Death Or Glory: The Legacy Of The Crimean War

by Robert B. Edgerton

In 1853, the Crimean War began as an intensely romantic affair, with officers and soldiers alike taking to the fray with phrases like “death or glory” on their tongues and in their hearts. Nothing stands out more starkly than the toughness of the soldiers who fought so savagely, seldom complained, and only rarely collapsed under war’s terrible and relentless stresses. Acts of astonishing bravery, many of them by doctors, women, and children, were commonplace. But so was callousness and brutality. The war soon became an impersonal, long-range killing match that resembled, far in advance, the trench warfare of World War I. It became a showcase for bad generalship and bureaucratic bungling. Men, women, and children died of hunger, cold, and disease many times more often than they were killed by rifles or the most massive artillery barrages the world have ever seen.Death or Glory is not a mere battle chronology; rather, it is a narrative immersion into conditions during what became arguably the most tragically botched military campaign, from all sides, in modern European history—and the most immediate precedent to the American Civil War. Edgerton paints a vivid picture of the war, from the Charge of the Light Brigade and the heroics of Florence Nightingale to the British soldiers who, simply unable to take the misery, starvation, and cholera any longer, took their own lives. He describes how leaders failed their men again and again; how women and children became unseen heroes; how the universally despised Turks fought their own war; and, finally and perhaps most importantly, why so many fought so bravely in what seemed a futile cause. By comparing these experiences with those of Northern and Southern soldiers during the more well-documented American Civil War, Edgerton contributes a new perspective on how soldiers in the mid-19th century experienced war, death, and glory.

Genres: History, European History, War, Nonfiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[GoldGato · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a decent primer on the why-how-what-when of the Crimean War, this is a good book to have on the shelf. One of the most puzzling wars ever fought is explained thoroughly, even down to the games and sports the soldiers preferred...when they weren't trying to halve the opposition with cannon.

However, it seems to be written as a thesis project, because out-of-the-blue there will be references to the American Civil War. While I understand the title of the book includes the word "legacy", it doesn't seem to really provide a path to that legacy. Thus, the constant references to the Civil War, that had not yet been fought, is rather a pain. In one instance, there is an exceptionally long paragraph that suddenly ends with one sentence about the Yanks and Confederates. Weird.

In any case, I suggest you do NOT eat before or while reading this book. The gore is well explained, as the various sides do their best to kill each other in a war that solved absolutely nothing. It did, however, bring about an understanding of military medicine as more men died of disease in the Crimean War than of gunshots and sabres. The Charge of the Light Brigade is also here, with an explanation as to why the fools did what they did. And yet the stupidity of the military leadership in the Crimea was still there sixty years later in WWI. We never learn.

Book Season = Winter (so you can feel the horrific conditions these men felt)

[Scott Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5 stars) This is a relatively older book, but its content and discussions are relevant, especially given the potential for renewed Russian/Western power conflict in their sphere of influence. This work is not intended as a chronological recounting of the Crimean War of the mid-1850s, as the author only provides the briefest of run-thoughs at the start of the work. Edgerton looks mainly to describe military life as it was during the fighting, especially how the soldiers and those on the front lines dealt with the conflict. He does try to reference the Civil War for America, and a number of American observers during the conflict found themselves in the middle of warfare on the homefront within 5 years of the ending of hostilities. Yet, that comparison is not regular or as routine as expected. Still, it does offer some good insight on the conditions and it takes great care to offer not just the Western side of the story, but the Russian and Turkish participation as well. Perhaps this will be more relevant than expected in the immediate future.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an informative and interesting book. I really knew almost nothing about the Crimean War, and this book taught me a lot. It includes many first hand accounts and stories from soldiers from both sides, both officers and troops, and from nurses and journalists involved. Definitely a good read.

[Christopher Saunders · Rating 1 out of 5]

The worst Crimean War history I've read. Edgerton attempts a sociocultural analysis of the Crimea and falls flat on his face. In fairness, he illuminates some oft-neglected aspects of the war: Turkey's role in the conflict, women on the front lines, the ever present scourge of disease. But his structure is nonsensical, his political/strategic analysis crude, his battle narratives sloppy and ill-informed. For one, could Lord Lucan *really* have arrested Captain Nolan (aide-de-camp to his superior Lord Raglan) at Balaclava? In one hilarious gaffe, Edgerton on p. 53 calls the French army the best-equipped and most respected among the Allies, only to say the same about Sardinia a mere 12 pages later! More annoying are his constant repetition and endless allusions to the American Civil War, which infuriate rather than illuminate. Capped off by a pathetic conclusion that the war effected all sides equally (so much for your anthropology major), and you've got a book that stinks like yesterday's garbage.