1051 
Tbe enemy's loss was much greater, about twelve horses 
and forty-five men killed. So much for the first touch of 
war. I thought, if they called that a skirmish, what would 
a battle he ? — but I very soon afterwards saw the difference, 
for, on the morning of the 20th, we inarched up to a large 
range of hills right in front of the enemy. As soon as we 
wore within gunshot — bang— bang — bang went one great 
gun afr.er another. Shells and balls came whistling past 
us like lightning. The enemy set a village on fire to make a 
great) smoke to blind our army. Our (the Artillery) guns 
were too light, so there was no way of taking it but by the 
gun and bayonet. Our gallant infantry marched forward to 
the charge, and a splendid sight it was to see the Riflemen, 
the 23rd, 55th, 95th, 88th, 33rd, and the Foot Guards march 
up to the enemy’s batteries and bayonet the “ Bears ” at their 
guns, You should have seen our little troop flying, along 
with the cavalry, up the hill, it would have made you proud 
of having a son in the Royal Artillery. The enemy flew 
before us like chaff before the wind. Wo came into action 
upon the hill — fired into the valley upon the enemy and 
sent hundreds unto their long home. We had the ship- 
ping on the right of us and they played beautifully upon 
the enemy. The enemy had a “ grand stand " upon the 
hill for the great people of Russia to see the destruction 
of our army, but they were finely taken in, for the 
shipping dropped a shell or two upon it (the grand stand) 
and sent them flying. The Russians had a great quantity 
of guns. They expected the fighting to last for five weeks, 
but we won the day and sent them off in four hours. So 
closed the great battle of Alma. It was an awful sight to go 
through the battle-field where thousands were lying dead, 
many of their bodies being frightfully mutilated. I had to 
go out at uight for water through the thickest of the dead. 
I stu n bled over dead bodies until I felt quite sick. Our 
army buried all tbe dead, both of the English and Russians. 
This work kept us two or three days, and then we marched 
through a romantic country, but were not again engaged till 
the 25th. While on the march, our troop, along with the 
Scots Greys, and other light companies were sent forward to 
reconnoitre. Our road lav through a level wooded country, 
where we could not see five yards on either side of us for 
thick bushes and underwood, and for miles we went along 
expecting each minute a volley of musketry fired into us. 
We proceeded till we arrived at. aTsmall opening in the wood 
when we saw a large party of Russian soldiers, and a train 
of ammunition and goods, and a great many carnages drawn 
by pretty ponies. We fired upon the soldiers and they took 
to their heels. We chased them, and they turned and fired 
into us, but no one was any the worse. We took fifteen 
prisoners, and a great quantity of ammunition and carriages. 
We have arrived beside Sebastopol, and are getting the siege 
trains up to their position. A constant interchange of shots 
is taking place, but the great siege will commence in a day 
or two. 
7 th October, 8 o'clock, a.m. 
We have just arrived from another skirmish. The enemy 
attacked our outposts at five o’clock this morning. Captain 
G. A. Maude' 8 troop was called out, as usual, to the front, 
likewise the heavy and light cavalry. We defeated the ad- 
vanced party with great slaughter. They retired before our 
shell and round shot as fast as their horses could carry them. 
One of our heavy dragoons was wounded ; that was all the 
harm we sustained. We may have many such skirmishes 
before the siege commences, as our people have a great deal 
of work to do yet. We are lying about five miles from 
Sebastopol, on the east side of a small harbour, to keep back 
the enemy in the rear, so that you see we are of some use. 
This country is much more healthy than Turkey. I forgot 
to say anything about the French. They fought on our right 
flank in the battle of Alma. They are a gallant set of men 
and fought bravely. They pay great respect to our army. 
I could write all day, but I must leave something to tell you 
by word of mouth when I come home. 
Death op Lieutenant Luxmoore. 
Heights above Sebastopol, Oct. 7- 
My dear Sir, — I promised in my last letter to give you the 
full particulars of the death of your son, in the tremendous 
action fought on the river Alma on the 20th of September. 
