annoy us as much as possible, with the hope of so disgusting us with the siege as to induce us to give it up, and with this view they have erected batteries against the covering army wherever the nature of the ground will admit of it, which play now and then upon our outposts, but these batteries have never yet been answered except with silent contempt. When the spring comes, however, I suppose we shall begin another campaign, though where our troops are to come from is more than I can tell you. Our army is gradually vanishing, and by the spring we shall hardly have any men left. I will give you an instance or two. The 63rd are gone, they have disappeared; this regiment, 25 strong, marched into Balaclava yesterday with their colours, en route to Abydos, to try and recruit their sick. Our own Brigade, which when at Aladyn numbered upwards of 3000 bayonets, and has received since then reinforcements to the extent of about 900, can only muster to-day 740 men fit to take the field, and this number, 740, will daily diminish. The remainder are not of course all dead (nor with the 63rd either), but if not dead they are all seriously ill or wounded. I do not suppose we shall see any of them again, at least I hope not for their sakes, till the spring has well commenced. When you write give me all the authentic political news you can; we hear constant rumours about the negotiations, but we are so thoroughly saturated with what is vulgarly called " shaves," that we never believe implicitly any political news but what comes from England. In fact, ludicrous as it may appear, I have for the first time become acquainted, through the Times, with what we are sometimes doing our own selves out here, which but for the newspapers I had never known. I recollect, for instance, once reading in the Times that the majority of the troops that fought at Inkerman from break of day till near dusk had done so with empty stomachs, not having tasted a morsel from dinner on the 4th till after the action on the 5th, which was perfectly true, and was the case with me
as with several others, but I was not aware of it till I read it six weeks later in the Times, when I was surprised at my abstemiousness. However, joking apart, many more important facts going on out here have come to our knowledge through the papers.... — Ever your affectionate son,
Fredk. Stephenson.
P.S. — I hope Augusta received my letter announcing the sad news of poor Mitchell's death.... Poor fellow! I shall long remember his faithful services. Remember me most kindly to his poor wife, and tell her to let me know what she would like me to do for her....
To Lady Stephenson
Before Sebastopol, February 2, 1855.
My dear Mother, — Your box has at length arrived with Mrs. Phipps's ^* presents, and most thankful I am to you for it; everything it contains is of the utmost use to me, and the case of brandy is really a most liberal present. Pray thank my sisters most heartily for their contributions. I am now, thanks to you all and Rivers, so well provided with all I want that I shall not require any further supply for months to come, but I vAW be sure to write to you whenever I do. It gave me such pleasure to undo the box and unfold all the packets, and dear Minny's little bits of holly quite affected me. You may fancy that it would have been better if your box had come sooner, but I assure you it is not so; for as far as the candles and eatables go, they would by this time have been consumed, whereas I have now got the use of them. The books are particularly acceptable, and the Army List was a very thoughtful selection.... You ask me how we managed to be surprised the morning of the battle of Inkerman. The previous night and that morning were very foggy, and the enemy thus made his preparations under the greatest advantage, and then the outlying pickets furnished by the 2nd Division, and
1855] SURPRISED AT INKERMAN 127