Download or read book Lieutenant Simmons of the 95th Rifles written by George Simmons and published by . This book was released on 2008-04 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A subalterns war in 'rifle green' against the French George Simmons, one of a large family, came from a comparatively humble background. Like so many of his countrymen of his time, he chose a military career fighting Napoleon's French Army. He craved action and knew that the place to find it was as one of Wellington's green sharpshooters-the famous 95th-the Rifles. His experiences on campaign and on the battlefield are recounted in detail through his journal and letters to his family. Simmons, accompanied by his brother Joe, fought with the Rifles throughout the war in the Iberian peninsula and over the Pyrenees into the south of France. Another brother, Maud, fought as a red coated infantry officer. After Napoleon escaped from Elba, Simmons was once more called to the front-this time on the bloody and apocalyptic fields outside Waterloo where he was dangerously wounded. This is a story of war told by a junior officer at the sharp end of the action on many of the famous battles and assaults of the campaigns in which he took part. This Leonaur edition of Simmons' story, with the text substantially re-presented for the modern reader, is an essential book for those interested in the Rifles and a vital addition to every library of Napoleonic history.

Download or read book A British Rifle Man written by George Simmons and published by Naval & Military Press. This book was released on 1899 with total page 432 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the best and most justly famous of the many memoirs of a serving British soldier during the Napoleonic Wars. Born in Beverley in east Yorkshire, George Simmons began his military life in 1805 as Assistant Surgeon in the LIncoln Militia. He subsequently joined the 95th Rifles in order to help pay for his younger brothers education. Simmons served throughout the thick of the Peninsular War under Wellington, doing his duty as a Rifleman in six campaigns up to 1814, and seeing action at the sieges of Ciudad Roderigo and Badajoz and the battles of Salamanca, Vittoria, and finally of Waterloo. He was thrice severely wounded, but survived to write these memoirs, which were basaed on the letters he sent home to his impecunious but doting parents.

Download or read book A British Rifleman the Journals and Correspondence of Major George Simmons Rifle Brigade during the Peninsular war and the campaign of Waterloo written by Major George Simmons and published by Pickle Partners Publishing. This book was released on 2011-02-08 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The journals and correspondence of George Simmons add a further lustre to the excellent memoirs and books that men of the 95th Rifles left of the adventures, hard fought actions and grim experiences of the Peninsular War and the Waterloo Campaign. Simmons was commissioned into the 1st Battalion 95th Rifles, a fellow officer of Sir John Kincaid and Sir Harry Smith both of whom left valuable memoirs of the period. A religious and upright man, although not priggish, he kept a journal of the actions movement and events of his life and sent numerous letters home to his family in Hull. These form the narrative which has been ordered by Lt. Col. Verner to flow in sequence through his time fighting Napoleon’s forces. Simmons, and his brothers who often crop up in the volume, was at the forefront of the fighting engaged in by the Light Brigade and later Light Division. He was wounded a number of times, once so seriously at Waterloo as a result of a musket wound to the chest, that his attendants though he might die. He took part in the battles of Fuentes D’Oñoro, Salamanca, Vittoria, the Nivelle, Orthez and finally Waterloo. The storming of Badajoz, Cuidad Rodrigo are also described in vivid detail missing nothing of the fear, death and mayhem of the attacking troops; to give just one excerpt of the action:- I saw my poor friend Major O'Hare lying dead upon the breach. Two or three musket balls had passed through his breast. A gallant fellow, Sergeant Flemming, was also dead by his side, a man who had always been with him. I called to remembrance poor O'Hare's last words just before he marched off to lead the advance. He shook me by the hand saying, "A Lieutenant-Colonel or cold meat in a few hours." I was now gazing upon his body lying stretched and naked amongst thousands more. An excellent read, contemporaneously written and abounding with interesting details. Author – Major George Simmons [1785-1858] Editor – Lt.-Col Willoughby Cole Verner [1852-1922]

Download or read book A British Rifle Man written by George Simmons and published by DigiCat. This book was released on 2022-09-04 with total page 315 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "A British Rifle Man" (The Journals and Correspondence of Major George Simmons, Rifle Brigade, During the Peninsular War and the Campaign of Waterloo) by George Simmons. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

Download or read book A British Rifle Man written by Colonel Willoughby Verner and published by BoD – Books on Demand. This book was released on 2020-08-14 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reproduction of the original: A British Rifle Man by Colonel Willoughby Verner

