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Brett's 'Hastings and St. Leonards Penny Press' May, 1854

To him that wills, the way is Seldom Wanting

National Ballads [The beautiful and touching lines, by Campbell, entitled The Soldier's Dream - which have been so graphically illustrated for the present Number by W. R. Woods, Esq., a student in the Royal Academy, cannot but be acceptable to our readers. Few efforts of poetic genius have attained a higher or more enduring celebrity ; and seldom indeed has the heartfelt pathos which breathes in every line of the poem, been so truthfully conveyed to the mind. We doubt not but that the sentiments which pervade the effusion will find an echo in every British heart; and we trust that the sympathy of his country for the soldier, when encamped “in the tented field,” thousands of miles away from the home of “kith and kin,” will form a consoling reflection to him when the “ lowering night-cloud ” descends over his hardy couch.] THE SOLDIER'S DREAM. Our bugles sang truce—for the night- cloud had low’r'd, And the sentinel stars set their watch in the sky; And thousands had sunk on the ground overpow’r’d, The weary to sleep, and the wounded to die. When reposing that night on my pallet of straw, By the wolf-scaring faggot that guarded the slain ; At the dead of the night a sweet vision I saw, And thrice ere the morning I dreamt it again.

Methought from the battle-field’s dread- ful array, Far, far I had roam’d on a desolate track: 'Twas autumn—and sunshine arose on the way To the home of my fathers, that welcom’d me back. I flew to the pleasant fields travers’d so oft In life's ‘morning march, when my bosom was young; I heard my own mountain-goats bleat- ing aloft, And knew the sweet strain that the corn-reapers sung. Then pledg’d we the wine-cup, and fondly I swore, From my home and my weeping friends never to part ; My little ones kiss’d me a thousand times o'er, And my wife sobb’d aloud in her fulness of heart. Stay, stay with us—rest, thou art weary and worn; And fain was their war-broken sol- dier to stay— But sorrow return’d with the dawning of morn, And the voice in my dreaming ear melted away.

[We are glad to perceive that the efforts of the press in drawing public attention to the subject of assisting the soldiers’ wives who have been left in a state of poverty, have not been without success, War is a sad necessity, and happy are we who live in a land hitherto free from its dire effects,—let us therefore evince our gratitude by assisting, as much as lies in our power, the wives and children of those who go forth to fight our battles.]

Edward Walter’s letter is the next in order of date but it does little more than reiterate some of the occurrences described in preceding letters. It is dated from H.M.S. Queen, off Sebastopol Nov.22, 1854. It says –

“We had a dreadful gale last Tuesday, and were riding with three anchors ahead. The Samson steamer carried away all her masts, and one Turkish line of battleship her foremast. Several merchant vessels ran ashore and we got their crews from them. There are several dead bodies washing ashore. We saw the battle of the Alma from a distance, and after the battle we had the work to bury the dead and carry the wounded to the ships – some without arms, others without legs, and some wounded in the head and body. On the 17th of October we attacked the batteries of Sebastopol. The shipping began about one o’clock and knocked off at six or seven. We gave it to them in great earnest, and they gave it so to us. We had four shells thrown into our middle deck and several shots in our hull. One man was killed and several were wounded. One quarter-master had his leg shot off while standing at the wheel. The Albion, Sanspareil and several others suffered severely. It is a very strongly fortified place both by sea and land. We have 190 seamen and all our marines on shore and working siege guns. Poor Sam Dine lost his leg there. All the rest of our townsmen are pretty well. We are expecting to go to Constantinople to have something done to our rudder, which was damaged in the gale. – Edward Walter.”