ALMA, BATTLE OF THE

(Sept. 20, 1854), victory by the British and the French in the Crimean War that left the Russian naval base of Sevastopol vulnerable and endangered the entire Russian position in the war. Commanded by Prince Aleksandr Menshikov, the Russians had occupied a position on the heights above the Alma River in the southwestern Crimea, thus blocking the road to Sevastopol. The allies landed in the Crimea (September 14) to capture Sevastopol, and under the command of Lord Raglan and Marshal Armand de Saint-Arnaud they attacked the Russians. Although they repulsed the allies' first assault, the alarmed Russians withdrew their artillery; subsequent allied attacks forced the Russians to retreat toward Sevastopol, which was then poorly fortified. The allies, however, failed to pursue the Russians immediately and lost an opportunity to capture the city easily.