Photograph of Sevastopol taken from the former hut of a Russian General. The ruined remains of the Russian military barracks can be seen in the middle distance, with the harbour behind. In the foreground there is rough rocky ground. The Siege of Sevastopol lasted eleven months, with the allied British, French and Turkish forces eventually capturing the city on the 8th September 1855. The city was badly damaged during the siege, and many of the buildings were left in ruins. In order to prevent the restoration of Sevastopol as a Russian stronghold the allied forces destroyed the docks and a number of strategically important buildings in early 1856.