| Description | Writes to say he has survived "by a merciful providence" the assault on Sebastopol of 18th June", in which English & French seem to have mixed their blood & wiped out all the old scores of Waterloo by gaining a grand victory & taking Sebastopol . . . but a sorry day for us. Whether by treachery or what we do not know but we were repelled on every point and most dreadfully mauled. Our poor regiment as usual had to bear the whole brunt of the storm, in fact a regular forlorn hope. We have had 2 officers killed & 8 wounded more or less seriously & about 80 men hors de combat. Poor Colonel Yea was shot through the heart at the very embrassure of the Redan, which with its ditch of 20 feet deep, its strong abbatis & chevaux de frise, proved too much for British pluck. I will write you a full account next mail. I am tired to death now and covered from head to foot with gunpowder & blood. I never saw such awful sights before as I have seen this day." |