The 30th Regiment was on the extreme right of the whole 
English force, and next to the French. We advanced in line 
under a most galling fire, and succeeded in passing a village 
which the enemy had set on fire to prevent our seeing his 
position on the heights in front of us. We were crossing a 
meadow cloBe to the bank of the river Alma when your son 
(who was in command of the second company from the right 
of the regiment) fell. He had received a grapeshot on his 
right temple, which caused instantaneous death. One of our 
surgeons instantly ran up to him, but he was beyond human 
aid. At an early hour on the following morning we buried 
him close to the spot where he fell. The two majors and 
several officers attended the funeral, and (in the absence of 
the chaplain) read the funeral service over his grave. His 
loss we feel much, and I am only expressing the feeling of 
every officer in the regiment when I say that a more kind- 
hearted, straightforward man never was in this regiment. 
Trusting that you will let me know if I can be of the 
slightest use in any way. Believe me, &c., “ *** 
" To the Rev. C. T. C. Luxmoore, Guilafield, Welshpool." 
Crimea, October 12. 
Dear Sir, — Balaklava Bay, where our transports and men- 
of-war are anchored, is the most beautiful little harbour I 
ever saw, and almost impossible to find out from the sea. 
The vessels come in between ridges of rocks, some hundred 
feet in height, and not room for two ships to go abreast. 
I will not now give you any of the details of Alma battle ; 
you must before this have read all the particulars written by 
i j r P ens ^an mine i but please God, if I live to go home to 
°lu Ireland, I shall be but too happy to tell you all about it. 
All this country is filled with vineyards of good quality — 
splendid grapes, too tempting to be resisted ; yet I am quite 
sure they have been the cause of many a death. 
We have given the Russians every opportunity of strength- 
enmg their positions ; they have erected batteries outside 
Sebastopol, to play upon the land forces ; they have sunk 
ah ^ v* t^ e - r ve88e ^ a > to prevent our fleet from coming in. 
u the ladies and gentlemen of the Crimea went into the 
town, and the governor sent to Lord Raglan to spare the 
own on account of the females ; but his lordship Baid he was 
Rot to be dictated to, but if the ladies chose to come out 
•hey might do so, and go where they pleased, and he would 
protect them. This offer was not accepted, but we after- 
wards heard that they left the town by night, at the north 
side. All the dogs of the city have been also turned out, as 
tney are running short of meat and drink. 
I was fortunate in being the first to discover some metal 
pipes which supplies one side of the town with water from a 
THE FIELD. 
distance of two miles and a half. I reported it to General 
England, who at once sent a captain of engineers and had it 
cut ofl, and while so doing I was nearly taken by the Cos 
sacks, and had to ride very hard indeed for it. 
I must now say good bye, but believe me when I say that 
I shall never forget the great kindness I always experienced 
in Clonmel, and will trouble you to remember me with the 
most affectionate regards to my many friends there, aud tell 
them that, amidst all the bustle and turmoil of a camp life, 
the recollection of many a pleasant hour spent with them 
comes gratefully back upon my recollection, aud cheers me 
with the hope that, we shall meet again in the old couutry, 
when I shall give full particulars of scenes I never expected 
to witness, and in which I had never hoped to be an actor. 
Yours ever faithfully, Wii.uam Fosueruy. 
P-S- — Tell * * **I often think of him here ; such ground 
for coursing was never seen — miles upon miles without a 
fence. VVe met several hares on the line of march, and our 
fellows took aud eat n lot of them. 
THE COMMISSARIAT IN THE CRIMEA. 
The following is an extract of a letter from an old cam- 
paigner, dated October 14th, Camp over Sebastopol : — 
“ i must in fair play givo praise to our Commissariat De- 
partment, for I never saw a bettor rationed army in all my 
life. Not ono day have we been without good and whole- 
some provisions ; the pork, twice a-week, admirable, and every 
other day excellent beef or mutton, 1^11). each inan ; tea and 
sugar daily, and the biscuit remarkably good ; indeed, they 
deserve very great praise, and, though it is the fashion to 
abuse the commissariat officers, give what they may, still 
this is, I believe, only done by boys, who expect to get 
turtle-soup and champagne. Few can know better than my- 
self how our army was rationed during the late war ; biscuit 
and the worst description of beef— no tea, no sugar. \Ve 
now get a double allowance of the finest rum I ever tasted. 
