An original Crimea War letter from Captain H. A. Smyth, Royal Artillery, dated ‘July 26th 1855’, ink, four sides, and cross-written text on a single folded sheet of pale blue paper, with address panel to ‘Mifs. G. Smyth, St. John’s Lodge, near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire’, with three prepaid 1d stamps, cancelled by a London Inland Branch, and flanking Army Post Office stamp in blue, and transit stamps for London and Aylesbury, and traces of red seal, the author describing everyday matters and the local scenery for ‘us Field Batteries’, in good condition £80-120

Henry Augustus Smyth (1825-1906) rose to the rank of General and Colonel Commandant of the Royal Artillery and was appointed K.C.M.G. on becoming the Governor of Malta in 1890. During the Crimea War he served in No. 4 Company, 11th Battalion, R.A. and commanded a battery before Sebastopol (Medal & clasp); he is otherwise known for his first hand observations taken during the American Civil War and France-Prussian War, observations that were published by the R.A. Institution.