[April 1, 2025] The Washington Free Beacon just published a review of Gregory Carleton’s Crimean Quagmire: Tolstoy, Russell and The Birth of Modern Warfare, and it’s worthwhile to highlight an important historical account that could truly be seen as the birth of modern warfare.
Personally, I knew nothing of the Crimean War, a major war between Russia on one side and Britain, France, Turkey, and Sardinia on the other. From 1853 to 1856, this war saw a number of firsts on the battlefield and a number of famous events. Oddly, little of the war has made it into the history books of the West.
“Crimea changed the face of modern warfare forever.” – Gregory Carleton, Review in the article titled Bogged Down, March 30, 2025
This book review by Gary Saul Morson is a seascape of interesting “firsts” in modern warfare, both technological, tactical, and procedural. As Morson points out, the “Russians’ old-fashioned musket was no match for the modern rifle wielded by the British and French … where they were able to annihilate Russian regiments.” Long-rang
e artillery came into use on both sides. And Russian steam-powered ironclad ships firing explosive shells crushed Turkey’s wooden sailing ships.
Other innovations included landmines or “man-traps,” the railroad, telegraph, and photography. A Russian doctor introduced triage surgery so treatment could be given first to those who had the best chance of survival. Taken together, these innovations represented the greatest revolution in warfare in more than a thousand years.
More people across the world now could read than ever before. Troops in combat wrote letters home and gave a chilling account of the war. Newspapers were full of accounts of battles and the effort of Western Powers to win over the “East.”
“The most influential British paper, The Times, dispatched William Howard Russell as what we now call an “embedded” reporter, and his stories, which continued until the war concluded, moved the British public as never before. Such frankness was of course impossible in the empire of the tsars, but tales written by a young junior officer, who was just beginning to be well known, were widely read, as they still are. The officer’s name was Count Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy, and the lessons he learned about how battle is really conducted were to shape the greatest novel of world literature, War and Peace, which described war realistically for the first time.” – Gary Saul Morson
Many of us who study history, may be more familiar with Florence Nightingale, who introduced modern nursing during this war. Or with Tennyson who wrote a poem about the charge of the Light Brigade.
Morson, however, does criticize the Carleton when the latter misuses the world “genocide.” As Morson notes, “not every dictatorship is totalitarian and not every thuggish ruler is Hitler, Stalin, or Mao, not every bloody war is genocidal.” He accuses Carleton of hyperbole when comparing this Crimean War with more recent wars like the Vietnam War or Russia’s war in Ukraine. “But scholars should refrain from such rhetoric.”
Highly recommended.
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Please read my books:
- “55 Rules for a Good Life,” on Amazon (link here).
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An underrated book.
The more books like this, the better. As Army Captain below notes, let’s hope the book breaks new ground.
Any book that purports to discuss “modern warfare” has my undivided attention. The program, however, is that most of these “historians” who write these books are looking well into the past and there is little consistency on the outcome of battles and even less on the wars themselves, since the victors write the narrative. I hope this book breaks new ground on the war in Crimea and offers up some analysis that is not just a repeat of the past. Good job, Gen. S. for finding this book and highlighting it for us. I’ll order a copy and fortunately, on Amazon, it is being offered at a discount price.
I ordered the book and I hope it’s worth it.
Looks like another book for me to read as I sit on my back porch. My wife likes it when I’m out of the house anyway.
Hi Anya. I ordered the book. Now, once I get it, I’ll let you know what I think. Gen. Satterfield has given us some highlights about it from this book review. In the meantime, I will recommend Gen. Satterfield’s book “55 Rules for a Good Life” because it is a philosophical treaste and yet written for the average person. I really enjoyed his book and what I really find great is that anyone can open the book at any page and read something important for your life. Try it out someday and order extra copies to give away to the young adults you know.
Cheers! Hope all is well Eagle Eye. Haven’t heard from you in a long time now.
Looks interesting. I will wait until more people give it a rating on Amazon before I buy.
Study war so that we can avoid future war.
Anytime that Gen. Satterfield recommends a book, I’m in. Plus, if a book is about modern warfare or the historical development of modern warfare, then I’m interested in reading that book. Here is what one historian wrote:
“A masterful exploration of the Crimean War as a harbinger of modern quagmires, told in a way that both echoes Homer’s Troy and foreshadows the follies of Vietnam and Afghanistan. Recommended for anyone interested in humanity’s search for meaning amidst the backdrop of war.” — Jonathan Brunstedt, Associate Professor of History, Texas A&M University
Gregory Carleton is Professor of Russian Studies at Tufts University. He has devoted his career to engaging students and readers with the challenges and mysteries of Russia’s culture, history, literature and people, publishing extensively on these topics. Crimean Quagmire is his fourth book. 🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️
Thanks Wellington.
Looks like a good book. In this case, Gen. Satterfield has not read the book but is relying upon a well-known book critic. I’m sure the book is good despite its flaws.