Note to Colonel Trevor, 2nd Foot Guards, from Captain Torrington, CRE

Sir,

In accordance with orders received the --th instant from Lieutenant-Colonel Fletcher, CRE, I would propose to form a surveying party to reconnoitre certain stretches of nearby terrain on which the maps currently available give no or imprecise information. You will certainly be aware of the inconveniences to both the officers and soldiers of our army this unreliability has caused in the past. Undertaking such a project, it naturally is indispensable to enlist the help of several men to carry out measurements and provide guard for the party. In this matter I presume to hope for your assistance.

To carry out this survey with the speed necessary to its usefulness, it would be instrumental if you could spare me a dozen of your men, preferably from your Light Company, as their familiar fighting style will likely proof conductive to the measuring work, which is usually carried out in pairs. Should you be agreeable to this, it would be most convenient if the men could be made available for training this afternoon, in groups of three, for one hour each. As soon as they are familiar with their new task, it would be necessary to resort to their services for two or three surveying expeditions, each projected to take no longer than three days. It is impossible to give any any closer estimate at this point, as this largely depends on weather conditions and the terrain we will encounter, but you may be certain that I will consult your wishes in regard to those expeditions separately in advance, when a more precise assessment is possible.

It would also be of immeasurable help if another officer, preferably one already conversant with the principles of surveying, could join this project, as this would nearly double the speed with which we could hope to complete the task. A Lieutenant Eckert of Major Croft's company was pointed out to me as a suitable candidate, should his duties allow it, but I hope I need not mention that I would greatly value your opinion on this matter, as on all other points of this proposal.

You may believe me to be, &c.,
Captain E. Torrington