This force was commanded jointly by Britain and France, with the British Commander being General Lord raglan and the French Commander Marshal Armand Saint-Arnaud. Their advance was blocked by a Russian Force under the command of Prince Aleksandr Menshikov at the Alma River. The British and French Forces attacked the Russians on the Heights overlooking the Alma river, with the British baring most of the fighting. The Russians were driven from their positions on the Heights. The Russian Losses were 1200 Killed and more than 4,000 captured. The Allied losses were 3,000 British and 1,000 French casualties. Soon after the Fighting the French Commander died of Cholera and the French Command passed to General Francois Canrobert.

Note regarding poem: This poem appeared in the British Colonist (Halifax) newspaper on Dec., 28, 1854 (Vol. VI, #223). It was signed only C.F., Sackville. Though it was not signed Charles Fenerty the poem is likely belonging to Charles Fenerty. Census records of that period yielded no one with the initials C.F. in the city of Sackville. Also, it was not unusual for Charles Fenerty to sign C.F. (he did the same with Passing Away – The Prince’s Lodge footnote). Furthermore, the poem has Fenerty’s style. For example, it ends with him saying that “Your deeds shall live as if inscribed On monumental spire,” Fenerty carried the same voice in his Sir Provo Wallis and Patrician and Plebeian. A final note, the name Menschikoff refers to Prince Aleksandr Menshikov (Fenerty made similar misspellings of names in his Essay on Progress).

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