only a pity it
was not done before. The Turks were chiefly employed making these
redoubts, which is in fact the only thing they have done except
burying the dead Russians. Never shall I forget the sight of the dead
and dying Russians on the field. Some of these poor wretches had to
lie on the field for at least sixty hours before they were removed to
the hospital tents; the majority of course died. I am afraid this is
one of the necessities of war, for we had to remove our own people
first. I went round the hospitals next morning. It was a horrid sight
to see the bodies of the men who had died during the night stretched
before the tents, and to see the heaps of arms and legs, with the
trousers and boots still on, that had been cut off by the surgeons.

The Russians were so near that most of the officers had to use their
swords and revolvers. Many single acts of daring took place; among
others, Colonel Percy,[66] of our Regiment, dashed in front of his
Company, sword in hand, into a dense body of Russians who were in
a battery. I was not in the thick of it, but was engaged with an
outlying picquet on the left of the attack. George was in the very
thick of it, and, not seeing me, kept asking some of our men where I
was. They did not know. He tells me that he thought for a long time I
was killed, and even fancied that he had seen me lying on the ground;
it turned out later to have been poor Colonel Dawson's[67] body which
he mistook for me.

On the 14th we had a terrible storm, such a one as, fortunately for
mankind, does not happen but very rarely. All our tents of course were
blown down, and we passed the day very uncomfortably; but at sea it
was terrible. At Balaklava alone more than two hundred and sixty souls
perished, and eleven ships went down. George will have been able
to give you a perfect account of it, for, for many hours, the
_Retribution_ was in imminent danger. I went a few days after the
storm to see him on board.[68] ... He had a little fever or ague on
him, but was otherwise well. He has now gone to Constantinople....

May I beg of your Majesty to remember me kindly to Prince Albert and
the Duchess of Kent. I have the honour, etc.

EDWARD OF SAXE-WEIMAR.

[Footnote 64: Son of Duke Charles Bernard and Duchess Ida, the
latter being a Princess of Saxe-Meiningen and sister to Queen
Adelaide. The Prince was at this time Lieut.-Colonel and
A.D.C. to Lord Raglan. He was afterwards A.D.C. t