Lord Raglan's Telescope, 1854 (c)

Made by Andrew Ross, London.

This telescope was used by Field Marshal Lord Raglan, the British commander at the Battle of the Alma, during the Crimean War (1854-1856). It was mounted on a skeleton rifle stock which enabled Lord Raglan to use it one handed after having his right arm amputated as a result of a wound received at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. The historian Alexander Kinglake, who was an eye-witness of the Battle of the Alma, recalled seeing Raglan demonstrate the use of the telescope beforehand to the French commander, Marshal Jacques Leroy de St Arnaud.

General Lord Raglan's ill-phrased orders to Lord Lucan contributed to the destruction of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaklava during the Crimean War. Raglan had last seen active service at Waterloo and had spent 25 years at a desk as military secretary at the Horse Guards. At 65 years old he had never led an army in the field. His selection as commander of the Army in the East had been influenced by his skills as a diplomat - considered highly significant in developing a working relationship with Britain's French allies - but the talents that recommended his appointment were to cause difficulty in the field. Prior to the disaster at Balaklava Raglan's habit of phrasing commands as polite requests rather than orders caused confusion and life-threatening delays at the Battle of the Alma.