The shattered Guards at Inkerman, a special Combat Gallery Sunday
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Calling the Roll After An Engagement, Crimea, by Elizabeth Thompson, Lady Butler.
Painted in 1874, currently in the Royal Collection. The painting depicts a roll call of soldiers from the Grenadier Guards during the Crimean War following the Battle of Inkerman 5 November 1854– some 163 years ago today.
In the dramatic and almost forgotten battle, some 70,000 men of Russian Gen. Prince Alexander Menshikov fell on Lord Raglan’s 9,500 British soldiers and 3,500 French allies.
The horrible battle was one of the precursors to modern war and saw advanced (and brand new) British Pattern 1853 Enfield rifles and superior marksmanship triumph from elevated positions at Home Hill over waves of Russian infantry armed with smoothbore muskets more at home at Borodino, the allies came out on top.