CRIMEAN WAR - The Bombardment of Odessa. Lieutenant Theophilus Moultrie Kelsall, Royal Navy (1831-1911) Autograph letter, 8vo, four sides, April 24th 1854, H.M.S Trafalgar off Odessa, to his mother, unfinished, final part of the letter missing.

Excerpts include
'We arrived here the 20th in the afternoon and we anchored about 3 miles from the batteries. The town is a very fine one and we felt annoyed at looking at it and not being able to land. We could see through our glasses carriages driving about and people enjoying themselves apparently very unconcerned for our notable array. On the 21st our Ad'l sent for all the Captains and held a council the French Ad'l & Captains also attending.

Cpt Greville gave me an account of their proceedings yesterday. He said that both Ad's felt great responsibility as to the course they were to adopt they did not agree as to the terms to be sent into Odessa. As a Commercial town they considered that it ought to be spared from destruction but if claiming that immunity it ought to not be fortified. Adl'd Dundas wished to demand all their merchant ships there laying under the guns the French ad'l said we had no right to demand that sacrifice. Our Ad'l said that as his orders were to take and destroy all the enemy's ships etc he could not when they were in his power to allow them to escape and he should think himself capable to do so and he should take and destroy them on his own responsibility if the French men would not approve - he also wished to demand the dismantling of the forts but as the French would not agree to it, that point was ?. The ? also offered to our flag by the forts firing at the 'Furious' when she had a flag of truce up was another grievance that required punishment. They sent an explanation of it, out to us not an apology the former was not satisfactory after long arguments the terms were sent in by a French steamer waving a Russian flag at the fore to show that we wished to speak [to] them. The terms were principally these: to give up their ships, to allow all the neutral vessels to depart (of which there were a great number) ... and as the vessels were under a different battery and some way from their own we wished them if we were obliged to use force to refrain from firing from that battery, and we should not either attack it for fear of damaging the merchant men. We required the answer to the terms by sunset we of course as we expected received no answer, the Czar no doubt does not allow the Governor to treat. He must fight - or get bowstrung.

The plan of attack was then arranged for the following morning the French Ad'l said his orders were to keep his fleet in perfect order and not to risk crippling any of his ships for the purpose of having them efficient for the one great object - never so to be lost sight of meeting the Russian Fleet and taking Sevastopol therefore he could not allow any of his Line of Battle Ships to engage but only his steamers and they were to help at a long distance off ... of course we were obliged to do the same as to landing that was considered an unnecessary risk as reports say 17,000 troops are in the town. At daybreak on the 22nd our steamers got up steam, the liners sending each 50 marines to reinforce the steamers crews. We sent also a boat crew to man a rocket boat with a Lieut - several of us volunteered to go with him but the Captain would not hear of it so we were obliged to make up our minds to be just spectators of the combat ....'

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)