Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol 7.djvu/385

RETURNING STRENGTH. 341 ed 17,233 second blankets and 1923 new great- CUAp. coats ; whilst, moreover, there remained at their L_ disposal — if only they could find means to fetch them — other blankets to the number of 5417, and other greatcoats to the number of 2611.(^^) The supplies continued to arrive in vast quan- tities ; and the difficulty there had been in fetch- ing them up to camp was overcome, it would seem, altogether so early as the 13th of January, for on that day Lord Raglan proved happily able to write : — ' Great progress is making in disem- ' barking and issuing to the troops vast quantities ' of warm clothing of all descriptions ; and I ' believe I may assert that every man in this ' army has received a second blanket, a jersey ' frock, flannel drawers and socles, and some kind ' of winter coat in addition to the ordinary great- ' coat.' (15) The materials for giving our troops the advan- The en- 1 ,1 1 i • 1 deavour to tage 01 wooden shelter were obtamed, as we saw, jiUicooui at an early period ; (■^^) but the weight of the imts; boards, planks, and scantling was so great that, to draw up only so much of them as would form a single hut, there were needed three stripped artillery wacf^ions, with from 8 to 10 horses, or uiis proved /VtI 1 -1 • 1 CI to be for the 180 men;(^') and, until a time long alter that time a mis . - - - taken mea- when the winter season had passed, our means sure. of land-transport were not sufficient to conquer so heavy a task as that of dragging up timber houses for the bulk of Lord Raglan's army.(i^) Other wants were soon met; and on the 2,3d of January, Lord Raglan was able to write : — ' The army is well supplied with warm clotliing,