NO. 35.
Title: The Ripples of Historical Resilience: One Night in Sebastopol
The world today is rampantly paced, with tumultuous events continually splattering our news feeds. It’s a world of hashtags, breaking news, and real-time reporting. However, as immersed as we are in the imminent, we must not lose sight of the invaluable lessons of the past. As a professional writer and meticulous observer, I am invariably drawn to the chronicles of valor and resilience. Today, we delve into an arresting account from an old publication - NO. 35 - recounting a harrowing tale of British soldiers’ extraordinary escape amid the chaos of the Crimean War. This story, despite being well over a century old, echoes strikingly relevant insights into resilience, courage, and the perils of war.
Framed in the backdrop of the historic Siege of Sebastopol (1854 - 1855), a focal point during the Crimean War, the tale follows British soldiers Rennie and Severn as they navigate life on the knife's edge. After a gasping foray into enemy lines, where they “pressed the Russians back at the point of the bayonet,” they are eventually overwhelmed and taken captive, later to be bundled into the innermost fort of the besieged city – Sebastopol.
The detail of an out-of-placed "Minnie," referenced in the text, potentially offers a clue to the era in which this narrative might have taken place. The Minnié, or more accurately, the Minié rifle, was a significant innovation in military firepower during the mid-19th century, credited for seeing service by British forces in the Crimean War – providing the much-needed context to the fabled tale of Rennie and Severn.
Notably, the remarkable escape made by our protagonists draws us into the essence of human resilience. One scene finds Rennie and Severn making a dangerous leap into the cold harbors of Sebastopol. This moment is described with such vividness: “They both unhesitatingly leaped into the water, sunk, and rose again...” This daring act of liberation sends a powerful message about the lengths people will go to secure their freedom — a sentiment germane to every era.
Yet, there’s more to their audacious escape than mere physical courage. Both soldiers demonstrate clear-headedness amid peril. When taken prisoner, they seize the opportunity to feign death, a ruse that gives them precious minutes to flee when left unattended. Even while subsequently being pursued, they think fast to sabotage the enemy’s boat, evident when Rennie admits to “cutting a hole in the bottom of the boat.”
The article continues with observations on the scarcity of space, an odd interlude within the gripping account of escape, yet a powerful allegory mirroring the human condition today. The amplifying refrain of “Give us more room!—more room!” is as palpable today as it was probably in the past. The text goes on to highlight human insatiability to continually stretch the bounds of ownership and accommodation, which eerily resonates with our modern struggle of urban expansion, population explosion, and shrinking habitats.
The closing commentary about laughter also draws an interesting conclusion. The statement, “Animals don't laugh," is an intriguing anthropocentric observation, pointing towards laughter as a uniquely human capacity to cope under adversity. It’s been widely observed how, in the face of stress or disaster, humans often rely on humor as a survival mechanism, and this holds true in today’s world, often ridden with challenges and crises.
There’s considerable insight we can draw from this brief but fascinating historical account. War, resilience, human ingenuity, and the constant plea for more room — these are not isolated lessons parcelled out to one epoch or generation. Instead, they're echoed at every moment in our human history — again in the present and undoubtedly in the future to come. We may often find ourselves shaken, like Rennie and Severn, with “the hreiith nil shaken out of their body,” but these tales from the past reassure us that courage, wit, and perseverance in the face of adversity are eternally relevant skills, as we continue our march through history.
Regardless of the era we occupy, these narratives of the past provide a mirror reflecting back our shared humanity. They underscore the notion that despite being centuries apart, we are more alike than different – persistently seeking freedom, constantly yearning for more space, and resiliently surviving through laughter. Each historical account, considered through a keen lens, illuminates our path forward. As for our valiant soldiers Rennie and Severn, who once traversed the tumultuous night in Sebastopol, their legacy remains, ensnared within the annals of historical heroism and resilience. Their audacious story still whispers through the ages, streaming into the folklore of our collective memory, shaping today’s resilience by linking with the metals of the past.
The world today is rampantly paced, with tumultuous events continually splattering our news feeds. It’s a world of hashtags, breaking news, and real-time reporting. However, as immersed as we are in the imminent, we must not lose sight of the invaluable lessons of the past. As a professional writer and meticulous observer, I am invariably drawn to the chronicles of valor and resilience. Today, we delve into an arresting account from an old publication - NO. 35 - recounting a harrowing tale of British soldiers’ extraordinary escape amid the chaos of the Crimean War. This story, despite being well over a century old, echoes strikingly relevant insights into resilience, courage, and the perils of war.
Framed in the backdrop of the historic Siege of Sebastopol (1854 - 1855), a focal point during the Crimean War, the tale follows British soldiers Rennie and Severn as they navigate life on the knife's edge. After a gasping foray into enemy lines, where they “pressed the Russians back at the point of the bayonet,” they are eventually overwhelmed and taken captive, later to be bundled into the innermost fort of the besieged city – Sebastopol.
The detail of an out-of-placed "Minnie," referenced in the text, potentially offers a clue to the era in which this narrative might have taken place. The Minnié, or more accurately, the Minié rifle, was a significant innovation in military firepower during the mid-19th century, credited for seeing service by British forces in the Crimean War – providing the much-needed context to the fabled tale of Rennie and Severn.