Download or read book Battlefield Medics written by Martin King and published by Arcturus Publishing. This book was released on 2021-04-01 with total page 299 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This eye-opening journey through centuries of medical care on the battlefield is a fascinating read. The research is impressive, the writing style relaxed but what makes this book stand out is the personal stories of women and men who risked their lives to save others." - ANNE MACMILLAN, HISTORIAN, JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR OF WAR STORIES Double Emmy award-winning author Martin King takes you on an enthralling journey through the history of medicine on the battlefield, covering the battles of Ancient Rome, both World Wars, Vietnam and many more. Hear true stories of the brave men and women who risked their lives to save others in the chaos of conflict, including: • Tillie Pierce, the 16-year-old girl who tended soldiers from both sides during the American Civil War • Mary Seacole a black nurse who ran her own medical center during the Crimean War • Nellie Spindler, a staff nurse in World War I who was tragically killed in the Battle of Passchendaele • John Bradmore, the man who saved Prince Henry in the War of the Roses Battlefield Medics includes first-hand accounts from veterans of various wars and conflicts, as well as a foreword by Colonel Robert Campbell of the 101st Airborne Division of the US Army. Told with King's usual flair for engaging narrative and eye for historical detail, this illustrated account provides a testament to these remarkable medics and the vital part they played in history.

Download or read book The Sieges of Ciudad Rodrigo 1810 and 1812 written by Tim Saunders and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2018-10-30 with total page 417 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The area astride the Spanish/Portuguese border between the respective fortresses of Ciudad Rodrigo and Almeida was the focus of the Peninsular War for much of the period from the autumn of 1809 through until 1812. The fortress of Ciudad Rodrigo that dominated the country between the Rivers Agueda and Ca, was one of the Keys to Spain for any army attacking either east or west across the frontier.With the defeat of the Fifth Coalition at Wagram in 1809, Napoleon was free to turn his attention to the rebellious Iberian Peninsula and the small British Army. Tasking a reluctant Marshal Massna to 'throw the leopard into sea, preparations started for what proved to be a protracted and lacklustre siege. Marshal Ney, however, champed at the bit and wanted to press on with the invasion and despite an increasing tempo of outpost actions, such as the renowned affair at Barbra del Puerco, Napoleon in attempting to control events from Paris, insisted on an orderly siege.With the fall of Ciudad Rodrigo, Craufurds Light Division remained covering the Armys frontage but after a superbly conducted withdrawal, Craufurds judgement erred and he was force into a costly fighting withdrawal to the River Ca. The British now fell back into Portugal but by Spring 1811 they were back and with Napoleon stripping troops from the Peninsular Wellington could prepare to invade Spain and besiege Ciudad Rodrigo.Preparations for the siege were almost complete in December 1811, when further troops were stripped from Marshal Marmont, an opportunity to presented itself for a lightening operation to take Ciudad Rodrigo in the 1812 siege, which was of very different character.

Download or read book Wellington s Light Division and the Defence of Portugal written by Robert Burnham and published by Frontline Books. This book was released on 2024-05-30 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There are many books on Wellington’s campaigns during the Peninsular War. Yet very few examine the pivotal year of 1811, when he went on the offensive and forced Napoleon’s armies back over 300 kilometers, from the doors of Lisbon to the Spanish border. For two months he pursued the retreating French, fighting skirmishes and rearguards virtually the whole way. The French finally halted at the Spanish border and turned on Wellington in early May, where an epic three-day battle was fought at Fuentes de Oñoro. The rest of the year, Wellington defended the border while making plans to liberate Spain in 1811. Wellington’s Light Division and the defense of Portugal looks at the famed Light Division as it led the pursuit of the French and was involved in almost every combat and battle fought that year. The book also explores the stalemate of January and February 1811, where the division maintained outposts overlooking French positions in the vicinity of Santarem, as well as the pursuit of the French Army back to Spain in March and April, when the division fought many skirmishes, combats, and small battles, often on its own. These include the actions at Pombal, Condeixa, Redinha, Casal Novo, Foz d’Arouce, Freixada, and Sabugal. May saw the Light Division in a desperate fight at Fuentes de Oñoro, where for much of the battle it held the army’s right flank. For the rest of the year the Light Division was in the vicinity of Ciudad Rodrigo where it occupied ground that it held for much of 1810, where it served as Wellington’s advance outposts. The assumed similar positions and were engaged at Fuente Guinaldo and El Bodon. In addition to these fights, the book will examine the changes in the organization of the division, with the addition of new battalions and release of other units. It will also go into great detail on the problems it had with command and control – with its leading officers exhausted, requesting permission to return home to recuperate. Drawing on diaries, letters, and memoirs, the authors tell the story of the officers and men who fought in the division. Many of these sources have never been published before.

