CRIMEAN WAR, Battle of Inkerman - Lieutenant Theophilus Moultrie Kelsall, Royal Navy (1831-1911) Autograph letter, five sides including one cross-written, 8vo, November 7th 1854, HMS Trafalgar off Vacha, to his sister [Ellen].

Excerpts include 'The prospects of the allies are not at present very favourable. On Sunday the 5th of November the Russians attacked our army in a very fierce battle ... it is said that they were about 70,000 strong they took our army unawares so our men were soon short of ammunition & had to fall back but fortunately with a diversion of the French army & they saved ours from destruction ... our loss has been very similar to Alma but we have this time lost 3 Generals ... killed 5 other Generals wounded ... the report that from their wearing plumes the Russians mistook them for Commissariat Officers must be true 21 Officers are killed 70 Officer's wounded about 300 rank and file killed 1650 wounded.

The Coldstream Guards suffered most 8 Officer's killed & 5 wounded no doubt that our officers from their dress will get picked off by rifles so in a few more battles if they do not disguise their uniform not one who left England will ever return. The Russian officers cannot be distinguished from their men in dress excepting in its quality on close inspection. About 3000 Russians are killed I hear 300 taken prisoners unhurt.

The Russians behaved in a most thoughtful manner to our wounded killing all that they could after such cold blooded murderous deeds they will next time get no quarter from our troops. The Russians were all more or less drunk Dutch courage. The Russian Army was headed by Duke Constantine [Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevic] ... reinforcements are daily pouring into them, so our army daily expects to be again attacked ... a large army in their rear & another on their right. We constantly hear that the day is fixed for storming, the Forlorn Hope picked out but it is always for some reason postponed. The daily cannonade fires on as usual the sound is now familiar to the ear, that we fail even to hear it.

We were close enough to witness from the Squadron the Sunday battle Guy Fawkes will in future be forgotten on the 5th of Nov'r, this dearly bought victory will replace him. We are occasionally buoyed up with reports of being again ordered to engage the forts but they soon die away. The Turks have behaved on several occasions so badly that they are now relieved from all responsible positions as brethren of the Heroes of Silistra they were at first given as a compliment positions of trust, but having from cowardice allowed the Russians to capture them as well as guns that we had lent them we have now deprived them of that trust. They were supposed to be the flower of the Turkish Army 'The Sultan's Guard' I think we had better send them back to him to be bowstrung in trying to recover positions left by them we had 300 of our cavalry cut to pieces.'

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)