They are a set of hardworking officers who do not certainly 
spare themselves ; I have known many to be up nil uight 
riding in search of provisions. I like to give praise where 
it is due, and few can give better opinions on these subjects 
than those who have served in the Peninsular campaigns ; 
for, as I said before, boys who have seen nothing but regi- 
mental messes in England can give noopinion on the subject. 
In every valley there are good cottages and villas ; you enter 
a house with all the accommodation of an English gentle- 
man — pier-glasses twelve and fourteen high, pictures, libraries, 
Broadwood’s grand pianos, all broken to pieces ; and this not 
done by us, but by their own detestable Cossacks." 
MISCELLANEOUS ANECDOTES, INCIDENTS, AND 
MEMORANDA. 
Royal Artillery Circular. — The following circular 
has just been received at the out-stations of the Royal 
Artillery relative to letters f mm the seat of war “ Royal 
Artillery, Woolwich, Oct. 23, 1854. The wish has beeu ex- 
pressed in many quarters that a selection should bo made 
from private letters of officers or non-commissioned officers 
serving in the army in the field, ns can be done at a very 
small expense, to be printed at the regimental institution, 
with the initials, or perhaps the name of the writer, and 
circulated for the information of the regiment. It is thought 
that details of the greatest interest will thus be placed on 
record ; that many examples, in every rank of the regiment, 
of gallantry in the field, of devotion to duty, of brave ex- 
ertions under every difficulty, will thus bo presented ; and 
that a body of information of the most valuable description 
will be placed at the command of those who may hereafter 
be called upon to serve in the present or future wars. In 
meeting this wish, and in gratifying the ardent interest 
which is taken in news from the seat of war by those who 
not being at head-quarters , have but imperfect means of 
obtaining information, it will be necessary to exercise due 
judgment not to violate private confidence, nor circulate mat- 
ter reflecting direct or indirectly on individuals, and to 
exclude expressions or sentiments never intended for pub- 
licity. With these restrictions it appears not improper or 
difficult to meet the wishes thus expressed, and the friends 
or correspondents of officers or non-commissioned officers 
and men in the East who may hold in their possession let- 
ters of interest are invited to communicate them, or such 
portion of them as they may think fit, to the secretary of the 
Regimental Institution. Should a collection of sufficient 
interest and value thus be formed, it will be submitted to 
the committee to sanction its appearance, and, if printed, 
care will be taken to place it within the reach of all ranks. — 
J. H. Lefroy, Captain, R.A., Secretary." — [The plan is aban- 
doned. — E d.] 
Admiral Korniloff, who has just fallen at Sebastopol, 
was one of the officers who accompanied Prince Menschi- 
koff on his mission to Constantinople in March 1853. 
On the nioht of the 7th Oct. a rather serious mistake 
happened on the part of the Rifles. Sir George Brown had 
been out visiting his advanced pickets in front of the enemy 
after dark. He had proceeded a little to his front, and was 
returning by another route into the lines, accompanied by 
his aide-de-camp. The Rifles on duty at this point not 
imagining it could be the general, opened fire, but luckily 
did Sir George no injury, although his aide-de-camp had a 
ball pass through his coat. This is the second time the 
Rifles have fired without knowing at what mark. This is 
unfortunate ; but, in absurdity, does not come up to the 
blunder of a regiment of Highlanders, a detachment of whom, 
on outpost duty the same uight, commenced firing sharply 
on an old cow, and aroused the whole camp in that direction. 
