The Banner of Battle: The Story of the Crimean War

In this classic account of the Crimean War, Alan Palmer puts the myths and realities of The Charge of the Light Brigade, Florence Nightingale, the rivalry between Lord Cardigan and Lord Lucan and the patriotic fervour of Imperial Britain into perspective.

The Crimea campaign was a story of Great Power politics and diplomacy.

In Palmer's dramatic narrative, a war often viewed simply as a dramatic incident in the Eastern Question, emerges as a decisive campaign which lowered the stature of both defeated Russia and non-belligerent Austria, and so changed the power structure of Europe.

Making extensive use of Russian, French and Italian sources, and hitherto untapped material from British archives, Palmer takes the viewpoints of each country involved.

The comparisons are fascinating as the narrative moves back and forth between London, St Petersburg, Vienna and the battle fronts — allied and enemy, in the Baltic as well as around the coast of the Black Sea.

The Russian commanders are contrasted with their British and French counterparts and an original feature of the book is the examination of the Russian nursing services, and the work of Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna and the great surgeon and educationalist, Nikola Pirogov.

The immediate realities of the war are juxtaposed with the politics behind the scenes particularly through the questioning letters of Aberdeen's son at the battle fronts, to his father, the Prime Minister. A very different view of the war emerges from the letters of the vivacious and incorrigible Mrs Fanny Duberly, a Hussar officer's wife, who accompanied her husband out to the East.

‘The Banner of Battle’ is the first comprehensive interpretation of the subject stressing the European and Baltic angles, and so bringing the Crimean War clearly and astutely into focus.

‘Alan Palmer writes the sort of history that dons did before “accessible” became an insult…Cool, rational, scholarly, literate.’ – Sir John Keegan

Alan Palmer was head of the History Department at Highgate School from 1953 to 1969 when he gave up his post to concentrate on historical writing and research. His many books include ‘The Kaiser’, ‘Victory 1918’, ‘Napoleon and Marie-Louise’ and ‘Bismarck’.