Sebastopol: On the Fall of a City

Abstract

The siege of Sebastopol lasted for eleven months, causing immense hardship on all sides. After the heaviest bombardment in the history of the world, Sebastopol fell in September 1855 when the Russians evacuated overnight, leaving the city heavily mined. When the allies were eventually able to occupy Sebastopol, many were shocked and saddened by its state of ruin. Visitors were moved to make representations of the fallen city, in letters, newspaper articles, sketches, and photographs. This article explores some aspects of how representation helps to shape cultural perceptions of warfare, and the particular forms these took at the Crimea. It looks at a range of representations, including memoirs and letters of soldiers, army medics, and civilians, alongside some of the visual representations, most notably the haunting photographs of James Robertson and Felice Beato. The article meditates upon the meanings of representations of warfare, especially at the Crimea, regarded as the first modern war in this respect. I consider this question within a framework of historical rethinking suggested by historian Andrew Lambert, who argues that all the courage and suffering at the Crimea did not have much impact on the outcome of the war.

Keywords

• Crimea