1st Edition
Women, Families and the British Army, 1700–1880 Vol 3
This series concentrates on women and the soldiers in the ranks whose lives they shared, assembling a wide body of evidence of their romantic entanglements and domestic concerns. The new military history of recent decades has demanded a broadening of the source base beyond elite accounts or those that concentrate solely on battlefield experiences. Armies did not operate in isolation, and men’s family ties influenced the course of events in a variety of ways. Campfollowing women and children occupied a liminal space in campaign life. Those who travelled "on the strength" of the army received rations in return for providing services such as laundry and nursing, but they could also be grouped with prostitutes and condemned as a ‘burden’ by officers. Parents, wives, and offspring left behind at home remained in soldiers’ thoughts, despite an army culture aimed at replacing kin with regimental ties. Soldiers’ families’ suffering, both on the march and back in Britain, attracted public attention at key points in this period as well.
This series provides, for the first time in one place, a wide body of texts relating to common soldiers’ personal lives: the women with whom they became involved, their children, and the families who cared for them. It brings hitherto unpublished material into print for the first time, and resurrects accounts that have not been in wide circulation since the nineteenth century. The collection combines the observations of officers, government officials and others with memoirs and letters from men in the ranks, and from the women themselves. It draws extensively on press accounts, especially in the nineteenth century. It also demonstrates the value of using literary depictions alongside the letters, diaries, memoirs and war office papers that form the traditional source base of military historians.
This third volume includes personal accounts of service in the Napoleonic Wars Era.
Volume III: In their own accounts of service in the Napoleonic Wars Era
Edited by Jennine Hurl-Eamon
Introduction
Part 1. Infantrymen Privates in Line Regiments
1. [Thomas], Journal of a Soldier of the Seventy-First,…from 1806-1815, John Howell (ed.) (Edinburgh: printed for William and Charles Tait, 1819), pp. 1-15, 17-18, 30-32, 47-52, 73-74, 77, 80, 81-82, 88, 97-99, 106-7, 143-4, 172-3, 179-80, 198, 213-15, 218-20, 227-32.
2. Anon., Personal Narrative of a Private Soldier Who served in the 42nd Highlanders for Twelve Years (London, 1821), pp. 1-5, 24-25, 65, 72, 92, 94-95, 98, 111-12, 176-81.
3. Samuel Plummer, The Journal of Samuel Plummer, A Private in the 22d Regiment of Foot…Rev. John Riles (ed.), (London, printed by T. Cordeux, 1821), pp. 3, 29, 43, 50-51, 67-69, 77, 80, 83.
4. Eli Gill, A Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Eli Gill, a private in his Majesty’s 52nd Regiment of Light Infantry (Barnard Castle: Thomas Clifton, 1826), excerpt, pp. 5-7, 17, 32-3.
5. Anon., Vicissitudes in the life of a Scottish soldier. Written by himself, (London: Henry Colburn, 1827), pp. 1-2, 48, 65, 79-80, 83, 109-10, 125-26, 236-37, 246-47, 248-51, 275, 305-7, 315-16, 340-41.
6. John Green, The Vicissitudes of a Soldier’s Life; or, a Series of Occurrences from 1806-1815 (Louth, 1827), excerpt, pp. 1, 3-4, 9, 11-14, 19, 21-22, 23, 26-27, 42, 45-50, 52, 53, 102, 130-1, 159; 175, 192, 201-2, 204, 205, 211-13, 214-15, 222-3.
7. Robert Eadie, Recollections of Robert Eadie… (Kincardine, 1829), pp. 1-6, 13-16, 27-28, 42-48, 66-69, 88, 91-94, 101, 134-38, 140-47, 149.
8. William Brown, The Autobiography, or narrative of a soldier (Kilmarnock: 1829), pp. 13-23, 24-28, 34, 35-36, 40-42, 48-49, 75-76, 80, 81, 83-84, 115-22, 133-34, 160-65, 188-90, 196-201, 214, 257-58, 297-98, 304-5, 320-23.
