Sketch of the Field Service of the Rifle Brigade

By Lt.-Colonel Jonathan Leach C.B.

Thomas William Taylor’s letters span the entire brief but era defining 1815 campaign, they were written without affectation, without thought for a wider audience and the immediacy of an eye-witness recollecting events that occurred moments before. The letters although brief are an important source for the events of the campaign, as the author’s pen sketches the life around him before the battle, the movement of troops and the encampments and their thoughts of family far away. The first letter on the great battle are written the morning afterward, the text written by “half straw, half pencil”, the notes are poignant, pungent and accurate to the flow of the battle as it has been reconstructed. He writes of the battle itself, Wellington’s well known dislike of the British cavalry arm, the heartfelt loss of his comrades such as “Poor Gunning killed in the last charge, and I write it in tears”, French brutality of prisoners and pointedly the decisive effect of the Prussian engagement during the early evening of the battle. The pursuit of the routed French army is recounted as is the occupation of Paris as he wishes to be back home with his wife and children whilst earnestly wishing for promotion.
A fine short collection of letters, unspoilt by any embellishment.
Author Thomas William Taylor [????-1854]

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wagram Press
• Release date: Oct 14, 2010
• ISBN: 9781908692535

Book preview

SKETCH

OF

THE FIELD SERVICES

OF

THE RIFLE BRIGADE.

SKETCH

OF

THE FIELD SERVICES

OF

THE RIFLE BRIGADE,

FROM ITS FORMATION, TO THE BATTLE OF

WATERLOO.

BF LIEUT.-COLONEL LEACH, C.B.

LATE OF THE RIFLE BRIGADE,

AUTHOR OF "ROUGH SKETCHES OF THE LIFE OF AN OLD

SOLDIER, AND OF RECOLLECTIONS AND REFLECTIONS

RELATIVE TO THE DUTIES OF TROOPS COMPOSING

THE ADVANCED CORPS OF AN ARMY"

This edition is published by PICKLE PARTNERS PUBLISHING

Text originally published in 1838 under the same title.

© Pickle Partners Publishing 2011, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means, electrical, mechanical or otherwise without the written permission of the copyright holder.

Publisher’s Note

Although in most cases we have retained the Author’s original spelling and grammar to authentically reproduce the work of the Author and the original intent of such material, some additional notes and clarifications have been added for the modern reader’s benefit.

PREFACE.

IF I were to profess writing a regular record of the Corps, it would be expected that I should note, with great accuracy and minuteness, every occurrence which has taken place from its formation up to the present day; and that I should not omit to mention on what day of the month, and in what year, one, two, or more Companies marched from this place to that, either in England, Scotland, or Ireland; what the numerical strength of each Company was at the time, the names of the Officers belonging to them, and various items of the kind, which I have neither the inclination nor the