Sevastopol garrison in the first half of the XIX century: the composition of the garrison troops, military administration, the state of defensive fortifications

The article examines the development of the Sevastopol garrison during the first half of the XIX century, partially touches on the events of the Crimean War (1853–1856) and the defense of Sevastopol (1854–1855). Given the fragmentary nature and poor knowledge of the subject in domestic research, the main emphasis was placed on the period from 1830 to 1850. During this historical period, active work was underway to transform not only the civilian infrastructure of the city, but also the military. The subject of the study is the garrison of the 1st class fortress Sevastopol. The object of the study is the dynamics of changes in the composition of garrison troops and the construction of military control bodies in Sevastopol, as well as the land defensive line. The purpose of the study is to examine the little-studied pages of the history of Sevastopol in the first half of the XIX century. The research methodology is based on a systematic approach. Both general scientific research methods (analysis, synthesis, comparison) and specialized ones were used in the work. Specialized ones include high-quality content analysis. It was revealed that during the entire period under review, a large garrison was present in Sevastopol, as part of the 1st Infantry Division (13th Infantry Division of the 5th Infantry Corps), which was due to the status of Sevastopol as a fortress of the 1st class. However, the level of organization of the military infrastructure, the weak development of the logistics system, as well as the absence of a land line of defense testified to the inconsistency of the fortress with its status on the eve of the Crimean War. The 13th Infantry Division in Sevastopol, in addition to carrying out guard duty, was actively involved in construction work, which led to regular disputes between civil and military authorities. Experienced combat officers, some of whom were veterans of the Patriotic War of 1812, became commandants of the Sevastopol fortress. The composition of the parade ground majors and adjutants in Sevastopol was subject to constant rotation.

Crimea, Sevastopol, Sevastopol garrison, 13-th infantry division, 5-th infantry corp, Crimean war, First Defense of Sevastopol, Black Sea region, Sevastopol fortress, Commandants of the fortress of Sevastopol