The
Battle of Balaclava, fought on 25 October 1854 during the
Crimean War, was part of
Siege of Sevastopol (1854–1855) to capture the port and fortress of
Sevastopol,
Russia's principal naval base on the
Black Sea. The engagement followed the earlier Allied victory in September at the
Battle of the Alma, where the Russian General
Menshikov had positioned his army in an attempt to stop the Allies progressing south towards their strategic goal. Alma was the first major encounter fought in the
Crimea since the Allied landings at Kalamita Bay on 14 September, and was a clear battlefield success; but a tardy pursuit by the Allies failed to gain a decisive victory, allowing the
Russians to regroup, recover and prepare their defence.