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
Without mentioning names, I may summon as witnesses the unfortunate
heroes who were at that time gathered around the invalids’ table. So
happy was I in their company--and I believe they were equally so in
mine,--that I felt perfectly ashamed at being quite well; for even the
Doctor was sick, in consequence of the harassing nature of his duties;
he had so much to do--which is ever the case in time of war. With
reference to their former steward, whom we had christened “la prima
donna Antonio,” as a set-off to his trickery in supplying the invalid
officers with dessert in the shape of bad ices, unripe fruit,
&c.,--things not fit for weak stomachs,--he used, at the request of a
few, to bring his guitar, and delight with his voice _à la_ Veluti the
ears of those whose palates he had so cruelly displeased. By the aid of
a most amiable and kind lady--Mrs. Moore, who some time after died of
fever, much regretted by all--I had already their comforts, and, having
previously established a better system of cookery, thought I had done
some good for those to whom I was so much indebted for their kind and
polite attention. Though I did not remain more than three weeks at
Scutari on this occasion, never, perhaps, during the whole of my martial
career, was my heart so severely tried and tortured.
The following letters, addressed to the metropolitan press, speak
volumes:--
SCUTARI, _27th June, 1855_.
MR. EDITOR,--Three weeks have hardly elapsed since my departure
from the Crimean shores, and Death, that implacable deity of the
dark abode, has had to engrave upon his mournful tablet a column of
names of some of the most distinguished heroes of the present
day--viz., Admiral Boxer, Adjutant-General Estcourt, Sir John
Campbell, Colonel Yea, Captain Lyons, General della Marmora,
&c.--and W. H. Stowe, a young civilian and bright ornament of the
literary world. Every one has heard or will hear of their fame.
History will relate facts, but time, as usual, will partly efface
from the memory of man the cause of their martyrdom or sudden ill
fate; while I--yes, I can relate, though with a sorrowful heart,
the circumstances of their social position, having still on the ear
a vibratory sound of their pure and candid voices, for it is only a
few days since that I was amongst them, cheerfully shaking hands
with them, transacting important business with some of them,
partaking of the rural hospitality of others, they of mine, and
overwhelmed by the kindness of all. Life then seemed proud of them;
the bloom of nature was radiant upon their brows. Their eyes spoke
volumes. Their hearts were as great in the devotion of the national
cause, and the glory of their country, as the pure soul which has
since departed from them for a better world. Every drop of their
blood no longer belonged to them, but to their Queen, their
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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