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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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Crimean War
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(1854–6) The war fought by Great Britain, France and Turkey against Russia in the Crimea, a large peninsula on the north coast of the Black Sea. The underlying struggle was for control of the Black Sea and the eastern Mediterranean. Britain and France sent a force to destroy the Russian naval base at Sebastopol, and the main action of the war was the prolonged Russian attempt to relieve the besieged city. The two major engagements were the battles of Balaklava (25 Oct. 1854, remembered in particular for the *Charge of the Light Brigade) and of Inkerman (5 Nov. 1854). The Russians evacuated Sebastopol in September 1855, and the war ended with various Russian concessions in the treaty of Paris (1856).
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From the public's point of view this was the first modern war. Telegraph brought back almost instant news. Recording the events brought fame to the first great war reporter, *Russell of the Times, and the first war photographer, Roger *Fenton. But by far the best-known figure to emerge was Florence *Nightingale.
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