as the ship caught fire in four places, and so, of course, we could not continue the action. We got too close to the shore, so that the guns in the battery on top of a high cliff, poured shot and shell on our decks for an hour and three quarters. It was really dreadful. Thank God, I was not hurt, although I was most of the time on the upper deck, running messages. We had ten killed and seventy wounded. One of the lieutenants (Chase) was killed, and the master-surgeon and purser were slightly wounded. The ship had about fifty big holes in her side, and a good many between wind and water; so we have to keep pumping all day. Our main and mizen masts are nearly shot away, and we shall most likely have to go into dock at Constantinople before coming home. I just write to tell you I am all right. I must say Good bye as I am now going on duty.”
Camp before Sebastopol. From this geographical position, the next letter is from the young Lieut. Harkness to his mother at Ivy House, Ore. It is dated Oct. 17th, 55th Regt. 2nd Division, and commences
- “Dear Mamma, - Our batteries opened at 6.30 this morning, since when the cannonade on both sides has been increasing. The fleet are peppering the sea front in fine style. It is now 4.30 p.m. We have had nothing to do today but to look on. Some of the enemy’s batteries are silenced, including the round tower. It is a very strong place and must take several days to capture; but we are all in full confidence. We have now been since the 30th of September before the place. It has taken three weeks to get up the siege train and throw up our batteries, during all which time they [the Russians] have fired some hundreds of shot and shell at us every day, doing us, I am happy to say, very little damage, as our camps are at the end of their range, though several [missiles] go over our tents. Our brigade (Gen. Pennefather’s) is on the extreme right of our position, and we have a gorge to defend, and to furnish strong pickets every night, which is a disagreeable duty, as the Russians fire across the valley at the pickets with cannon and musketry nearly every night. Working in the trenches is much worse though, that work being still more dangerous. We pay not the slightest attention to cannon at night, but for musketry we turn out, as the enemy might be attacking us. We turn out under arms every morning an hour before daylight. For three whole weeks we slept in the open air, but on the 7th of October we got a few tents. We are now four or five officers in a tent, sleeping on the bare ground with our clothes on. The weather continues fine, but the nights are cold. It is a very hard life. Sometimes I could not wash for two days, nor have my boots and trousers off for a week. We have no clothes but what we landed in a month ago; the consequence of this is that – horrible as it may seem to good people at home – we are pestered by vermin. -
