John Taylor, captain of the forecastle, and Henry Curtis, boatswain's
mate, were in the advance sap opposite the Redan on 18th June 1855,
immediately after the assault on Sebastopol, when they observed a
soldier of the 57th Regiment, who had been shot through both legs,
sitting up, and calling for help. Lieutenant D'Aeth, of HMS _Sidou_,
was also of the party, but died of cholera soon after. The brave seamen
could not bear to see their poor countryman thus perishing, and, though
the Redan was still keeping up a tremendous fire, climbing over the
breastwork of the sap, Captain Roby and the two seamen proceeded upwards
of seventy yards across the open space towards the salient angle of the
Redan, and, at the great risk of their own lives, lifted up the wounded
soldier and bore him to a place of safety.
John Sullivan, boatswain's mate, while serving in an advanced battery,
on the 10th of April 1855, showed the most perfect coolness and bravery,
by going forward and placing a flag on a mound in an exposed situation,
under a heavy fire, to enable another battery, Number 5, to open fire on
a concealed Russian battery, which was doing great execution on the
British advanced works. Commander Kennedy, commanding the battery,
spoke in the highest terms of Sullivan's bravery on that and on other
occasions, and recommended him for promotion.