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As we saw briefly in the last article, the high ground South of the Alma was ideal for a defensive stand. On the map it looked like this:
The central features are the River Alma 'A' running from Right to Left, its mouth into the Black Sea, and the Main Road 'B' running from Evpatoria (off the top) to Sevastopol (off the bottom). Because of the rough nature of the ground south of the river, the riverside habitations were all on the north bank. From left to right Alma-Tamak Village 'E', the White Farm 'F', Bourliuk Village at 'G', Tarkhanlar Village at 'H' and the isolated Traktir (Inn) at 'J'. The three villages were similar in size, half mile haphazard collections of simple one storey buildings each with generally neglected walled-in garden lots. The villages were connected by an almost unbroken stretch of vineyards which spread from the river's edge back 300 to 400 yards. The Alma was not a serious water obstacle; there were several permanent fords in the vicinity of the villages, supplemented by others due to the lowered water level in this still dry season. But the bed was very uneven, full of pits and sudden holes. And the bank on the southern side was steep and as much as 15ft high to the East of the bridge. The ground south of the river immediately in from its mouth is precipitous, rising steeply for 150 feet or so to a plateau. This was so close to the river that a short range musket bullet fired from the edge of the plateau could kill a soldier on the north bank. This feature, broken by several ravines, continues for 2000 metres to Alma-Tamak, where it starts to bend southwards into a spur 'D' known to the Allies as Telegraph hill, as it had the half finished Alma Telegraph Station 'T' near its summit. To the east, a series of jutting hillocks ends at the road - this area was known to the British as the Causeway where the road climbed slowly to the plateau along the bottom of a long valley. The commanding ground in the area lay to the east of the road, an irregular range of hills rising from the river gently at first and then steeply to 500 ft, and known as the Kurgan 'C'. Between the sea and the road, the high cliff presented a formidable problem to the attacker, and the Telegraph area could be easily defended in depth, with plentiful opportunities for concealment and reverse slope positions. The snag was that the Kurgan had to be defended, as if occupied by the attackers it would outflank the whole plateau. It was an excellent defensive position but at 5 miles from the coast it meant that Menshikov's available force would be dangerously extended.
The copyright of the article Battle of the Alma Part 1 - The French Attack in Crimean War is owned by . Permission to republish Battle of the Alma Part 1 - The French Attack in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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