Part 2. Infantrymen Noncommissioned Officers in Line Regiments
9. Robert Butler, Narrative of the Life and Travels of Serjeant Butler. Written by Himself (Edinburgh: Printed for David Brown, Chalmers and Collins; Glasgow: Knight & Lacey, 1823), pp. 1-5, 10-11, 18-20, 31-34, 36-38, 40, 78-79, 82-84, 85, 92-93, 100-101, 119-20, 122-25, 127-33, 138, 152-3, 156-7, 168-9, 173-6, 181-86, 187-93, 197-200, 210n-211n, 236-37, 239, 283-87, 299-301.
10. Joseph Donaldson, Recollections of An Eventful Life, Chiefly Passed in the Army, (Glasgow: W. R. McPhun, 1824), pp. 1-5, 10-12, 17-23, 59-61, 63-70, 89-90, 93, 98-99, 100-109, 115, 155-6.
11. James Hale, Journal of James Hale, Late Sergeant in the Ninth Regiment of Foot, (London, Longman & Co., 1826), pp. 5-8, 14-15, 32, 39-41, 46, 62, 71-72, 117, 126-131.
12. [anon.] Memoirs of A Sergeant late in the Forty-third Light Infantry Regiment… (London: John Mason, 1835), pp. 1-5, 11-14, 19-24, 63-68, 79, 98, 150-1, 176-79, 246-251, 269-75.
13. John Williamson, The Narrative of a Commuted Pensioner (Montreal: J. Starke and Co, 1838), Vol. I, pp. 1-3, 6, 37-38, 39-43, 55-56, 72-76, 77-86, 93-98, 99-100, 132-37, 149-54, 159-61, 188-91, 208-215, 221-31, 261-2, 264, 271-73.
14. Stephen Morley, Memoirs of a Serjeant of the 5th Regiment of Foot (J. Elliott, 1842), pp. 4, 6-7, 18-20, 62-63, 101-2, 104-5, 118-21, 122-23.
15. William Lawrence, The Autobiography of Sergeant William Lawrence (London, 1886), pp. 1-18, 22-23, 29, 195-96, 201-2, 224-26, 230-47, 249-50.
Part 3. Riflemen
16. Johan Christian Maempel, Adventures of a Young Rifleman, in the French and English Armies translation by author, ed. and preface by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 2nd edn. (London: Henry Colburn, 1826), excerpt, pp. 7-8, 10-12, 16-17, 22-23, 24-25, 29-32, 38-40, 42-43, 45, 271, 300-1, 321-24, 328, 348-50, 357-60.
17. William Surtees, Twenty-five Years in the Rifle Brigade (Blackwood, 1833), pp. 1-2, 6, 9, 28, 40-41, 43-44, 50-51, 73-74, 101, 131, 157-8, 210, 316-17, 414-16.
18. Thomas Knight, The British Battalion at Oporto… (London: Effingham Wilson, 1834), excerpt, pp. 1-3, 4-5, 9-10, 20-21.
19. Edward Costello, Adventures of a Soldier; Written by Himself…. (London: Henry Colburn, 1841), pp. 1-5, 26-28, 149-50, 182, 188-91, 202-203, 206-7, 210-11, 250-1, 256-7, 277-81, 288, 289-90.
Part 4. Guardsmen
20. John Stevenson, A soldier in Time of War; or, the Military Life of Mr. John Stevenson (W. Brittain, Paternoster Row, 1841) excerpt, pp. 1-2, 19-20, 28-31, 98-100, 111-12, 129-30, 174-75.
Part 5. Artillerymen
21. Alexander Alexander, The Life of Alexander Alexander: Written by Himself, and Edited by John Howell…In Two Volumes (Edinburgh: William Blackwood and London: T. Cadell, 1830) 2 Vols, excerpt, Vol 1, pp. 1-3, 6-7, 14-17, 48, 52-61, 67-81, 140-41, 173, 175, 178-81, 182, 183-87, 190, 192-99, 200, 201, 206-7, 208-12, 230, 231-5, 287-8, 338; Vol 2, pp. 16-17, 18, 314-24.
Biography
Jennine Hurl-Eamon is Associate Professor of History at Trent University, Canada
Lynn MacKay is Professor of History at Brandon University, Canada
