In the Cavalry Camp at Devna
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In the Cavalry Camp at Devna
In the Cavalry Camp at Devna (Young Cornet) ?I say Charley, do you think now that in the event of our being sent to Sebastopol, the Infantry will be required to accompany us?.Pen and ink and watercolour by 2/Lt W T Markham (1830-1886), 2nd Battalion Rifle Brigade, 1854 (c). From an album of watercolour paintings and sketches by Colonel William Markham, 1820 (c) and 2/Lt William Thomas Markham (1830-1886), 2nd Bn, Rifle Brigade, relating to the Crimean War (1854-1856), 1854 (c).A satire on the self-sufficient young cavalry officer who imagines that the mounted arm can accomplish everything by itself. By the late summer of 1854, after The Times had editorialised on the need to extirpate Russian naval power in the Black Sea by attacking Sevastopol, it was generally understood in the Army that the port would be its objective. Date: 1856
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Media ID 14395128
© The National Army Museum / Mary Evans Picture Library
1830 1886 Accompany Battalion Cavalry Charley Cornet Infantry Markham Required Sebastopol
EDITORS COMMENTS
In the Cavalry Camp at Devna: A Young Cornet's Misguided Confidence (1854) This evocative pen and ink and watercolour sketch by 2nd Lieutenant W T Markham of the 2nd Battalion Rifle Brigade captures the casual camaraderie and self-assured naivety of a young cavalry officer in the midst of the Crimean War. The scene is set in the cavalry camp at Devna, where the young cornet, named Charley in the accompanying caption, engages in a conversation with a fellow officer about the potential role of infantry in the upcoming campaign against Sevastopol. The late summer of 1854 had seen widespread speculation in the press about the need to eliminate Russian naval power in the Black Sea by attacking Sevastopol, the major port city and naval base. With this objective in mind, the Army was preparing for a significant offensive. Yet, as this sketch illustrates, the young cavalry officer, ensconced in his self-sufficient world, seems to imagine that the mounted arm can accomplish everything by itself. The young cornet's question, "do you think now that in the event of our being sent to Sebastopol, the Infantry will be required to accompany us?", betrays a certain disdain for the infantry's role in the campaign. Markham's satirical touch is evident in the contrast between the cavalry camp, with its tents pitched neatly in rows and horses grazing contentedly, and the chaotic, cluttered scene of the infantry camp in the background. This poignant and humorous vignette offers a glimpse into the mindset of a young cavalry officer during the Crimean War, a time when the complexities of modern warfare were only beginning to be understood. The sketch is part of an album of watercolour paintings and sketches by Colonel William Markham and 2nd Lieutenant W T Markham, both of whom served in the 2nd Battalion Rifle Brigade during the conflict.
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