The “Journal du Loiret" gives some particulars of the 
capture of Prince Menschikoff’s carriage. A Russian general 
was seated in it when the Zouaves were approaching, and 
from some unexplained cause, as he must have seen that all 
resistance was useless, he fired a pistol at them, and killed 
one of the French. They retorted by a general discharge, 
and the Russian general had both his cheeks transpierced by 
a ball. He had not died of the wound. The carriage, which 
turned out to be the very one which Prince Menschikoff had 
used in his embassy to Constantinople, has now again seen 
that city. 
We have before us (says the Constitutionnel ) letters from 
the Crimea to the 13th October, which confirm what the 
English journals relate on the dearness of every kind of pro- 
visions or other objects which contribute to the comfort of 
the soldier. Sugar was sold at 2f. 50c. the pound, the most 
ordinary wine 3f. a bottle, tobacco 1 Of. the pound. Thus the 
soldier is obliged to content himself almost exclusively with 
his rations. 
A Medal has already been struck in honour of the 
battle of Alma. On one side it bas the portrait of the Em- 
peror, and on the other the following inscription : — “ Vic- 
toire d'Alrna, remportdo sur lea Russes par les Armes Allises 
de France, d’Angleterre, ct He Turquie, Sept. 20, 1854. * 
It is the composition of Si. Borrel. 
Mr. Wilkinson, op Grantham , has received a letter 
from his son, a seamen on board the Trafalgar in the Black 
Sea fleet- The letter is dated from Kalamit.a Bay. and a 
postscript, dated Sunday, Oct. 1, shows what courageous stuff 
™ Jack Tars are made of: •• I am now going on shore 
with 139 of my messmates. Wo are to form a storming 
party before the walla of Sebastopol : ao, if I am popped off 
laylor will write to you." 
Tilt, arrival at Balaklava officers and men, both alike, 
had nothing from the place of disembarkation but what they 
could carry t.hemsolvc «. Of course, says a correspondent, 
beards have grown, skins have become brown if not black, 
clothes have become shabby, rugged, aud dirtv ; sluikos have 
either been lost h, battle nr on the march belts are not 
looking Cleon. In short, wo ore as shabby a lot to look at 
as you ever saw or could conceive. However, we meau to 
get mto hebiwtopol, and then we shall put ourselves to rights. 
A complete now equipment of everything will be necessary 
for the winter whore that is to be passed no one seems to 
know, but we had a foretaste of what winter might bo here 
two days ago. There is no firewood, either, to.be had. 
Cooking is therefore difficult, and fire for warmth out of the 
question. 
Two STIES HAVE JUST BEEN SENT US FROM BALAKLAVA. 
What they propose doing with them I know not. The mas- 
ter caulker of Sebastopol dockyard is an Englishman ; he 
allowed himaelf to be taken prisoner u lew days since, and 
I hear to night he lias made his escape, of course, taking 
into the town every information. I ask, is not this fellow 
worthy of death ? 
The followino are the distances which soparato tho 
points so frequently mentioned in tho recital of events con- 
nected with tho present war:— From Marseilles to Malta, 
1,000 kilometres (a kilometre is live-eighths of an English 
mile) ; from Malta to Constantinople, 800 ; Toulon to Con- 
stantinople, 1,660 ; Constantinople to Varna, 160 ; from 
Constantinople to Eupatoria, 180; from tho f si. > of Serpents 
to Cape Tarkan, on the west of the Crimea, 200 ; Odessa to 
Sebastopol, 534 ; Varna to Sebastopol, 360. By laud from 
Eupatoria to Old Fort the distance is 24 kilometres ; from 
Old Fort to the village of Alma, 36 ; from Alina to Bclbck, 
10 ; from Bolhek to Sebastopol, 10 ; and from Balaklava to 
Sebastopol, 12. 
One hundred thousand rains ok wooden shoes, and 
the same number of woollen socks, are about to be sent from 
Lyons to tho army in the East, in order to protect the feet 
of the soldiers against dump and cold during the winter. 
