| Description | Convalescing on board H.M.S. Agammemnon. "These navy fellows have the pull over us now in wartime having all their comforts with them the same as if they were lying at Spithead. In this cold weather a warm cabin with a stove and a good dinner into the bargain is preferable to thin canvas, two wet blankets and no dinner at all. The old thing goes on still, a certain number of rounds fired daily without effect, the most monotonous and at the same time harrassing life possible." Relates loss of a brother officer of the Rifle Brigade "a great loss in these times when officers are so scarce. 150 were killed and wounded at that battle at the Inkerman of the 5th of November. What a Guy Fawkes day they made for us. Upwards of ten thousand Russians were killed outright piled up on the top of each other and about 15 thousand wounded, in fact the whole of the reinforcement from Silistria were slain. I am sure there never was such close fighting before, for the whole day. The bayonet was at work and as fast as one man fell another filled up his place. The 1 st and 2nd Divisions were principally engaged. Our regiment was on duty in the trenches that day and it was a stray ball that took poor Troubridges legs off. I am glad to say that he is going on very well and will soon recover, but to find himself a cripple for life. We have on board now a Russian Captain of Artillery who was taken a few days after Alma at Mackenzies farm when we surprised the rearguard of Menshikoff's Army at that place as they were carousing. This fellow was so confoundedly drunk that he could not move and was unable to run away. He has come on board the Agammennon to be exchanged. He was commanding the battery that didso much harm to us and the 23rd and last night he was excited and describing his rage at finding us still advancing in spite of all his fire and how he had to leave his guns in our hands and his hatred of the Septieme Regiment de la ligne as he called us and how he hoped to meet us again in the field. When I touched him on the shoulder and said Monsieur I am one of that terrible regiment that walked into your battery so easily and nothing will please us more than to meet so brave an enemy again and do the same thing a second time. His vows and protestations of how brave etc were arduous and it ended in his being carried to his hammock having exceeded in his cups by way of drowning animosity. |