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Captain James Paton, 4th King's Own, at Chatham, 1862
Accession Number: KO2590/394


Soldiers of the Regiment

Major James Paton

Letters from the Crimean War

 

In Camp before Sebastopol. 27th July 1855. Charge 3d.

My dearest Ellen,

I had the felicity of receiving your most kind letter, with my Father’s Postscript, last night. Your minds would be set at rest a couple of days afterwards, with regard to my Promotion, by seeing my name in the gazette of the 13th Inst. by which I get poor Arnold’s Company. I have not the least doubt that my Father’s going to Town may have had some influence in producing this most desirable finale. Poor Col. Cobbe called me into his Tent when I was passing this morning & congratulated me, saying he was so glad R. did not get it, it wd. have been so unjust. He is very weak & can hardly move, the hot weather having such an effect on him, he has no appetite and loses instead of gaining strength. A Medical Board has determined on sending him home at all hazard, tho’ he was never weaker since he was wounded than he is at present. He is a C.B. now.

I was down in the Trenches last night on a Covering party (so the Guard for the Trench is called) & had through God’s mercy a most narrow escape. I had been out posting sentries in front of the 4th parallel about ˝ past 9 p.m. (it was bright moonlight) & was returning with four men. I was in front of them and quite close to the Trench, a minute more & I should have been in it, - when a shell thrown from a gun, not a mortar, burst immediately behind me & knocked me flat – fortunately the splinters all missed me. No so the men. One was blown to pieces & two others wounded. I was a good deal cut about the face, bits of ‘bone’ & many grains of gunpowder being lodged under the skin. They actually came through my clothes and got into the skin. None of the scars are large & I don’t think I shall be marked; they are all on the left side of my face. The worst is I cannot hear at all with my left ear, but trust this deafness may wear off in time. I remained with my men for an hour & half afterwards, but was advised to come home which I did. I am all right to-day, bar the left ear – am not even on the sick report. I should not have written by this, the slow Mail, but as my name might appear in the papers of course you wd. be anxious. Several other men have been wounded.

I saw Willie yesterday. He was still on the sick report, but looking better I thought. He is going to get a Tent to himself. I suppose Berta Cadell [cousin] will be spliced to-night, in your and Willie’s auspicious presence & may be Jack too – May all luck attend the young couple. Berta is a fine lassie (but that is too familiar for a matron) & more like Lella than the rest.

We have reorganized our Band, under the Band Serjeant; the performers are few in number, most of the old hands died in winter; the 50th Regt. has lent us all theirs & the two together are not so dusty.

Love to self & all from your affect. brother J.P.
 

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