Napoleonic Lives: Researching the British Soldiers of the Napoleonic Wars

By Carole Divall

Two hundred years ago the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars convulsed the whole of Europe. These were key events in the history of the continent, and for Britain, and they are a fascinating field for historical and family history research. More records than ever are available on the men who served in the British army during the wars and on their families - and Carole Divalls new book is the perfect guide to how to locate and understand these sources - and get the most out of them. She gives a vivid insight into what soldiers lives were like during the period and shows how much of their experience can be recovered from the records. Using the full range of sources - contemporary military records, correspondence, diaries, memoirs she reconstructs in detail the stories of a representative group of individuals who took part in the wars - a soldier who saw action as a marine in the Mediterranean fleet, a Gordon Highlander who was taken prisoner, riflemen who served at Walcheren, in the Peninsula and at Waterloo, artillery men who played a crucial role in battles and in sieges, a gentry family whose sons served as officers in the Peninsula and in India, and two remarkable women who were among the many who went to war with the men. Carole Divalls informative and accessible book will be essential reading and reference for anyone who wants to find out about the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars and is keen to understand the part an ancestor played in them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Jun 19, 2012
• ISBN: 9781781597538

Carole Divall

UK

Book preview

Chapter One

SOLDIER AT SEA

Samuel Rockliffe of the 69th

When Samuel Rockliffe enlisted in the 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment it was inevitable that he would soon find himself fighting the French. Pitt and the British government may have thought it would be possible to remain detached from events in France, but that was to misunderstand the nature of revolution. By December 1792, when Rockliffe attested, those who were directing the revolution were committed to exporting their ideas to peoples still oppressed by reactionary regimes. There had already been an abortive attempt to invade the Austrian Netherlands (modern Belgium). On 1 February 1793, after the execution of Louis XVI, the revolutionaries declared war against Holland and Britain. For Rockliffe, however, active service would take him not to war on land but to service at sea.

The Navy was both the bulwark of Britain’s defences and the preferred instrument of her aggressive power, but ships required men, both sailors and marines. These latter were needed to enforce discipline below decks and prevent mutiny. In 1793 there were too few marines to go round, so regular soldiers were drafted in. Consequently, men of the 69th were sent in detachments to Britannia, Courageux, Berwick, Agamemnon, Ardent and Audacious, all part of the Mediterranean fleet under Sir Samuel Hood on his flagship, Victory.

Under normal circumstances, Rockliffe’s duties as a marine encompassed guard duty, particularly guarding the powder room, standing guard when punishment was inflicted, summoning the men to dinner with the beat of a drum (although the marines messed separately), and helping to heave the capstans or serve the officers when not on duty. Should the fleet go into action, he could be required to help man the guns, clamber into the rigging as a sharpshooter, or form part of a boarding party.

Rockliffe went aboard the 64-gun Agamemnon (popularly known as Eggs-and-Bacon) in April 1793 along with two sergeants and fifty-three other ranks, under the command of Captain John Clarke and Lieutenant John McClintock, joining the fifteen marines already aboard. Commanded by her new captain, Horatio Nelson, Agamemnon left Chatham on 24 April, probably before Rockliffe and his fellows had time to adapt to their new conditions. They sailed past the Nore, on to Spithead, and then to the Scilly Isles where they joined the main fleet. Their voyage took them south to Cape St Vincent and on through the Straits of Gibraltar. Britain was in alliance with Spain at this time, and Agamemnon was one of six ships allowed to water at Cadiz. The captains were invited ashore. It is unlikely that the invitation was extended to the seamen and marines, although it was usual practice for marines to be drilled on shore whenever a ship was in port. Even if it was from on board, Rockliffe undoubtedly took a good look at Europe’s largest and wealthiest