Great Britain -- History, Military -- 19th century; Marshals -- Great Britain -- Biography; Wood, Evelyn, 1838-1919
Next night when I went to sleep, at about eight o’clock, in battery,
it was freezing and bitterly cold, so I had crawled into a hole, being
more anxious for shelter from wind than rain. The wind dropped about 2
a.m., and rain fell. This awoke me, and I realised that I was getting
wet, but was too tired to rise. When I tried to do so at daylight, on
the Relief arriving, it was freezing again, for with the coming day the
temperature had fallen, and I was unable to move. My comrades carried
me back to camp, and with hot bottles to my feet and all around me, I
revived. About this time the Naval officers,[26] before returning to
camp at daylight, went round to help in soldiers who from the intense
cold had become incapable of movement.
At the end of that week I made the acquaintance of Lord Raglan. When I
was not in battery I went down daily to Balaklava or Kamiesh Bay to buy
food for our Mess, and being at the latter place I went on board H.M.S.
_Beagle_, to see Hewett.[27] I stayed for the night, appreciating
greatly the good food, but still more the unlimited power of ablution,
and a new coat and trousers he gave me. Lieutenant Burgoyne,[28] H.M.S.
_Swallow_, my former shipmate in H.M.S. _Queen_ (_vide_ p. 13), dined
with us, and next morning asked me to take a letter to his father, Sir
John Burgoyne, the Engineer-in-Chief of the Army. I willingly assented,
although to deliver it I should have to go a mile or so round. When
I left Kamiesh it was raining, and by the time I had walked eight
miles to Headquarters, it seemed to me double that distance. I was
covered with mud to my knees and wet through, so was anxious not to
be seen, for besides being very dirty, Midshipmen were then taught to
regard their superiors with awe. I was hurrying away, after handing in
my letter, when I was called back and taken to see Lord Raglan, who
had lunching with him General Niel, to whom I was presented. My host
covered me with confusion by narrating the incident of trying to carry
the powder into battery, and the story of the burning magazine, of
which he had heard from Captain Peel, and said pleasant things about
me, after which, to my great relief, I was allowed to talk to one of
his Staff, who was told to provide me with food.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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