Notably, the remarkable escape made by our protagonists draws us into the essence of human resilience. One scene finds Rennie and Severn making a dangerous leap into the cold harbors of Sebastopol. This moment is described with such vividness: “They both unhesitatingly leaped into the water, sunk, and rose again...” This daring act of liberation sends a powerful message about the lengths people will go to secure their freedom — a sentiment germane to every era.
Yet, there’s more to their audacious escape than mere physical courage. Both soldiers demonstrate clear-headedness amid peril. When taken prisoner, they seize the opportunity to feign death, a ruse that gives them precious minutes to flee when left unattended. Even while subsequently being pursued, they think fast to sabotage the enemy’s boat, evident when Rennie admits to “cutting a hole in the bottom of the boat.”
The article continues with observations on the scarcity of space, an odd interlude within the gripping account of escape, yet a powerful allegory mirroring the human condition today. The amplifying refrain of “Give us more room!—more room!” is as palpable today as it was probably in the past. The text goes on to highlight human insatiability to continually stretch the bounds of ownership and accommodation, which eerily resonates with our modern struggle of urban expansion, population explosion, and shrinking habitats.
The closing commentary about laughter also draws an interesting conclusion. The statement, “Animals don't laugh," is an intriguing anthropocentric observation, pointing towards laughter as a uniquely human capacity to cope under adversity. It’s been widely observed how, in the face of stress or disaster, humans often rely on humor as a survival mechanism, and this holds true in today’s world, often ridden with challenges and crises.
There’s considerable insight we can draw from this brief but fascinating historical account. War, resilience, human ingenuity, and the constant plea for more room — these are not isolated lessons parcelled out to one epoch or generation. Instead, they're echoed at every moment in our human history — again in the present and undoubtedly in the future to come. We may often find ourselves shaken, like Rennie and Severn, with “the hreiith nil shaken out of their body,” but these tales from the past reassure us that courage, wit, and perseverance in the face of adversity are eternally relevant skills, as we continue our march through history.
Regardless of the era we occupy, these narratives of the past provide a mirror reflecting back our shared humanity. They underscore the notion that despite being centuries apart, we are more alike than different – persistently seeking freedom, constantly yearning for more space, and resiliently surviving through laughter. Each historical account, considered through a keen lens, illuminates our path forward. As for our valiant soldiers Rennie and Severn, who once traversed the tumultuous night in Sebastopol, their legacy remains, ensnared within the annals of historical heroism and resilience. Their audacious story still whispers through the ages, streaming into the folklore of our collective memory, shaping today’s resilience by linking with the metals of the past.
**Citation**: -Trinity Journal [NO. 35., 1855-08-04]
https://cdnc.ucr.edu/
Original Article:
with the hreiith nil shaken out of their body, they rega tied their regiment, which they found already under arm*, waiting commands Rennie shouldered hi* “Minnie,'* and look hia place beside Severn ; an aid-de-camp came to say that they were to lorm * line in front of the tents to guard them.— Their progress, however, was obstructed by » colamn of Russians. “Charge I'' was th* word, and charge they did, pressed the Russians baek at the point of the bayonet, and made them a prtsent of some lead, which, however, they declined, having got too much steel to require any lead. Though having lost nearly half their force, the Russian* were still double the number of the British, and rc'ired in pretty good order, espying with them some prisoners, among whom Bennie noticed Severn. He pressed forward. either to rescue him or to share hi* captivity. He had almost ejected his project when his hands were caught and forcibly held behind Ilia back by one strong Russian, while another took hie title and revolver* from him, and he was put beside the rest of the prisoners. • • • At last they reached Sebastopol, nnd were marched into one of the innermost forts. As they were entering the fort by a gateway, a cannon above them burst, and the fragments killed two Russians of their guard ; Severn nipped Rennie's shoulder, and, yelling fiercely, fell on the ground. Rennie understood him,au
Original Article:
with the hreiith nil shaken out of their body, they rega tied their regiment, which they found already under arm*, waiting commands Rennie shouldered hi* “Minnie,'* and look hia place beside Severn ; an aid-de-camp came to say that they were to lorm * line in front of the tents to guard them.— Their progress, however, was obstructed by » colamn of Russians. “Charge I'' was th* word, and charge they did, pressed the Russians baek at the point of the bayonet, and made them a prtsent of some lead, which, however, they declined, having got too much steel to require any lead. Though having lost nearly half their force, the Russian* were still double the number of the British, and rc'ired in pretty good order, espying with them some prisoners, among whom Bennie noticed Severn. He pressed forward. either to rescue him or to share hi* captivity. He had almost ejected his project when his hands were caught and forcibly held behind Ilia back by one strong Russian, while another took hie title and revolver* from him, and he was put beside the rest of the prisoners. • • • At last they reached Sebastopol, nnd were marched into one of the innermost forts. As they were entering the fort by a gateway, a cannon above them burst, and the fragments killed two Russians of their guard ; Severn nipped Rennie's shoulder, and, yelling fiercely, fell on the ground. Rennie understood him,au
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