Sir Robert Hume, 1854 - 1863
Scope and Contents
Two manuscript accounts of Sir Robert Hume’s experience in the Crimean War: one octavo volume bound in flexible red morocco, and entitled Continuation of the records of the 55th Regt. from the 20th September 1854 containing an account of the author’s experiences at the siege of Sebastopol through the armistice of 3 March 1856; a second disbound manuscript covering much of the same information, with corrections. The accounts provide details like regimental casualties, names of officers killed, recipients of various medals, and other various anecdotes. Both manuscripts have provenance inscriptions indicating they were at one time in the possession of Hume’s daughter J.E. Quarry. Also included are 42 Crimean War letters, mostly from Robert (“Bob”) to his mother, with a few scattered letters addressed to him from his brothers. A curatorial file compiled by Scheetz is also included.
Dates
- 1854 - 1863
Conditions Governing Access
Most manuscripts collections at the Georgetown University Booth Family Center for Special Collections are open to researchers; however, restrictions may apply to some collections. Collections stored off site require a minimum of three days for retrieval. For use of all manuscripts collections, researchers are advised to contact the Booth Family Center for Special Collections in advance of any visit.
Biographical / Historical
Sir Robert Hume (1828-1909) was a British army officer. He served in the famed 55th Regiment at Alma, Inkerman, and Sebastopol during the Crimean War (1854-6), during which time he was severely wounded twice. In addition to Crimea, Hume also served in the Bhutan expedition (1865), commanded the Sagar District (1874-7) and the South Afghanistan Field Force (1880-1), and later served in British India in both the Quetta (1881) and Lahore (1881-4) Divisions. He died in Dehradun, India, in 1909. Hume was one of four brothers, all British army heroes, referred to by Queen Victoria as “The Four Valiant Brothers”: John, who wrote Reminiscences of the Crimean Campaign with the 55th Regiment (1894), Gustavus, Walter, and Robert. A street is named after them in their hometown of Lyton, England with a street named after them (Hume Avenue) as well as a four-panel stained glass window dedicated to Walter that shows four young men in Roman-style military garb.
Extent
From the Collection: 30 Cubic Feet (68 boxes)
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
From the Collection: Latin
From the Collection: French
From the Collection: Italian
From the Collection: Welsh
From the Collection: Danish
From the Collection: Swedish
From the Collection: Spanish
From the Collection: German
From the Collection: Norwegian
From the Collection: Persian
From the Collection: Japanese
From the Collection: Russian
From the Collection: Greek, Ancient (to 1453)
Creator
- From the Collection: Scheetz, Nicholas B., 1952-2016 (Person)
Repository Details
Part of the Georgetown University Manuscripts Repository
Lauinger Library, 5th Floor
37th and O Streets, N.W.
Washington DC 20057
speccoll@georgetown.edu