One shell burst near a tent belonging to the G8tli 
without injuring any one. Two men of the 63r.l met with 
one of those miraculoiiH escapes which, however authentic, 
always read fabulous. A round-shot, a 48-pounder, passed so 
closo to tho head of one of these men that the chin-strap of 
his cap, tied above the head, was tom by the wind of the 
ball, which passed on and smashed the firelock of the other 
man, which he was then occupied in cleaning. Neither was 
injured in the least. 
You KNOW what is called “field day" at tho hospitals 
in town. Perhaps an amputation or two, with half a dozen 
surgeons to assist if necessary, and a hundred surgical eyes 
looking on. Cun you imagine our field day on the bunks ol’ 
the little river Alma? If God spares mo again to see old 
England, I shall probably never moro witness as much prnc 
tice in my wholo lifetime as I saw there in two hours. The 
pluck of a soldier no one has yet truly described. They 
laugh at pain and will scarcely submit to die. It is per 
foctly marvellous, this triumph of mind over body. If a 
limb were torn off or crushed at home, you would have 
them brought in fainting, and in a state of dreadful collapse. 
Here they come with a dangling arm or a riddled elbow, and 
it's “ now doctor, be quick if you please I'm not done for so 
bad but I can get away buck and see ! ” And many of these 
brave fellows, with a lump of tow wrung out in cold water 
wrapped round their stumps, crawled to the rear of the fight, 
and, with shells bursting round them and balls tearing up 
the sods at their feet, watched the progress of the buttle. I 
tell you os a solemn truth that I took oil’ tho foot of an 
officer, Captain , who insisted on being helped on his 
horse again, and declared that he could fight now that his 
“ foot was dressed." Surgeon told him that if he 
mounted he would burst the ligatures and die on the spot, 
but for all that he would have returned to tho hill if he 
could have prevailed on anybody to help him to mount. 
At Sebastopol at night the working parties march out 
to the trenches, aud, as a matter of course, the Russians 
open their fire. In oue of the trenches a little panic was 
created. Shells and rockets were pouring around in all 
directions, savo tho right one, when, from among tho sailors 
employed at the works, a voice exclaimed, “Jack, it's getting 
too warm by half ; I’ll hook it." In accordance with this 
expressed determination, the speaker retired, or, to use bis 
own phraseology, he “hooked it." A few others followed, 
and in some few minutes not a blue-jacket was on the ground. 
The panic spread amongst the workmen, who also “hooked 
it." Order was, however, soon re-established, and every- 
body returned to the work. Whilst the men were joking at 
the occurrence, in one of the works, a shell suddenly fell 
right amongst them. In an instant everybody was flat on 
his belly ; in some parts three or four living beings were 
piled upon one another, and all were Bhouting out, “ Shove 
it out, shove it out !’’ A young Rifleman bad the pluck to 
take the shell in his hands, and rolled it over the parapet. 
Something had gone wrong with tho fusee, for the shell did 
not burst ; but of this, the man who courageously took it 
up in his arms was not aware, and his conduct merits 
reward. 
Sir C. Campbell. — A reporthasbeeu prevalent of the death 
by cholera, in the Crimea, of Sir Colin Campbell (“ Feather 
Bonnet"). — Tho rumour is unfounded. It probably origi- 
nated iu the fact, that another officer of the same name, 
Captain Colin Campbell, had fallen a victim to the disease. 
At Constantinople the wounded are represented as 
rapidly recovering. On tho 11th, 500 English and French 
soldiers were declared to have recovered from the wounds 
which they had received at tho battle of the Alma, and hud 
taken their departure for the Crimea. Mr Levy and threo 
other surgeons, accompanied by forty assistant-surgeons, were 
to embark on the 15th for Sebastopol, to establish there a 
large hospital as soon as the town was taken. 
In a nousE near to our position at Sebastopol, lives an 
Englishman, who, according to his own account, has been 
for tho last twenty-five years employed 'in public works 
there. His name is Willis. He states that he has beeu ill- 
used by the Russian authorities, who, though he had ful- 
filled his time of service, refused to give him a pension, but 
discharged him with a bonus of only oue year’s pay. He 
