Transcription of a letter written from the Camp before Sevastopol

Scope and Content

This small collection contains two transcriptions, one handwritten and one typed, of a letter from Sgt David [Angus] of the 179th Highlanders from Crimea. The letter mentions the forthcoming attack on Sevastopol. The original letter is now lost.

Administrative / Biographical History

The Siege of Sevastopol lasted a year, from September 1854 to September 1855. The combined British, French and Ottoman forces had landed at Eupatoria and intended a swift march to the capital of Crimea, Sevastopol. However, it took a year a year of fighting to take the city, including the battles of Alma (September 1854), Balaklava (October 1854), Inkerman (November 1854), Tchernava (August 1855), Redan (September 1855) and Sevastopol (September 1855).

Sevastopol was the base for the Tsar's Black Sea Fleet and the siege of the strategically important port heralded the end of the campaign in the Crimea. The siege involved several artillery bombardments, the first began on 29 October 1854 and was resumed on 8 April 1855 after poor weather conditions over the winter ruined the Alllies' camps, destroyed supply lines and caused sickness and starvation in the army. The final attack on the city was made on 8 September 1855.

Access Information

Access will be granted to any accredited reader

Custodial History

Donated by Elizabeth Malam, Hull, 1 December 1975

Related Material

Photocopy. Letter from Sgt. Joseph Pickford, 1st Battalion Rifle Brigade, Camp before Sevastopol [U DX106]

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Diary of Charles Raleigh Chichester, kept in the Crimea [U DDCH/99]

Diary of Charles Raleigh Chichester, kept in the Crimea [U DDCH/100]

Bulletin on the fall of Sevastopol [U DDJ/34/127]

Sketch showing 'Tom's Hut' before Sevastopol during the Crimean War [C DFP/3283]