The Crimean War

Volume I

The story of the Crimean War from the Russian perspective. Do not expect the Charge of the Light Brigade here. Balaklava will be in Volume II. This volume deals in large part with the prelude to the war, and the campaigns on the Danube and in the Caucasus. Volume I ends as the British and French are preparing to land in Crimea

Yevgeny Tarle was most interested in diplomacy; he writes about it in an instructive and entertaining way. Still, he had shortcomings as a historian. For one, he did not have the knack of describing military operations in a straightforward and concise manner. Verbose, you might call him. I've called him worse, Still, I persisted with this translation and never regretted that, but I was not entirely satisfied with the result, particularly Volume II.

Recently, I translated A Soldier’s Story of the Crimean War, with Flourishes! by Pëtr Menkov. That is not a typical military memoir. The first book in that multi-volume work, The Germans and the Danube, is a darkly comic account of the 1853-54 Danube campaign. A great piece of work, and apt. The operation was bungled so badly Menkov had to laugh.

Tarle often cites Menkov in his history. That gave me an idea. Menkov is much better at describing military operations, though the quality of his memoir as a whole persuaded me to not publish it. So, two Russian works on the Crimean War that were not quite what I wanted. Why not insert Menkov’s bon mots and detailed accounts of battle into Tarle’s work?

Having completed Volume I now, I will say that I am happy with the result. I encourage you to try it. The treasure trove of archival documents provided by Tarle, and Menkov’s wit, make it a worthwhile read.

Volume II is available, as of 24 June 2023.