The Iron Chancellor born today in 1815

@ABWorsham:

Spain was known as Napoleon’s bleeding ulcer.

Ulster was known as England’s bleeding pain.

On the 5th November 1854 a  smaller British and (yes) French army beat off an assault by the Russians at Inkerman in the Crimea. It was known as “The  Soldier’s Battle” as men fought small engagements due to poor visibility in dense fog.
The Russians had massed 32000 men on the Allied flank and headed for the 2700 man 2nd Division, commanded today by the aggressive Pennefather. Instead of falling back in the face of superior numbers, he advanced. The British had their rifles to thank this day as they took a terrible toll on the musket armed Russian Infantry, who were hemmed in by the valley’s bottle neck shape. The British 2nd Division pushed the Russians back onto their reinforcements and should have been routed by the Russians’ numbers, but the fog and the British Light Division saved them. Three successive Russian commanders were killed in this engagement.
The Russians other 15000 men approached and assailed the Sandbag Battery, but they were routed by 300 British defenders vaulting the wall, blunting the lead Battalions, who were then attacked in the flank. More Russian attacks ensured the Battery exchanged hands several times.
The British 4th Division was not as lucky. Arriving on the field, its flanking move was itself flanked and its commander, Cathcart, killed. This enabled the Russians to advance, but not for long. They were soon driven off by French units arriving from their camps and made no more headway.
The battle was lost and they had to withdraw.
This was the last time the Russians tried to defeat the Allied troops in the field. Despite this reverse, however, the Russian attack had seriously stalled the Allies from capturing Sevastopol. They had to instead, spend one harsh winter on the heights overlooking the city, before it fell in September of 1855.
The British suffered 2573 casualties, the French 1800 and the Russians 11959.

I am not sure Napoleon was ever really himself after the Russian campaign. What he expected after his victory at Borodino and what really turned out was very different. Expecting the Russians to surrender only having them chase him all the way back to France may have put some doubt in his mind. Maybe that doubt is what affected his decisions at a place like Waterloo. I know in sports that if you loose your confidence it can be hard to get back. I imagine the same could be said about war generals. Just a thought. Enjoyed the post.

Morning Cromwell. Thank you for your time on this thread.
I have enjoyed reading all you have posted.

I wonder if you are hanging there thinking: I hope they do not snap. Or are you thinking I hope they do and I tumble 100ft to my death?
How can you not be on the point of passing out?

In San Gimignano(near Siena, Tuscany) they have a Torture Museum.
I love it. One of the first instruments you view is an anal pear.
I believe it was used on sodomites.
Of course the Rack was much used here and that was a hell of an instrument.

I suppose if you ste commiting treason, the lesson is: do not get captured alive!

He gave Barron an advantage, knowing his eyesight was not good: he did not take the usual number of steps, so making himself a bigger target.
Probably cost him his life and the US a great Naval Officer.
Who knows: could he have been as good as Nelson?
He seemed to fight like him.

This is the last day for the Alamo letter to be on display. The famous letter written by Will Travis 177 years ago has returned to the Alamo for the first time since it was sent out. It has been on display from the 24th of Feb. thru March 7th. I saw it on displayed on live video like some kind of shrine. There appears to be constant security right there with it at all times. I did not know that the letter still existed.

Today, the 11th November,  in 1839 the Virginia Military Institute was founded in Lexington, VA. Francis Smith was the first Superintendent.
VMI is known as the West Point of the South. Unlike West Point, graduates are not obliged to join the armed forces upon graduation.
In 1851 T.J. Jackson became a professor of Arithmetic and an Artillery instructor. Fifteen of its graduates became  Confederate Generals and many more Regimental Colonels. Rodes and Mahone are  probably the two most famous Civil War graduates(both Major Generals). In 1864 the cadets were called upon to fight at the battle of New Market(Southern Victory). VMI was later  damaged by Union forces.
George Marshall of WW2 fame, later a 5 Star General, was a graduate.