Beschreibung:

(Francis Beckford, Major, Royal Artillery, commanded a troop of the Royal Horse Artillery in the Crimea, senior British officer in action at the Battle of Tchernaya in support of the Sardinians, 16 August 1855, son of John Ward Dean of Lincoln Cathedral, 1820-76) c. 70 Autograph Letters signed to his parents, c. 500pp. & envelopes, 8vo, Crimea and elsewhere, December 1854 - June 1856 & later, describing the voyage to the Crimea (departing from London in December 1854), via Malta and Scutari, on active service in the Crimea, his return, and other correspondence including letters from his uncle (a Consular official in Turkey, 1855), letters to his widow from Crimean veterans and photographs of Ward, 3 photographs of Ward, including an albumen print of Ward reading a letter in the Crimea and with a pencil inscription: "very likely an original Fentons photograph", etc., folds. *** A fine series of letters describing the Crimean War. Ward has no compunction in pointing out the shortcomings of the generals commanding the army and the truth about conditions in the Crimea making these letters a valuable source for the historian. (1). Rats. "Our chief enemies at this moment are rats, and they annoy us exceedingly! The Crimean rat seems to be a most audacious brute, he has no respect for persons or things, he eats everything he can get at, and he fights and squeals, and runs over one, as one is lying in bed, without the smallest compunction. My men are quite afraid of them, and my late Sergeant Major (John Sweeney), a great stout man of 6 feet 3 inches and broad in proportion with a tremendous black beard and who has just been promoted to a Cornetcy in the Land Transport Corps brought me home a wonderful story one night being attacked on his road home from Headquarters, by hundreds of these animals, and being fairly put to flight. He really grew quite pale in telling the tale!... ." (2).Cholera. "What is far more to be feared than the Russians is that dreadful Cholera which is already showing itself in our army. The guards have lost a great many of the men lately arrived from England... ." (3). Siege of Sebastopol. "You mention you were beginning to feel excited on account of a despatch from Genl. Simpson announcing that he intended opening fire on the Redan the following day, dated July 9th I certainly do not think that General Simpson showed very great discretion in parading such a message. To announce beforehand a projected attack could be of no profitable service, & it must always sure to augment the suspense and anxiety of those who have friends in the trenches." [Ward blithely ignores the affect that his letters might be having on his parents]. (4). Photographers. "We have had several photographers here, but I think they have confined themselves too much to taking likenesses of individuals in the British Army who put themselves into all kinds of... postures, to be paraded in England as Crimean heroes... There have indeed been some most interesting photographs made by a man of the name of Robertson of Constantinople, of the different views of Sebastopol taken since the place has fallen." (5). Russian Soldiers. "From the appearance of the killed and wounded, I could not form a very great idea of the Russian Soldier. They were all very badly clothed and were almost all of them old men... or quite boys. A prisoner taken by the Sardinians and examined in my presence stated that they had been marching for several days, with little or nothing to drink." (6). Lord Raglan. "He [Sir Colin Campbell] had a very witty saying, when speaking on the subject of Lord Raglan. The saying which he kept repeating to me (at least a dozen times), accompanied by a hoarse laugh, was to the effect that he had been done out of his 18 pounder guns by a 'Damned red headed, oily tongued fellow from Woolwich' which he told me he meant it as a dig at his Lordship, and he [Raglan] was nearly as red headed as I was, and that he was the Master General of Woolwich. A