To what extent did the Crimean War see a change in the conduct of warfare?

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To what extent did the Crimean War see a change in the conduct of warfare?

The Crimean War started at the end of March 1854 when the allies, Great Britain and France, declared war on Russia. This was the first armed conflict in Europe between the great powers since 1815. This 39 year gap had a great impact on the conduct of warfare. Important changes were made, especially in technical warfare like weaponry, and communication, but also in tactics and supplies. However, even though the Crimean War saw some important changes in the conduct of warfare, there were still parts in which old, conservative methods were used.  

The Crimean war saw some influential and important changes in the use and methods of weaponry. Throughout the years, weapons got developed. A great change in weaponry was the invention of the Minie Bullet. It got used with the Minie Rifle, which was much more accurate, had a range of approximately 600 yards, hit harder, was cheaper and could still be fitted with a bayonet. Over all, this new weapon was a force-multiplier, meaning that it was worth more than an old rifle. The technological breakthrough of rifling and breech-loading in small arms could also be theoretically applied to the artillery. In 1845 a breech-loading, rifled, artillery gun was invented. Even though no country wanted to face the cost of re-equipment, a number of British smooth-bore cannon were converted into a simplified rifled form and immediately showed their greater range and accuracy in the bombardment of Sebastopol during the Crimean War. These developments in weaponry represented the coming of age of the rifle. They were now more reliable, faster-loading, and had greater range and accuracy.

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The infantry now had very destructive weapons which led to a profound in the implications for tactics, transferring the advantage to the defender. This was a major change in the conduct of warfare. The fact that firepower was so powerful now, made the frontal assaults an obsolete system. However, even though this was very obvious, it did not prevent both sides from launching suicidal attacks against well-protected positions, like in the case of Inkerman or Balaklava. To overcome this problem, the French orquestrated a brilliant surprise attack on the Malakov (1855). French Officers first pushed the army to within 30 ...

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