Struggle in Russia

Neither the Russian army nor the coalition forces are actually ready for a long-term war, because the initial estimates of both sides were similar, and both believed that the war could end in a few months at most.

But no one expected that this war would turn into a war of attrition. Especially on the part of the coalition forces, their preparations in this area are not generally bad. They probably think that as long as they jointly declare war on Russia, Russia will soon succumb.

But who would have thought that Nicholas I would be so stubborn and confront them so hard that they could only hold on with all their strength.

Therefore, the coalition soldiers outside Sevastopol suffered, especially the British soldiers. Although the British officers claimed to be gentlemen and nobles, this only applied to themselves, and they were completely indifferent to the protection of the soldiers.

Therefore, no suitable winter clothing was provided to the soldiers. Most of the British soldiers came to Crimea wearing military uniforms. At first, they did not even have coats. The first batch of winter clothing that arrived sank to the bottom of the sea with the Prince. So the poor Brit was freezing.

The French army was much better in this regard. They issued sheepskin coats to the troops, and later they were equipped with fur-lined and hooded cloaks called Crimean cloaks. Although they were only issued to officers at first, they were later issued to all Soldier.

French senior officials also allow soldiers to wear as many layers of clothing as they want, even if they are wrapped into rice dumplings. Unlike the old-fashioned British officers, who always required all soldiers to dress like "gentlemen", regardless of whether they were frozen into dogs.

After entering the deep winter, in order to resist the severe cold, the French soldiers dressed in a haphazard manner, like a gang of beggars. Although they were not good-looking, they were much warmer than the British soldiers. The French soldiers were very satisfied with this in a letter they wrote to their families:

I wear many layers of clothes. From the inside to the outside, they are a velvet vest, a shirt, a wool vest, a military uniform, a coat (peacoat), and boots. If I am not on duty, I will wear leather shoes and Leggings – so no complaints at all.

I have two coats, one was issued by the division headquarters (Division Zhuav), and the other is large and heavy. I bought it in Constantinople just to keep out the cold. It weighs almost fifty kilograms.

I wore it to bed when I was on duty in the trenches and I couldn't even lift it if it got soaked, let alone march with it. If possible, I would take it back to France as a fun thing.

The soldiers of our battalion, especially those from Africa, survived the freezing temperatures admirably. Everyone was very well dressed, usually with a large hooded cloak over the uniform, either a Crimean or something made of sheepskin cut to look like a coat. The legs are worn with fur-lined leggings. Then everyone was given a warm sheepskin hat. But we don’t have unified military uniforms, everyone dresses according to their own style...

At this time, the poor British guys were still wearing summer military uniforms. They were very envious of the French sheepskin coats and the Crimeans. Many officers began to complain:

I wish our soldiers had something similar to wear... Many of them had almost no shoes or shirts, and their trench coats were all worn out, because they not only had to wear them during the day, but also slept in them at night, and at most they had to bring another one from the trenches. Back with damp blanket.

Not only was obedience a problem, the British officers had not thought carefully about where their soldiers would live. The tents they brought to Crimea were not windproof and offered little protection against the harsh natural conditions. Most of them were damaged in the storm and there was no way to repair them.

Soldiers kept complaining: "They are not waterproof, and leakage is very serious when it rains heavily. There is a sea of ​​water in the tent, and we have to stand around the poles to spend the whole night."

When Lord Lucan inspected the camp, he found that a large number of tents were not suitable for habitation because they were worn and torn. The soldiers were almost frozen to death and suffered from severe diarrhea.

The living conditions of British officers were much better than that of soldiers. Most of them even had servants to serve them, allowing them to lay templates for tents or dig holes in the ground and lay them with stones. Some simply dig a big hole, line the walls with stones, and cover the top with branches.

For example, on November 20, Captain William Radcliffe of the 20th Regiment wrote to his parents: "My cabin is progressing very quickly. I hope I will be able to live in it by the end of this week. As soon as the project begins, Start by digging a hole three feet six inches deep, eight feet wide and thirteen feet long. Put up a pole in the middle of each end, put a beam on it, and tie it down with rope nails or anything else you can find. , and then set up wooden poles on the beams and the ground or fix them with various wood pieces that can be found, borrowed, stolen or snatched. The gable position is built with stones and mud..."

Under the circumstances at that time, British military officers who were at the top of society were still able to enjoy various privileges, which was really outrageous in the eyes of the soldiers who were suffering.

For example, Lord Lucan's arch-rival Lord Cardigan lives on a private sailboat waiting for opportunities, enjoys French meals and entertains guests from the UK one after another.

Some officers were allowed to spend the winter in Istanbul or find accommodation in nearby villages at their own expense. For example, Lieutenant Charles Gordon's letter home said: "Dear, I want you to guarantee that I will not be so comfortable in the UK!" And this was the Chinese Gordon who later participated in the suppression of the Taiping Rebellion.

Count Fitztum von Eickstedt, the Saxon ambassador to London, later told a friend: "Several of the British officers who survived that severe winter later told me with a smile that the 'troops' suffered They heard about such a serious crime from the newspapers..."

In contrast, French officers are very close to their subordinates, which is in sharp contrast to the comfortable life of senior British officers.

Both officers and soldiers lived in the same tent. This arrangement was good when the weather was nice or when they were marching, but in the long cold season, the officers suffered more.

Fortunately, the accommodation conditions of the French army were better than those of the British army. Not only were the tents more spacious, but they also built wooden fences or built walls with snow outside the tents to block the wind.

The French built a variety of temporary residences, such as mole hills or tent huts. French soldiers also built their own stoves in the residences for heating, which was the envy of the British soldiers.

Anyway, the French army generally began to look down on the British army, believing that this ally lacked the ability to adapt to life in the wild, and that everyone from officers to soldiers was as stubborn as a donkey.