A Soldier's Experience; or, A Voice from the Ranks: Showing the Cost of War in Blood and Treasure. A Personal Narrative of the Crimean Campaign, from the Standpoint of the Ranks; the Indian Mutiny, and Some of its Atrocities; the Afghan Campaigns of 1863Gowing, T. (Timothy)
History
A Soldier's Experience; or, A Voice from the Ranks: Showing the Cost of War in Blood and Treasure. A Personal Narrative of the Crimean Campaign, from the Standpoint of the Ranks; the Indian Mutiny, and Some of its Atrocities; the Afghan Campaigns of 1863
Gowing, T. (Timothy)
Crimean War, 1853-1856 -- Personal narratives
P.S.--Dear Sir--I am truly sorry to have to conclude this
kind letter: your noble son fell inside the Redan
(Sebastopol is taken). Your son, from the day he joined the
regiment, proved himself a credit to us, and a most
determined soldier. I have every reason to believe that he
is now where you would not wish to have him back from; a
nobler death he could not have met with than that in the
hour of victory. I know, Dear Sir, it is hard for you to
lose such a noble boy, but I hope the Lord will give you
strength to bear up under this trying blow.
I am, Dear Sir,
Your faithfully,
J. HOLMES,
Sergeant, Royal Fusiliers.
I was brought into camp in time to prevent the foregoing being
despatched, and after my recovery added the following, which will
explain itself:--
Camp before Ruins of Sebastopol,
March, 1856.
My Dear Parents,
You see that I have, thank God, been spared to see what they
had to say about me after I was supposed to be dead. It is
true that I fell inside the Redan, and was totally
unconscious for some time, but, thank God, though wounded
heavily, am still where mercy is to be shown. I was carried
home to camp and to the hospital just in time to save the
above being posted, but I will keep it as long as I live,
and if I live to come home will bring it with me, for truly
I have had a merciful God watching over me, and am spared, I
hope, for some good purpose, for this wonderful God of our's
can see from the beginning to the end, He is the same
unchanging God that the Patriarchs trusted in. There is talk
of peace, and those who want to continue the war will, I
hope, come out and show us the way, as General Windham did
on the 8th September last; they would most likely soon give
in. I am not one of those who would have peace at any price,
but if I am allowed to express my opinion, I think our ends
have been gained. The Russians have been considerably
humbled. We have beaten them four times in four pitched
battles, have rent one of the strongest fortresses in the
world from them, and I think they have had enough of France
and England. If I am spared to come home I will bring this
with me, as its contents might be too much for poor mother
to bear.
From your rough but affectionate son,
T. GOWING,
Sergeant, Royal Fusiliers.
* * * * *
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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