Afghan Wars; Crimean War, 1853-1856; Egypt -- History -- British occupation, 1882-1936; India -- History -- Sepoy Rebellion, 1857-1858
salary, as being more than necessary; and when he left, the Khedive
remarked: 'What an extraordinary Englishman! He doesn't want money!'
On leaving Galatz, we went first of all to Odessa, to call on General
Kotzebue, the Governor-General of Southern Russia, who, however, was
unfortunately absent; but we had an opportunity of meeting, and of
receiving assistance from him later on. Indeed, during the whole of our
visit to the Crimea, every attention was paid to us by the authorities;
and two Russian officers were specially detailed to accompany and
assist us in our investigations. We arrived at Sebastopol on August 29,
and found the city in ruins, and almost exactly in the same condition
as when the allied armies had left it seventeen years before. The
churches, barracks, theatres, and store-houses were all roofless; and
the Malakoff, Redan, and other defences mere crumbling earthworks. All
was so quiet and still, and such a contrast to the stirring times of
the years gone by, in the hardships and vicissitudes of which Gordon
and myself had shared. We seemed to know every inch of the ground, and
for many days wandered about, taking notes of the various cemeteries,
great and small, scattered over the country.
Although comparatively few officers and men remain of all those
who took part in the great Crimean war of forty years ago, its
reminiscences will still, no doubt, be of interest to many in the
present day; and I will therefore quote some extracts from the report
made by Gordon and myself on our return home:[99] 'From the day of
our arrival until September 9, we were engaged many hours each day
in making a careful inspection of every cemetery and memorial of the
British Army in the vicinity of Sebastopol.' 'It will be remembered
that after the battle of the Alma the Allies marched on Sebastopol,
and in consequence of their long detention before that city the great
body of the British Army did not move again during the war, but
remained encamped on the plateau on the south side; consequently,
with the exception of a few monuments at the Alma and at Kertch, the
whole of the cemeteries, one hundred and thirty in number, are to
be found on the ground which extends from Sebastopol to Balaclava,
and from Kamiesch to the Tchernaya.' 'The cemeteries vary much both
in their position and size. Some are in the rocky ravines leading
down to the trenches, whilst others are on the hills and downs which
surround Balaclava. Some lie in the sheltered valleys about Kadikoi and
Karani; but by far the greater number extend along the bare plateau in
front of the city, upon which the army so long remained encamped; and
pre-eminent among them is that on Cathcart's Hill, distinguished alike
by its commanding central position and by the numerous monuments it
contains, many of them to officers of high rank and distinction.'[100]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account