The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-20
GoDKIN AND THE CRIMEAN WAR,
The Appreciation That 1t Gave Him
of the Horrors of War.

From E l.. Godkln's Random Recollec-
tons in the New York Evening Post
In 1858, while I was living in London
there were many threatenngs of war on
the horizon. England was beginning. once
more to be excited about what was called
the Eastern question" There were then
several unsettled questions which. as has
been wen said, have no pity for the re-
pose of nations" One was the Eastern
question, which was made up of two sub
questions: What was 10 become of the
Greeks, and what was to become of the
Turks? The Greeks were the only Chris
tians in that part of the world who had
begun 10 attract western attention The
SerVians were only TOO glad to be I'M
molested swineherds, and the Bulgarfans
to be obscure farmers There were other
. ques tions-the Italian ques lion. the Polish
question and the Hungarian ques lion; but
europe was rarely wrought up by more
than one at time BY the Eastern ques-
ton l was excited, as well as my elders
wrote letter to The Daily News advocat-
ing the claims of the Greeks to CONSTANT
nople. Why Knight Hunt the then editor,
accepted it and published it with a certain
prominence | never fully understood My
recollection of it is that it was mostly
<
only %, and knew nothing about either
Greece, or the Greeks. or Constantinople,
but l was possessed with that common IL
fusion of young men. that facility in COM
position indicates the existence of thought.
In the early years of the nation, 7 received
a visit from a man who wished to become
contributor to that periodical He as
sured me of his ability to write; the only
difficulty with him was, he said, that "hc
could not think of anything to say"
1 was not as badly off at the time of
which I speak this man was had
enough to say, but it was not relevant
1t was, however, good enough in Mr..
Hunts eyes TO lead him TO ask me to go
to Turkey for the Daily News if war
broke out 1t was declared a few days
later, and I went to the Danube. where
saw the outbreak of hostilities. l did not
go to the Crmea until the winter of 1854
/ passed a couple of months at Eupatoria
about forty miles north of Sebastopol
which was assaulted by strong Russian
column while l was there A few Indian
officers. home on leave and myself We're
the only Giaours present, and the Indian
officers were strongly of The opinion that
if the place were carried, the fugitive
| Turks would massacre us out of sheer
veXaton. The assault was made, but fail
ed. The column advanced through a Mus
sulman graveyard, under a heavy fire Of
artillery. When the affair was over l rode
over their line of march and came upon
the most horrible spectacle imaginable
The shot had broken the tombstones into
small pieces, and through them had in
| hicted the ghastliest wounds and lacera-
| tons on the men who had fallen | had
been over two other battehelds on the
Danube, but they were nothing like this,
though covering a wider area.
There was an English ship lying in the
harbor, whose fire. thrown across the town
without the possibility of aiming. consid-
erably annoyed the Russians and forced
their cavalry 10 retire out of range. We
watched the practice with interest, and adj
mircd its excellence, considering that the
gunuers could see nothing. This led TWEEN
" years later to curious little coinci-
| dence. / was invited 10 dinner at the late
George Cabot Wards in New York to
meet an Englishman named Robartes l
sat opposite him al table and was telling
The story of this fight and of the aid rem
dered by the English ship. when noticed
that he was not only Interested hut eX-
cited, and was evidently eager 10 say some
thing. l began TO fear ! had committed
some indscrction, when, to my relief he
burst forth with II was the midshipman
in the maintop. directing the fire of the
guns" ! had many "a chat with him aft
erWard about those "old unhappy far-ofr
! things"
Late in the spring / went to Sebastopol
| and was there until the place was taken
owing to the kindness of friends in the
| Picdmontose army. l was enabled TO visit
the Malakon either the afternoon of its
capture or the following morning. I now
forgot which; but the burying parties
were just going TO work. When we
reached the top OF the parapet the Rus
slams were still dropping shells from the
other side Of the harbor wherever thew
saw a group, so hat We were Obliged to
walk singiy. The sight which met our
eyes within the fort was a horrld one
Ten thousand men, as l was afterward
told both Russian and French lay dead
within an inclosure of two or three acres.
the result of an hour or two Of mutual
stabhing and shooting. No one, not even
the youngest. could avoid the reflection
that probably but few of these unfortu-
mates knew what the quarrel was about
IN which they had sacrificed their lives
This. and the scenes IN the trenches