CRIMEAN WAR, Siege of Sebastopol - Lieutenant Theophilus Moultrie Kelsall, Royal Navy (1831-1911) letter signed, four sides, 8vo, November 22nd 1854, HMS Trafalgar off Kacha, to his mother. Includes discussion of wrecked vessels, prisoners and starving out the Russians during the Siege of Sebastopol.

Excerpts include 'Since I last wrote we have suffered a severe trial of Black Sea .... which has proved that we cannot lay here in safety. On the 14th the wind which was blowing strong transformed into a terrific South Westerly Gale. As we have better anchors and cables than the merchant transports we rode it out safely but nearly all the transports here were wrecked on the beach and many of the crews taken prisoners by the Cossacks but those who remained clinging to the wrecks have since been saved by us so I think few lives have been lost but at our other anchorage Eupartoria and Balaklava have suffered much more.

I hear that about 300 lives lost & property to a great amount nearly all the splendid merchant armada that carried over the army are stranded. What rejoicings the Czar will have what "the demons" he will sing when he hears of it. The Men of War have also suffered ... 3 French liners have lost their rudders one English liner has hers away. Ours is not trustworthy my old friend the Tiller cracked ... this luckily gave us timely warning ...

Our position now is very unpleasant. The army do not feel themselves strong enough to dispense with us they wish to keep their retreat open if overpowered by Russian hordes & they are also dependent on us for their supplies. The Admiralty feel that it is a great risk to keep us in an unsheltered anchorage ... I am so heartily sick of the whole business there appears so little hope of its termination. The Generals instead now I hear to wait for all their reinforcements & then invert Sevastopol all around, they find the assault impracticable therefore instead to starve them out their great fault has been in allowing the winter to advance & the Russians to gain time our armies ought to have carried the place by storm on arrival without waiting for the siege guns with the defeat at Alma of the Russians and prestige of victory of our side at Sevastopol could have fallen with little trouble but reinforcements are now pouring into the Russeaux and dribbling into us. Our prospects are therefore very bad.'

Theophilus Moultrie Kelsall was the son of Napoeolenic War naval veteran, John Theophilus Kelsall.

Theophilius' service includes the following:
HMS President - 2nd December 1846 - 6th February 1849 (As Naval Cadet and Midshipman)
HMS Rattler - 18th February 1849 - 15th April 1851
HMS Trafalgar - 9th December 1852 - 14th April 1955 (Mediterranean and Black Sea Fleet, including Crimea Service)
HMS Spiteful - 15th May 1855 - 2nd September 1855 (Made Lieutenant in August 1855, Mediterranean)
HMS Arachne - 23rd October 1855 - 27th November 1855 (North America and West Indies)
HMS Horatio - 10th January 1856 - 12th May 1856 (Sheerness)
HMS Cressy - 13th May 1856 - 14th May 1856 (Mediterranean and St. Petersburg)
HMS Cumberland - 17th September 1858 - 17th August 1859 (South-Eastern Coast of America)
HMS Weser - 18th October 1859 - 26th January 1860 (Mediterranean)
HMS Alecto - 27th January 1860 - 25th June 1862 (West Africa)
HMS Phoebe - 26th September 1862 - 29th June 1866 (Made Commander 11th April 1866, Mediterranean)
Coast Guard Commander - 29th June 1870 - 13th October 1873 (Ramsgate)