Crimean Quagmire

Description

The Crimean War was the greatest international crisis of the Victorian era, and a modern war of rifles, railroads and telegraphs. As it raged, two writers embedded in the conflict–the young Russian officer Lev Tolstoy, and William Howard Russell, an Irish correspondent for The Times–brought the horrors of trench warfare home to the public for the first time.

Crimea transformed how we understand war. Stripping away the romanticism of the Napoleonic era, Tolstoy and Russell exposed government lies and cover-ups as their nations descended into the first quagmire of the modern age. Their writing shocked readers, revealing that their loved ones were dying needlessly. Between this reporting and soldiers’ own writings, the world was witnessing an unprecedented showdown between the voices of private individuals and their rulers. Tolstoy and Russell paid dearly for their honesty, but their legacy of confronting the powerful endures.

Crimean Quagmire is the first book to tell this story in full. With today’s conflicts growing ever more complex, the Crimean War has never been more resonant.

Reviews

‘Carleton’s new book successfully evokes [the] revolution in how wars were portrayed and how governments (particularly in democratic countries) became more accountable as a result of that process.’ — The Irish Times 

‘The core contention […] is that Leo Tolstoy and William Howard Russell revolutionised war reporting […] Carleton’s command of Russian and British sources offers a stereo vision and reveals striking parallels.’ — TLS

 ‘Gregory Carleton has written a good deal about Russia at war… [He argues that] Tolstoy and Russell brought to an end the age-old rhetoric of what he calls the “heroic default.“’ — The Spectator

‘Careful research.’ — History Today

‘Carleton eloquently sets out the legacy of Tolstoy and Russell. Their on-the-spot writings demonstrated that the importance of the Crimean War lies not in accounts of muskets versus rifles, but in the appalling suffering and lives lost on both sides of the conflict.’ — Barbara Emerson, author of The First Cold War

‘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

‘Insightful and beautifully written, tracing how the Crimean War changed the relationship between the front and the home front. This will also appeal to those interested in Tolstoy’s early work and in the development of modern war journalism.’ — Adrienne Harris, Associate Professor of Russian, Baylor University

‘An engagingly written history. With pointed comparisons between the two empires at war, Carleton creates a narrative of a new kind of warfare, where reporting is almost as relevant as territorial gain, and thus sheds new light also on other war stories.’ — Birgit Beumers, Research Associate, University of Passau

‘A compelling account. Carleton shows how, despite their differing contexts, Russell and Tolstoy converged on description of three novel features of the bloody conflict: the notion of a quagmire or a war without meaningful resolution; the rise of secular patriotism with little room for religion; and the rejection of a mythology of heroic death in armed conflict. Historians of the nineteenth century and educated readers will find the book moving and informative.’ — Jeffrey Brooks, Professor Emeritus of History, Johns Hopkins University

Author(s)

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.