The Battle of Alma (September 20, 1854), the first battle of the Crimean War (1854 - 1856), took place in the vicinity of the River Alma in the Crimea. A Franco-British force gained a victory against General Menshikov's Russian army, which lost around 6,000 troops. General St. Arnaud commanded the French, while Lord Raglan commanded the British.
The French Zouaves contributed to the victory by taking the Russian-held redoubts. During the battle, the first battalion of Zouaves lost 222 men, the second battalion 74 men and the third battalion 63 men.
The victory opened the way up for the French and British to advance to Sevastopol.
Side note: "Alma", as a girls name, became popular in the United Kingdom as a result of the victory.
