Collection of a Florida Bibliophile

[CRIMEAN WAR]

BEARDSLEY, JAMES, Sergeant-Major. Reminiscences of the Crimean Campaign by J. Beardsley. Late of "C" Troop, R.[oyal] H.[orse] A.[rtillery]. Manuscript on paper, likely London: circa 1860. Period black morocco tooled in blind. 7 3/4 x 6 1/2 inches (20 x 16.75 cm); [vi], 328 pp.; written in an elegant Victorian cursive hand of excellent legibility, with over a hundred vignettes in watercolor and in ink wash, several carefully drawn mounted half-page watercolor maps, a dozen laid-in hand-drawn watercolor costume plates (each with an inspirational military stanza on the reverse), running titles in red. The binding is worn but overall sound; internally, a little overopened, with a few old paperclip markings, but overall in attractive condition.

Sergeant Major James Beardsley served with the Royal Horse Artillery throughout the Crimean War. On his return, he was among the Crimean heroes and veterans who met with Queen Victoria, who then commissioned a series of photographs by Joseph Cundall and Robert Howlett. As a consequence, a fine photograph of the old campaigner in full uniform exists, see https://albert.rct.uk/collections/photographs-collection/record-of-historical-events/sergeant-major-james-beardsley. The frontispiece self-portrait here shows the same man, perhaps a little older and a little greyer.

The manuscript contains compelling accounts of Beardsley's experiences, beginning with the voyage out from England at the beginning of the war, with accounts of his life in Turkey, and accounts of the Battle of the Alma, the Battle of Balaclava, the Battle of Inkermann, and the Charge of the Light Brigade. The brutal winter of 1854/5 is discussed, as is the siege of Sebastopol, etc. The style is lively and eminently readable, and the work is certainly worthy of publication.

Typical of his observant, thoughtful, and almost poetic text is the following passage: "... Having pursued his journey until he arrived opposite to our Heavies, the Russian General halted again, and almost immediately the heads of his leading squadrons were seen rising above the crest of the ridge, the whole body gradually coming into view and crossing over into the plain on a level with ourselves. They came on at a walk, then seemed to hesitate and halt, and then resume their onward movement again. At this time an almost painful & breathless silence settled down over all; for during these anxious moments our Cavalry never budged an inch, but sat as if fixed and immovable, looking for all the world like so many regiments of stone, and the very silence for a brief time became quite oppressive..." He writes too of the death of friends and colleagues, "It was just about this time that we heard that Capt. Nolan had been killed. He was struck in the breast by a shell, which tore away his chest and burnt up the gold lace of his jacket." There is a compelling, tiny, and painful ink vignette of the young man on his maddened horse at this point in the text, arms outflung, cutlass high, as he is blown apart. There is both wonderful and terrible reading in this extraordinary memoir.

Provenance: Sotheby's, 6 December 1976, lot 449 (460 pounds); purchased by Maggs.