Edward Knight's Family
| |
|
Cecil Rice continued.
When we got Sebastopol we found the place deserted, as the General had thought. So I scratched McGiven's name on one of the guns and said to him, 'There, you are the first man had to have entered Sebastopol.' (Exactly like my father, to think of his companion, and not of himself.)
Then we returned, and I went to the General's tent and reported that the Russians have evacuated. 'Very well', he said, now you can take two hundred men and occupy it.' 'And supposing it's mined Sir, like all the other parts?' said I. 'Ah,' he said, You are quite right. Don't go. We'll wait till the morning.' And sure enough, a little later, the place blew up.'
A few days after the fall of Sebastopol, Sir Colin sent for my father and said, 'I have mentioned you favourably in my despatches and I hope it will be of use to you.' He also heard from the War Office that he was the only Regimental officer Sir Colin mentioned – but Sir Colin at that time was not popular with the Authorities at home, and his despatch was never published to [sic] alluded to. On the contrary, he was passed over for the Command of the Army in the Crimea – which was given to General Codrington.
The honour which should have been my father's was given later to an officer of the 93rd. 'For having been the first man to examine the Redan on the night of the 5th of September, 1855.'
There was not much rest for the 72nd between the Crimean ...
[100]