Soldiers of the Regiment
Major James Paton
Letters from the Crimean War
Camp before Sebastopol. 20th August 1855.
My dearest Ellen.
I received your letter & my Father’s about a week ago – for which many
thanks.
I am sorry for Mary Cadell; who does not seem to have been well treated
by her ‘lovzer’, but it is to be hoped that she may have occasion to
change her opinion of the sex, like the Squire’s Cousin in My Novel.
We have been confined to Camp for the last week in momentary expectation
of an Attack, which however has never taken place on our lines. Ruski
attacked the French on the Tchernaya last Thursday the 16th but met with
a signal repulse. The scene of action being only 5 miles or so off, we
heard the firing plainly; to-day one officer per Company being allowed
out of Camp, I rode over there with our Colonel & saw nothing except
graves. By all accounts our Allies gave them a sound walloping. I heard
to-day that the Prisoners including wounded amounted to 2200. The ground
was strewed with Caps, bits of Clothing, Pouches, but nothing more. It
is remarkable that no attack has succeeded this war, save that at the
Alma & the Mamelon.
The English (alone) opened fire on the 17th, chiefly on the Redan & it
has continued in a pottering sort of way up to the present time. –
Report sayeth in order to assist the French in approaching the Malakhoff
by sapping. We do not appear to have reduced their fire in the least.
Capt. Wilby & 150 men from Malta are coming up to-morrow from Bala.va.
We want them badly as the Regt. is reduced to 450 men.
I saw Willie the other day in B.; he is on board the London outside the
Harbour & living on the fat of the land including ‘ices’, an immense
luxury. Tell Willie that Capt. Turner of the 79th was asking for him the
other day. For the last 4 months he has been on board ship conveying
sick to Scutari, of which duty he is heartily tired.
We have had nice cool weather for 3 days, quite like England. I could
not help wishing this morning that I was at Jamie Smith’s preparing for
a bout with the Blackcocks instead of the Russians. Excuse this stupid,
rotten note, but it is late, I am fagged & there is nothing to tell. Two
of these at least are good excuses.
With best love to all, Believe me your most affect. Brother, J. Paton.
Next in sequence after this letter is a cover or envelope of which
the letter has been lost? See this
letter The envelope is of interest in that it is
dated ‘Sept. 17th/55. Before the Conquered City’. It probably once
contained a description of the fall of Sebastopol.
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