This letter could well be one of the last written by Lord Raglan before his death on 26 June 1855, whilst at the seige of Sebastopol. He was obviously distressed by the death of Marsh; the culmination perhaps of the stresses of a long seige, the terrible conditions at that time exacerbated by a harsh winter and lack of supplies, and the death of his fellow officers from cholera. He himself was fading fast and it is reported that he was not well enough to come into dinner on the evening of the 25th. He died the following evening.