When you're shot and killed outright, it doesn't matter that if you survived you'd have better medical care. You are dead. Those who died of their wounds are still counted as "wounded". Both British and French returns disambiguated serious and minor wounds, but these are rarely quoted or seen. Russian returns simply omitted minor wounds.
The idea that the French had a superior system turns out to be untrue, as witnessed by the horrific 1855-6 winter. The reason there was a different perception is that the British press was free, and hence reported all the British shortcomings, whereas the French press was (as
Dawson notes) censored by the state. This ultimately bit them in the rear, as they had no incentive to improve the situation. Hence they starved again in the second winter, whereas the British were well fed and healthy.
Alma?
The French did surprisingly little fighting. Bosquet got his division up by the coast unopposed, but did nothing with it. The French only supposidly fought the Minsk and Moscow Regiments, but only 1 Bn of the Moscow was really engaged.
The British fought the Susdal, Uglitz, Vladimir, Kazan, Borodino and Tarutin Regiments, thus:
Susdal was attacked by the Highland Brigade under Campbell (1st Div)
Vladimir by the Guards Brigade under Bentinck (1st Div)
Uglitz by Buller's Bde (Light Div)
Kazan by Codrington's Bde (Light Div)
Borodino by Pennefather's Bde (2nd Div)
Tarutin was attacked by Adam's Bde (2nd Div)
This sector was also covered by 2 naval battalions and the 6th Corps Rifle battalion.
The Brest-Bielostok Reserve Brigade (the depots of these two regiments mobilised) and Volhynia Regiments were not engaged. The Brest-Bielostok Reserve Brigade was stationed along the ledge, blocking the French 3rd Divisions (Napoleon's) advance, but were withdrawn unengaged. The Volhynia was the last Russian reserve.
Most of the allied artillery firing was from 12 French guns on the Russian left, against the Minsk Regt etc., and 18 British guns moved up onto Telegraph Hill. It was mostly defensive.
None of which is typical. At Inkerman 91% of wounds were from rifles (according to Prof. AM Low). Hence the breakdown is 10,000 hit be 176,000 Minie balls (exc/ the French, who didn't do much of the shooting), roughly a 6% hit rate.
The Minie rifle was attested by the Russians to be the major killer. Now, of course a lot of this has to do with the fact that Lord Hardinge arranged for every soldier going east to have intensive training with the new weapon.
91% is in line with the ACW, as 90.1% of those with identified shot wounds were from small arms, thus:
Solid shot: 359 wounds
Shell fragments: 12,520
Grape and canister: 1,153
Conical (Minie) balls: 108,049
Round (smoothbore) balls: 16,742
Pistol and buckshot: 3,008
"Explosive" musket balls: 130
No projectile recovered or no other evidence: 103,829 (the majority likely Minie bullets that had passed clean through)
Of course, we don't know about those killed outright. Of the wounded, 922 had sabre or bayonet wounds.