Soldier’s Glory; Being “Rough Notes Of A Soldier” Series
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About this series
Frustrated by court intrigue and influence stunting his further advancement in the service, in peacetime circumstances he would have been stuck with dismal prospects for the future. Many years after his baptism of fire in the Napoleonic Wars, he is posted as part of the British expeditionary force under Lord Raglan to the Crimea. Despite horrific conditions, he leads his men in the battles of Alma and Inkerman. His commentary of the daily life in the trenches recalls the slough of despond of the First World War: the mud, blood, shelling and disease are recalled along with the scarcity of supplies. Infuriated by the blundering politicians, Bell writes a passionate letter to the Times, which (although truthful) does nothing to help his advancement. By a stroke of luck he is plucked from his pestilent surroundings by a staff posting offered by an old comrade.
As he recovers his health, he travels once more to Canada and to the United States, just at the turn of the Civil War, meeting such luminaries as General McClellan and General Scott. He briefly meets with the great Lincoln who he describes as “thin and wiry…very kind and familiar in his manner to all, but a very commonplace-looking man”.
As with his first volume, Bell maintains his narrative with wit and verve, not without a few passing shots at his particular gripes, the Army hierarchy and Roman Catholicism.
Author – Major-General George Bell C.B. – (1794 - 1877)
Titles in the series (2)
- Soldier’s Glory; Being “Rough Notes Of A Soldier” – Vol. I
1
George Bell was a young Irishman of only seventeen when he undertook his first campaign in the British Army. Recruits were sorely needed to fill the ranks after the sanguinary battle of Albuera in 1811. He joined his regiment, the 34th or Cumberland Gentlemen, forthwith and so his military career started in some of the hardest fighting of the Peninsular War. In the thick of it at the siege of Badajoz, Arroyo Molinos, and Vittoria, he was part of General Rowland Hill’s division as the British troops battled northward toward the French frontier. He was heavily engaged in the battles of the Pyrenees, the Nive, the Nivelle, Bayonne and Toulouse. Of each he leaves a good sketch of the action that he and his comrades took part in, but is careful only to record what he saw. Between the deadly engagements with the French, or “Johnny Crappo”, as Bell and his men know him, Bell leaves a rich account of the daily life of a young subaltern in the war: often ill-provided for, hungry, and frequently unable to find shelter, prey to petty thieves. Additionally, the misadventures of his men (or more often their wives, who accompanied the march) provided for much amusement and not a little trouble! After the successful conclusion of the Peninsular campaign, George returns to his native Ireland for a brief period of half-pay, champing at the bit to get back on full pay, and then sets off with his newly wed wife to India. His descriptions of the colonial life are vivid and varied, as he dodges sun-stroke, ill-intentioned servants, fever, disease and cobras. He travels far and wide leaving accounts of Seringaptam, Madras, Bangalore, Bombay, Burma, and Rangoon in particular. The local populace and their cultures are described in some detail, along with the buildings, religious practices, the political figures and royal families. Bell’s books brim with interesting and witty asides and anecdotes, and it is clear that he took to the lighter side of life during his many travels. He is not a stuffed shirt of the old breed, and avoids much of the Victorian coldness in his writing, although supremely confident of his superiority in religious contexts. An animated and vibrant read. Author – Major-General George Bell – (1794 - 1877)
- Soldier’s Glory; Being “Rough Notes Of A Soldier” – Vol. II
2
Volume Two of General Bell’s memoirs begins with his journey back to Britain from India, stopping on the way at St. Helena to pay his respects at the tomb of Napoleon. He is then posted to Canada, taking part in putting down a rebellion led by republican Canadians, and his further travels lead him back to Europe via the United States. His reminiscences form a travelogue with a military slant, capturing the environs and habits of the populations with a delicate piquancy. Frustrated by court intrigue and influence stunting his further advancement in the service, in peacetime circumstances he would have been stuck with dismal prospects for the future. Many years after his baptism of fire in the Napoleonic Wars, he is posted as part of the British expeditionary force under Lord Raglan to the Crimea. Despite horrific conditions, he leads his men in the battles of Alma and Inkerman. His commentary of the daily life in the trenches recalls the slough of despond of the First World War: the mud, blood, shelling and disease are recalled along with the scarcity of supplies. Infuriated by the blundering politicians, Bell writes a passionate letter to the Times, which (although truthful) does nothing to help his advancement. By a stroke of luck he is plucked from his pestilent surroundings by a staff posting offered by an old comrade. As he recovers his health, he travels once more to Canada and to the United States, just at the turn of the Civil War, meeting such luminaries as General McClellan and General Scott. He briefly meets with the great Lincoln who he describes as “thin and wiry…very kind and familiar in his manner to all, but a very commonplace-looking man”. As with his first volume, Bell maintains his narrative with wit and verve, not without a few passing shots at his particular gripes, the Army hierarchy and Roman Catholicism. Author – Major-General George Bell C.B. – (1794 - 1877)
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