There is usually a great deal more interest in the futile "charge of the Light Brigade" at Balaklava than in the battle that cleared the way for the Allied Forces to besiege the Russian fortress city. but fortunately for students of the war, as opposed to propaganda, Peter Gibbs did the necessary work to produce this readable and informative account of the battle of the Alma, and the opening steps of the campaign. it set a pattern for the war, with a straight forward slogging match that amply illustrates the at best, workmanlike conflict that followed. It is a balanced account, and reasonably mapped. ( )