Crimean War. The medals, uniform, personal effects and memor...

Estimate

£25,000 - £30,000

Crimean War. The medals, uniform, personal effects and memorabilia of Captain Anthony Morgan (1830-1907), comprising Crimea Medal, three clasps, Alma, Inkermann and Sebastopol with original silver buckle, Lieut Morgan 95th Foot and Turkish Crimea Medal, British Issue, officer's great coat with shoulder cape and velvet collar, cap cover, officer’s 1844 (1st Albert) pattern shako complete with plate to 95th (The Derbyshire) Regt, Grenadier Officer's undress forage cap named 'A Morgan 95th', white, grenadier’s, woollen, ball tuft, Grenadier subaltern's coatee 1844 pattern (lacks RH wing which was pierced by gunfire at The Alma), Grenadier's sash, sword belt, black leather sword belt, sword belt plate, mess dress waistcoat, Infantry Officer's sword and steel scabbard, 1822 pattern, inscribed A Morgan 95th Regt Alma Sortie 26th October Inkermann and Sebastopol, French Light Cavalry Sabre, 1822 pattern recovered from the Field of Balaklava, photograph of Captain Morgan after presentation of medals, London 1855, clay pipe with silver band inscribed A Morgan 95th Regiment Alma Sortie 26th October, Inkermann, Sebastopol, another uninscribed, leather cigar case embossed royal arms and inscribed in ink A Morgan Capt 95th Regt, clasp knife, crested and initialled, used when assisting the grievously wounded Captain Heyland at The Alma, silver teaspoon carried in the Crimea, Morgan crest, three photographs (mounted whole plate albumen prints) of officers and other ranks, 95th Regiment at Beggar's Bush Barracks Dublin, 1856, handwritten captions, quarter plate (9.5 x 7cm) daguerreotype of Captain Morgan, correspondence to Morgan, all autograph letters signed 1855-1857, including Commanding Officer 95th Regiment, Dublin, explaining why Morgan would not be recommended for a Victoria Cross, crucifix recovered from Inkermann by Captain Morgan with handwritten label signed by Edward Morgan 1937, mostly in the Edwardian wall hanging mahogany display case from Captain Morgan's study at Bunalun, Skibbereen Co Cork  
The accompanying contemporary press cutting provides facts and interesting details of Captain Morgan's military career: "Captain Anthony Morgan sailed from England for Turkey in April 1854 with the 95th, being then fourth Senior Subaltern of the Battalion and Senior Subaltern of the Grenadier Company commanded by Captain Eddington. At the Battle of The Alma he bore himself right manfully, and in the storm and stress of the fight did no little execution with a Minie rifle taken from a fallen comrade. On the left bank of the river he was handed by Major Hume the queen's Colour which he carried during the remainder of the action. He was present at the Repulse of the Russian sortie of the 26th October, and led a body of the 95th in pursuit of the Muscovites, almost up to the walls of the Fortress of Sebastopol, incurring the wrath of the plainspoken Pennefather for the small notice he had taken of the 'Retire'... On the night of the 4th November and having been relieved on the following morning, [he] was returning to camp when the fight broke out behind him and he returned to the front. He was one of the few who got through the day untouched... He left the Crimea, retiring in 1857."
It is pleasant to read of the estimation in which he is held by his old comrades, 'Morgan was a fine, tall, athletic fellow, and the best all round sportsman I ever met'.
The Colour carried by Morgan was struck twice while in his charge, a shot going through his wing and hitting in the throat Private Keenan. (This man made a complete recovery.) Morgan had noticed the Russian sharp-shooter who had just fired, and taking a rifle from one of the men behind him, Morgan, who was a splendid shot, killed the Russian. The next day Morgan was sent for by Major Hume, when the following conversation ensued: — "Morgan, do you think you were justified in shooting that Russian yesterday?" ''I think I was, sir." ''I think you were not; it is not the duty of an officer. You should have told one of the men to shoot him." "One of the men might have missed him ; the fellow had just loaded and probably would have cooked one of us. I know he nearly did for me ! "
Lt Col W A C H Morgan stated that his grandfather, Capt A Morgan, told him that he’d walked the field of Balaklava shortly after the actions there and had picked up this sword asan memento. Morgan had watched both the Heavy and Light Cavalry Brigades’ charges from the Sapoune Ridge where he’d been in charge of a carrying party from the 95th’s Grenadiers to Balaklava port.
Clasp knife with initials and family crest used to assist the grievously wounded Capt Heyland at the Alma. The knife was always carried by Morgan and, when Capt Heyland, commanding No 6 Coy, had his arm badly damaged by a discharge from the Russian gun which he finally captured in the assault on the Great Redoubt at the Alma, he was heard - badly dazed - demanding to know where Morgan was. Those who attended Heyland were puzzled about his insistent demands to find Morgan. It transpired, though, that Heyland wanted Morgan’s knife to cut away the haversack which, in his delirium, he thought was causing the pain in his seriously wounded shoulder.
Group photo, 95th Crimean officers, Beggars Bush Bks, Dublin 1856. With names and annotations in Morgan’s hand. Lt Boothby should be noted in the foreground. He’s put his top hat on top of the wooden leg; his real leg was amputated after his being wounded at The Alma.
Group photo, 95th Crimean officers and OR’s, Beggars Bush Bks, Dublin 1856. With names and annotations NB Sjt Cody “95th to the backbone”. In Morgan’s hand.
A number of personal photos of Morgan in later life including one of him in Co Cork in 1904 with his grandson (later Lt Col WACH Morgan RA). Capt Morgan is dressed in his Crimean trench kit whilst his 3 year old grandson (later Lt Col WACH Morgan RA), clutches the old warrior’s hand.
Antony Morgan came from Skibbereen in Co Cork, born into a Protestant Ascendancy family of landed gentry. In accordance with that tradition, his father had served in 32nd (West Cork) Militia during the 1798 Rebellion and encouraged his son to follow a military career.
Accordingly, Morgan was bought a commission in 95th (The Derbyshire) Regiment in 1848, the Headquarters of which was then in Dublin. Then, after the Regiment’s return to Weedon Barracks in Northamptonshire, Morgan found himself the junior subaltern of the 95th’s Grenadier Company as they began warlike preparations for embarkation to the Crimea in March 1854.
Morgan’s time in the Crimea was violent. At the Alma he was ordered to carry the Regimental Colour after the junior subalterns had been shot down; he had a very near miss when a Russian rifle bullet pierced his clothing - but he shot the rifleman dead! In October 1854 he witnessed the battle of Balaklava when commanding a carrying party and the following day he took part in repelling the Russian sortie from Sebastopol, an action that became known as Little Inkermann or The Sortie of 26th October.
But, at Inkermann on 5th November 1854, as a company commander, Morgan saw his most arduous service. In the vortex of the action above The Barrier, he sabred at least two Russians and probably pistolled more as his Company battled to hold back the enemy hordes.
Duty in the trenches before Sebastopol followed, but in early 1855 Morgan was invalided home with an ‘affection of the eyes’ from which he never recovered. During his recuperation he received the Crimea campaign medal personally from Queen Victoria in Hyde Park, but his last days of regimental service followed in late 1856 when the 95th returned from the Crimea to Dublin once more.
Morgan did not accompany his Regiment to the Indian Mutiny later that year, but ‘sold out’ and retired to his estates in Skibbereen. For the rest of his life, though, he was always referred to as ‘Captain Morgan’ serving as a master of foxhounds, a JP and having several, bruising encounters with Irish Republicans. He died in 1907.
Morgan’s Historical Importance
Morgan saw a great deal of combat and his adventures are extremely well recorded in both fact and fiction:

Fascinatingly, Morgan lived long enough to bring up his grandson, Billy, for the formative years of his life. The much older Lt Col W A C H Morgan (Billy) was able to remember many of the stories told by his grandfather (his view of the Charge of the Light Cavalry Brigade, for instance) and related them to Col P J Mercer OBE before he died.
Morgan’s letters from the Crimea exist but, typically, they are modest and tell us little that is not already familiar.
There are a small number of later letters in the last days of his service including one where he asks his commanding officer to be recommended for a Victoria Cross!
Much more revealing is the correspondence between George Carmichael (Morgan’s fellow, Grenadier subaltern) and his son-in-law Harold Wylly. By the late 1890’s Wylly was a serving officer with 2nd Bn Derbyshire Regiment (successors to the old 95th) and was charged with writing the first volume of the Derbyshire Campaign series, The Crimea.
Wylly used the ageing Carmichael to inform much of his work and he, in turn, made extensive reference to his friend Antony Morgan. That correspondence between Wylly and Carmichael is now in the NAM’s possession and serves to put flesh on both Morgan and many of the objects which are described below.
Volume II of the Sherwood Foresters regimental history draws on Wylly’s earlier work and makes several references to Morgan.
In fiction, Morgan has a cameo part in Somerville and Ross’s The Experiences of an Irish RM, whilst he is also the central character in a trilogy of novels which start with To Do and Die set in the Crimea.
In short, Morgan was lucky enough to be at the eye of the most serious fighting in the Crimean campaign from which he emerged exhausted but unscathed. His great pride in his service, though, combined with his comfortable personal circumstances meant that his clothing and equipment not only survived, but are remarkably well preserved.