The Village of Alma, along with another in the Province of Quebec, is named for a battle of the Crimean War. The objective of the British and French allies in this war was to destroy the great Russian naval port of Sebastopol in Crimea on the Black Sea. On their march to Sebastopol the Allies had to cross the Alma River. On the heights above the river the Russians barred the way with a strong force under command of Prince Menshikoff. In a hotly contested battle fought on 20 September 1854, the Russian were cleared away at a cost of 2,000 British, 1,600 French and 5,500 Russian casualties. This victory received great acclaim within the British Empire.