The British Expedition to the CrimeaRussell, William Howard, Sir
History
The British Expedition to the Crimea
Russell, William Howard, Sir
Crimean War, 1853-1856
"Je vois là plus que des gages de succès; j'y vois le succès
lui-même. Généraux, Chefs de Corps, Officiers de toutes armes, vous
partagerez, et vous ferez passer dans lâme de vos soldats la
confiance dont la mienne est remplie. Bientôt, nous saluerons
ensemble les trois drapeaux réunis flottant sur les ramparts de
Sebastopol de notre cri nationale, 'Vive l'Empéreur!'
"Au Quartier-général de Varna, Août 25, 1854.
(Signée) "Le Maréchal de France, Comm.-en-Chef l'Armée d'Orient,
"A. ST. ARNAUD."
[Sidenote: EMBARKATION OF THE TROOPS.]
In curious contrast to the above order, Lord Raglan issued a memorandum,
requesting "Mr. Commissary-General Filder to take steps to insure that
the troops should all be provided with a ration of porter for the next
few days." It reminded one of the bathos of the Scotch Colonel's address
to his men before the Pyramids, compared to Napoleon's high-flown
appeal.
The Light Division began its march from Monastir to Varna at five A.M.
on Wednesday, the 23rd. The men were in the highest spirits on their
march, and sang songs on the way; their packs were carried by mules and
horses. They arrived at Yursakova, ten miles from Monastir, near the old
camp of Sir De Lacy Evans's division, who had already left for Varna, at
one o'clock in the day, and pitched their camp there. Sunday was a day
of rest, and many of the men availed themselves of the opportunity
afforded to them of receiving the Sacrament. Through the valley of
Devno, "the Valley of Death," the men marched in mournful silence, for
it was the place where they had left so many of their comrades, and
where they had suffered so much. The air was tainted by the carcases of
dead horses; and as some of the officers rode near the burial-places of
the poor fellows in the division who had died of cholera, they were
horrified to discover that the corpses had been dug up, most probably by
the Bulgarians, for the sake of the blankets in which they had been
interred, and had been left half-covered a prey to the dogs and
vultures. On Monday the brigade again advanced and reached Karaguel,
seven miles from Varna. All the other divisions began to move towards
Varna at the same time, and prepared for embarkation as fast as they
could be shipped from the neighbourhood of the town. The greatest care
was taken to reduce the baggage and _impedimenta_ of the army to a
minimum. To each regiment there was only allowed five horses; and as
every officer had at least one--some, indeed, had two, and others
three--there were some thirty-five or forty horses from every regiment
to be provided for, so that the park formed near Varna for the derelicts
consisted of 4000 government animals and 1200 officers' horses.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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