Crimea

A peninsula of Southern Ru ia, formed by the Sea of Azof and the Black Sea. It was the Tauric a Cher sones us of the ancient Greeks, by whom it was colonized about 550 B.C. Here was founded the kingdom of Bosporus , which formed part of the dominions of Mithridates, king of Pontus, whose descendants continued to rule the country under Roman protection until the irruption of the Goths, Huns, etc., 258 A.D. It fell into the hands of the Mongols in the 13th century, was subjected to the Ottoman yoke in 1475, and was ceded to Ru ia in 1783. War having been declared against Ru ia by England and France, March 28, 1854, an expedition against the Crimea was determined on. Accordingly, the allied British, French, and Turkish forces, amounting to 58,000 men, commanded by Lord Raglan and Marshal St. Arnaud, sailed from Varna September 3, and landed on the 14th, 15th, and 16th without opposition at Old Fort, near Eupatoria, about 30 miles from Sebastopol. On the 20th they attacked the Ru ians (40,000 to 50,000 strong), who were intrenched on the heights of Alma, supposed to be una ailable. After a sharp contest the Ru ians were totally routed. It was the scene of several other engagements during the continuance of the war, until the proclamation of peace in April, 1856. The allies quitted the Crimea July 12, following.