Soyer's Culinary Campaign: Being Historical Reminiscences of the Late War.: With The Plain Art of Cookery for Military and Civil InstitutionsSoyer, Alexis
History
Soyer's Culinary Campaign: Being Historical Reminiscences of the Late War.: With The Plain Art of Cookery for Military and Civil Institutions
Soyer, Alexis
Cooking for military personnel; Crimean War, 1853-1856
The Sardinian troops and horses soon after crossed new London Bridge; by
eight o’clock I was mounting my horse to go and meet Dr. Hall. The
troops that had then landed were in full march towards their very
picturesque camp at the top of the mountain; a band of music was playing
at their head, and their artillery train and baggage-waggons followed.
The weather was brilliant, and the heat of the sun intense. Louis was
mounted upon a fine black horse, which the doctor had brought from
Alexandria. Nobody but Louis could ride him, on account of his tricks.
His appearance was worthy of the finest circus in the world for the
performance of the high school of equitation. To this splendid animal
Louis owed his reputation and popularity; and, as he lived at
head-quarters, all the Staff knew him. It is hardly possible to describe
his personal appearance. He was short in stature, with extraordinary
large ears; his long moustaches, hair, and eyebrows were between the
colour of a canary bird and that of the dun pony I was riding. His dress
was of a similar colour, with the exception of his cap, which was, if
possible, of an intenser yellow. This contrast of colours in an
individual mounted upon such a splendid charger, caused him to be
remarked by every one throughout the camp.
Our ride seemed very short, for Louis, who is a very clever fellow, was
full of anecdote, and related some that were really very amusing. He
spoke several languages, frequently mingling one with another. He spoke
his own language, the French, worse than any other, he had been so long
away from his native land. He was present at the battles of Alma,
Balaklava, Inkermann, and the Tchernaya, where his charger was wounded
close to the Traktir Bridge, he, as usual during an action, keeping in
close attendance on his brave master, more especially if danger was
imminent; and no better fate had he at the battle of Inkermann, where he
was seriously wounded in the leg, and the traces of both wounds are, I
regret to say, still apparent. On the eve of my departure from the seat
of war, I, out of veneration for this once splendid charger, purchased
him of his owner, who would probably have been obliged to abandon his
faithful steed to the tender mercies of the hungry inhabitants, who,
doubtless, had they got him in their clutches, would have given him a
dressing _à la Tartare_, or perhaps converted his body into those
suspicious articles of food, sausages. On his voyage home, in charge of
a careful groom, Neptune had no more respect for this four-legged hero
than for the commonest quadruped; for not only was he pitched, bit, and
tossed about in all directions, but worse still, when the ship
_Clarendon_ arrived off Cadiz, she struck on a sunken rock, and the most
valueless animals were thrown overboard; but “Inkermann,” with his usual
luck, in spite of Mars and Neptune, escaped the plunge taken by his less
fortunate companions, and is now in London, enjoying, as hitherto, his
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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