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Auction: 21042 - The Opium Wars Collection
Lot: 89

First Opium War
The Eastern Expedition
The Battle of Chinkiang
1842 (26 July) long entire 6 page letter from Lieut. C. Kirby from "Chin-Kiang-foo" to his father at the War Office in London "per steamer via Falmouth", rated at "1/-" with "INDIA" in large oval. the flap with boxed Madras datestamp (8.10) and London arrival c.d.s. (9.12); there is a vertical folding crease and some overall soiling..


In his letter he describes his journey up from Hong Kong before going into some detail of the July battles which includes, "I landed on the Island of Chusan and had a hasty look at the scene of the last action here ... The 'Bellisle' with Lord Saltoun and the 98h Regiment had arrived just before us; we called upon his Lordship ... To the Yang-Tse-Keang River in the mouth of which was Admiral Sir Hugh Gough and the whole Expedition anchored off Woosung on 26th June ...Sir Hugh soon moved onto the attack of the Tartar Camp ... We could see the whole process of bringing up the ladders, raising them, then the leading Officer of he Grenadiers of the 55th mounted by himself, and we could see him waiving his sword and engaged with the enemy...". He notes the British losses as 13 officers and 128 men killed or wounded. Later he continues, "... the Sappers are mow mining the ramparts ... after which the 1st and 3rd Brigades start for Nanking which is supposed to be 30 miles further on...". A superb eye-witness letter which is easy to read


1842年7月26日由身處鎮江府的C. Kirby 寄給倫敦作戰辦公室的父親信函. 函上注明"per steamer via Falmouth", 函經加爾各答, 蘇伊士而抵倫敦. 蓋有㰐圓型 "INDIA" 戳, 封舌蓋框型10月8日"Madras" 日戳, 及12月9日倫敦到達日戳. 信函有摺痕及污染. 在他的信中, 描述了從香港出發的旅程, 然後詳細介紹了 7 月的鎮江之戰, 其中包括: “我登陸在舟山島, 並匆匆看了一下這裡最後一次行動的場景......與索爾頓勳爵和 98兵團的“Bellisle”號就在我們面前抵達; ……我們可以看到整個梯子架起的過程, 然後是第 55 團擲彈兵的將領獨自登上岸, 之後我們可以看到他揮舞著劍與敵人交戰....." 他指出英軍傷亡人數為 13 名軍官和 128 名士兵. 後來他繼續說道: "....工兵正在挖城牆....之後第 1 和第 3 旅開始前往南京...." 易於閱讀的以第一身敍述戰爭之信函.

Sold for
HK$15,000

Starting price
HK$15000