Lot 267
Crimean War. An ALS from Thomas Biggins to his sister Maria, 'I now take this favourable opportunity of writing these few lines to you hoping this will find you in as good state of health as this leaves me at present. Thank God for it. My dear Maria I am overjoyed to tell you that Sebastapol is ours but the russians is [sic] occupying the North side of Sebastapol. I am sorry to tell that our Regt. got a great cutting up as we were the advance party in the assault at the attack of the Redan batterys after leaving our advance trench we had to run two hundred and fifty yards to the ditch of the Redan which was twenty feet deep we had to carry scaling ladders and plant them in the ditch and then we mounted the battery and in we went like Brittons when we were going up to the parapet they threw pick axes at us and hammers, stones tins and in fact everything they could get to throw at us when they expended their ammunitions when we went into the battery their [sic] were about fifty to our one, and they flew from us like chaff before the wind the same time that we attacked the Redan the french [sic] attacked the Malakoff battery, and when the french [sic] beat them out of the battery they flew down and attacked us at the redan in thousands. now as regarding myself I got off with a few bruises one in the shoulder and another in the thigh slightly when we were coming from our long earned task our band played (see the conquering hero comes) we lost out of our regiment about three hundred including killed, wounded, and missing, we lost our Colonel, Major, adjutant, one Captain, two Lieutenants killed, two Captains, and two Lieutenants wounded in the assault. My dear Maria give my kind love to my brothers and sisters, and Dear mother, I trust in God we will all meet together once more you may expect by the latter end of next month a couple of pounds as a present from me I must now conclude with my kind love to all I am your ever and affectionate brother, Thomas Biggins, No. 2099, Light Comp. 97th Regiment, Camp Sebastapol, Crimea. The assault commenced at 12 o'clock in the day of the 8th of September 1855', 4pp. folded
The official records note that Thomas Biggins was severely wounded during the final attack on the Redan, but went on to serve in India in 1861.
