killed 1,550 wounded |
8,800 casualties: 3,330 killed 3,370 wounded 1,500 captured |
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The Battle of the Chernaya (also called Battle of the Black River) was an important fight during the Crimean War. It happened on August 16, 1855, near the Chyornaya River. This river is just outside the city of Sevastopol. In this battle, Russian troops fought against soldiers from France and Piedmont-Sardinia. The battle ended with the Russians retreating, giving victory to the French and Piedmontese forces.
Contents
Planning the Attack
The Russian army planned this battle as a big attack. Their main goal was to make the Allied forces (from France, Britain, Piedmont-Sardinia, and the Ottoman Empire) leave their siege of Sevastopol. The Russian ruler, Tsar Alexander II, told his commander, Prince Michael Gorchakov, to attack. He wanted the attack to happen before the Allies got more soldiers.
The Russian generals gathered a huge army. They had about 47,000 infantry (foot soldiers) and 10,000 cavalry (soldiers on horseback). These forces were split into six main divisions, with another division kept as a backup.
The Tsar hoped that a victory would help Russia get a better peace deal. Prince Gorchakov was not sure the attack would work. But he thought the best chance was near the French and Piedmontese positions by the Chyornaya River. The Tsar ordered Gorchakov to hold a meeting to plan the attack.
They decided to attack on the morning of August 16. The Russians hoped to surprise the French and Piedmontese. These soldiers had just celebrated important holidays. The Russians thought they would be tired and less ready for a fight.
The Battle Begins
About 58,000 Russian soldiers, led by Prince Michael Gorchakov, fought in this battle. They faced about 36,000 French and Sardinian soldiers. These Allied troops were commanded by French General Aimable Pélissier and Piedmontese General Alfonso Ferrero La Marmora.
Even though the Russian attack was very brave, it faced problems. Their army was not well organized. Many of their soldiers were not experienced. This was because their best troops were already fighting in Sevastopol.
Under the morning fog, the Russians moved forward. They had 47,000 infantry and 10,000 cavalry. They also had 270 cannons. General Pavel Liprandi led the left side of the attack. General N. A. Read led the right side.
Prince Gorchakov had told his generals not to cross the river without a clear order. But Gorchakov sent a note that said, "Let's start it." He meant they should just start getting ready. However, his generals thought this was an order to attack. So, they began the assault, even though some reserve troops had not yet arrived.
Fierce Fighting and Retreat
The attacking Russians immediately met strong resistance. General Read's forces crossed the river near the Traktir Bridge. But they had no cavalry or artillery support. The French easily stopped them on the Fedyukhin Heights. Read then ordered his reserve soldiers to attack the Heights. But instead of a planned attack, he sent them in small groups. This did not work.
Seeing this, Gorchakov ordered Read to use the entire division. This pushed the French back a little. But the Russians could not capture the Heights. During the retreat, General Read was killed. After Read's death, Gorchakov took control of the right side. He ordered 8 battalions from Liprandi's left wing to help the right. But these soldiers came under fire from the Sardinians and were forced back. By 10 o'clock in the morning, Gorchakov saw that the situation was hopeless. He ordered a full retreat.
The bravery of the Sardinian troops was especially noted. French soldiers from several regiments also fought with great courage. The strong effort by the Sardinian troops in this battle was important. It helped them get a seat at the peace talks after the war. There, the Kingdom of Sardinia started to look for help from other European nations. This help was for the future Unification of Italy.
Leo Tolstoy's Experience
The famous Russian writer Leo Tolstoy was part of the Battle of the Chernaya River. He saw the Russian soldiers cross the river in the morning light. He watched as shells exploded around them, killing many soldiers. Before the morning was over, the Russians had to retreat. They left thousands of their dead comrades behind.
Tolstoy felt very sad and angry about the huge loss of life. He believed it was mostly because the generals were not good at their jobs. Tolstoy showed his anger by writing a satiric song. A rough translation of part of it says:
The toppest brass
Sat down to meet
And pondered long;
Topographers
Lined paper black
But all forgot
The deep ravine
They had to cross!
This funny song quickly became popular among the Russian soldiers. It is the only poem Tolstoy is known to have written. A line from his song, "Гладко было на бумаге..." (meaning "It was smooth on the paper..."), became a popular saying in Russia.
Aftermath of the Battle
The Battle of the Chernaya was a big disaster for the Russians. Even though they had more soldiers, they lost the battle. They also suffered almost five times as many casualties as the Allied forces.
Tsar Alexander had hoped for a Russian victory. He wanted to negotiate a peace with good terms for Russia. But that hope was now gone. Because of the terrible losses in the battle, the Russian soldiers lost trust in their commanders. It became clear that the Russian army would soon have to surrender Sevastopol.
