Peter Gibbs builds on his previous book, Crimean Blunder, to focus entirely on the allied British and French armies' first battle with the Russians in the Crimean War. The Russians positioned themselves on the heights rising from the bank of the Alma river north of Sevastopol. The battle that followed was a soldier's battle, unplanned and unco-ordinated. The author also makes the case that it was the decisive battle of the Crimean War. Includes a detailed order of battle.