COL. ANSTRUTHER THOMSON 181 



Lord Raglan, he has not once literally been in the 

 cavalry lines or seen our wretched state, and, what- 

 ever may be said, was not on the field at Inkerman 

 till two hours after it began. The Duke behaved 

 most pluckily. Nearly all our nags are dead. They 

 stand up to their bellies in mud, have to fetch their 

 own grub four miles, besides carrying provisions all 

 day six miles to the front all from want of convey- 

 ance in that infernal commissary. It rains all day 

 and freezes at night, but no cold to hurt any one yet. 

 We are all capitally fed, and I have no patience with 

 grumblers on that score, but no care of horses taken. 

 Here are the huts, clothing, etc., all at Balaklava 

 all very pretty on paper, but not an animal or cart in 

 the commissary to carry it up ; the guns the same. 

 The infantry actually carry up the shot, in long 

 strings, eight good miles from Balaklava to the 

 trenches, up to your knees in mud. 



" We are living in the deepest ploughed field, like 

 Burbage Wood on a wet day. If we had conveyance 

 in the commissary we might have hut stoves and no 

 end of luxuries from Balaklava all there but here 

 we are, the 2nd January, and no better off for cold, 

 except about twenty fur coats in each regiment for 

 picquets, and rotten Turkish boots for picquets 

 too, and a few horse-rugs, than we were in July 

 all from no conveyance in the d d commis- 

 sary. No one can believe our bad management 

 alongside the French unless they see it. The men 

 can fight though, if the commissary can't comfort 

 them. 



