This book contains correspondence of Edward Wellesley, great nephew of the first Duke of Wellington, to his mother, wife and brother, who was in the Foreign Office. The letters were written while he was serving in the 7th Kaffir War, 1851-53 in South Africa. They also cover his service on the staff of Lord Raglan during the latter's journey to and arrival in the Crimea, where Major Wellesley died of cholera at the age of 31. The bulk of the correspondence is with his brother and includes vivid descriptions of events and personalities, some of them, such as General Sir Harry Smith and Lord Raglan, well known.