Sevastopol

The siege of Sevastopol lasted from October 1854 until September 1855, during the Crimean War. The allies landed at Eupatoria on 14 September 1854, intending to make a triumphal march to Sevastopol, the capital of the Crimea, with 50,000 men. The 56-kilometre traverse took a year of fighting against the Russians.

This distinction was awarded to all regiments which landed in the Crimea prior to September 8, 1855, the date of the last storming of the Redan. The Honour is borne on the Guidon of the 8th Hussars.

Detail

The siege of Sevastopol is one of the last classic sieges of all time. The city of Sevastopol was the home of the Tsar’s Black Sea Fleet, which threatened the Mediterranean. The Russian field army withdrew before the allies could encircle it. The siege was the culminating struggle for the strategic Russian port in 1854–55 and was the final episode in the Crimean War.

The siege of Sevastopol was finally ended after a three-day bombardment which started on 5 September 1855. Although defended heroically and at the cost of heavy Allied casualties, the fall of Sevastopol would lead to the Russian defeat in the Crimean War.

Related topics

  1. A short history of The 8th Hussars