The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-02-18 00:00:00

that then

n of stables,

and that

nenced their construction at
vginning of February, and only

of then

discos.

middle of
iced earls,

in December, so soon as
prevailed upon to remove them from
Sebastopol to a permanent camp ; and,
' ting in the middle of March, the 800
airy then consisted, were every one
11th of February ; and, so far from
ble hands for this work,

oyed in tr

oportion of the regiments were em-
and carriage of sick, as it is alleged,
w by nominal returns of men that
every disposable man was put to constructing stables,
y days in many regiments not one man,

I am prepared

but that on n

in consequer

of other duties, was available. I made
it the first duty of my Deputy-Assistant-Quartermaster-
General to report daily, upon the progress made:in this
hutting. I constantly visited the different camps myself ;
- satisfied, as I fancied, with the
energy displayt- some regiments of the Light
Brigade, 1 made them report to me daily the work
of the day before. I venture to observe that it

and. not altogeth(
I by

was most' creditable to the cavalry that, against
every difficulty and obstruction, they succeeded in
stabling :all their horses, when in the French army
at the same time, whatever may have since happened, not
one horse was under cover. Again, these commissioners
have not scrupled to charge the Lieutenant-General with
deterring officers from proposing to stable their horses in
consequence of the manner, as they state, with which I
received a proposal from the officer commanding the
Scots Greys. Now, my Lord, I have no personal !know-
ledge of these commissioners, hut I think it not only due
to myself, but, perhaps, to others, to show how these gen-
tlemen have, in my case at least, allowed themselves
hastily to !form, and unscrupulously to promulgate, opi-
nions, if at all founded, most prejudicial to professional
character, without giving themselves an opportunity,
either by the cross-examining a witness or by a reference
to the party accused, of eliciting the truth. Sir John
M'Neill is not justified in casting imputations upon me
without giving me an opportunity of justification or
defence. Had he felt disposed to do me justice, he might
have asked for my examination or have referred to me for
information; and I cannot withhold that, through his
mission to do either, he has inflicted a wrong where,
f a public duty, he should have shown a
id justice. Now, my lord, to satisfy
t I have cause to feel hurt, and for some
it, at the risk of extending this letter,
the case of Colonel Griffiths as they
quent to the storm of the 14th of Nov.
Colonel Griffiths, when visiting me, as field officer of the
day of the division, to report upon the outposts, spoke
to me in a complaining tone of the sufferings of his men
and horses

dischar

I was at that time, and had been many days
previous, in daily communication with Lord Raglan per-
sonally, or the Quartermaster-general, depicting to them
the fearful sufferings of the horses, and urging them in
every possible manner either to allow the cavalry to be
moved to a position less expos-d, or where their form or
the materials for hutting would be available. It is difficult
ate my anxiety at this time, and your lordship
' —ng could be con-
anent winter carap
ul,n9 the state of
the means of defence

to exaz

ust observe, 0

strutted it was n

Lord raglan l- ' 'it I,i‘i disposal to protect the rear of
his position. Both Lord Raglan and General Cinrobert
felt that they could not spae the cavalry at that time,
and detained them accordingly. At the moment that
Colonel Griffiths referred to the stabling of his :horses
we were only occupying a temporary camp, and it was
undecided whether we were to shift to another posi-
tion, still on the heights, but a little removed, or were
to take up a permanent winter camp in the neigh-
bourhood of Kadikoi ; and this last was at the end of
ten days decided upon. As has been said, Colonel
Griffiths referred in a plaintive tone to the state
of his horses, and in one of reproach. I, knowing from the
past that I felt, to say the least, as much anxiety for the
horses of the Greys as Col. Griffiths, ;replied accordingly ;
upon which this officer allowed himself a manner and the
use of words so disrepectful that I desired him to desist, or
evidencewould intended to say that he was threatened with arrest
for expressing
which followed
account of his disrespectful
him as it is untrue, any anxiety about his horses, and not on
he manner
.in the conversation
has stated that which is as unworthy of
stabled. I cannot recollect staff, nor I believe of any this time no horse of my own, of my
of the. regimental officers,. were
6, My lord, in this re
excepting ejt a single structure within the
smoi sms aurciha t
astu
cavalry camp
report Griffith's kitchen.
inferences are drawn respect-
PPlies,ncso far as the cavalry are
varia
toe
tenderwih the state of the
icnogn ctehrencer,
case, that I think it my duty
wit-
ness. No officer, so far as the Cavalry myself as. a Division is con-
cerned, can speak with equal knowledge and authority of
all the circumstances and facts, and this
report must con-
tinuelvery incomplete without my evidence
" I have the honour, . &e.,
" LUCAN , Major-General"