Download or read book Wellington s Light Division in the Peninsular War written by Robert Burnham and published by Frontline Books. This book was released on 2020-12-14 with total page 357 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A detailed and riveting account of the Light Division and its three regiments, 43rd and 52nd Light Infantry and the 95th Rifles . . . An important book.” —Firetrench In February 1810, Wellington formed what became the most famous unit in the Peninsular War: the Light Division. Formed around the 43rd and 52nd Light Infantry and the 95th Rifles, the exploits of these three regiments is legendary. Over the next 50 months, the division would fight and win glory in almost every battle and siege of the Peninsular War. How the division achieved its fame began on the border of Spain and Portugal where it served as a screen between Wellington’s Army and the French. When it came time pull back from the border, the division endured a harrowing retreat with a relentless enemy at their heels. It was during this eventful year it developed an esprit-de-corps and a belief in its leaders and itself that was unrivaled in Wellington’s Army. Wellington’s Light Division in the Peninsular War uses over 100 primary sources—many never published before—to recount the numerous skirmishes, combats, and battles, as well as the hardships of a year of duty on the front lines. Others are from long-forgotten books published over 150 years ago. It is through the words of the officers and men who served with it that this major, and long-anticipated study of the first critical year of the Light Division is told. “Given the limited scope of the book, covering only one year of the Peninsular campaign, the depth of the study is truly remarkable . . . An excellent history of the Light Division ‘Warts and All.’”—The Napoleon Series

Download or read book Mass na at Bay 1811 written by Tim Saunders and published by Pen and Sword Military. This book was released on 2021-10-13 with total page 383 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The 1810 French invasion of Portugal, commanded by the veteran marshal André Masséna, who was known to Napoleon as the ‘Spoilt Child of Victory’ has been well covered by historians. Conversely, the shock revelation of the presence of the Lines of Torres Vedras baring the French Army of Portugal’s way to their objective of Lisbon, and numerous combats through to the Battle of Funtes de Oñoro, has been frequently and unjustifiably glossed over. This book, starting with the occupation of the Lines of Torres Vedras, which were at the heart of Wellington’s Peninsular strategy from October 1809-1812, is the story of Wellington’s pursuit of Masséna back to Spain. This was a time when the Peninsular Army was still being forged and Wellington was refining his own art of war. In addition, 1810-1811 was a period when the outcome of the struggle in Iberia was still far from certain, and Wellington could not manoeuvre with the same confidence in the outcome as he could in future years. The series of combats fought at Pombal, Redhina, Foz da Arounce and Sabugal while Masséna was at bay, though not categorised as ‘general actions’, were of the same scale and significance as those of 1808; Roliça and Vimiero. The general action at Funtes de Oñoro was one of the most significant of Wellington’s victories, but he confessed that ‘If Bony had been here we would have been beat’.

Download or read book The British Soldier in the Peninsular War written by G. Daly and published by Springer. This book was released on 2013-07-23 with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Combining military and cultural history, the book explores British soldiers' travels and cross-cultural encounters in Spain and Portugal, 1808-1814. It is the story of how soldiers interacted with the local environment and culture, of their attitudes and behaviour towards the inhabitants, and how they wrote about all this in letters and memoirs.

Download or read book Salamanca Campaign 1812 written by Tim Saunders and published by Pen and Sword Military. This book was released on 2022-02-24 with total page 385 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After a gap of two years, the 1812 Salamanca Campaign saw Wellington taking the offensive in Spain against Marshal Marmont’s Army of Portugal. Marching from the border fortress of Ciudad Rodrigo which fell to the Allies in January, neither commander was willing to take the risk of a general action without a clear tactical advantage. The result were stand-offs as Wellington offered battle on the San Christóbal Heights, but once the small French-garrisoned forts left behind in Salamanca fell, Marmont withdrew to the Douro. For over a week the two armies shared cooling waters of the river before Marmont ‘humbugged’ Wellington and fell on the Allied left flank at Castrejón. Wellington rushed to the aid of the Light and 4th divisions with the heavy cavalry. Over the following days Marmont dexterously manoeuvred Wellington back towards Salamanca, with both armies within cannon shot still not risking battle. When it seemed Wellington would have to march back to the safety of Portugal, Marmont finally made a mistake on the plains south of Salamanca on 22 July 1812, by allowing his army to become over extended. Wellington saw what was happening and after weeks of marching and counter marching, the battle the soldiers earnestly hoped for was on. In the past it has been difficult to place the fighting on the ground in the centre of the Salamanca battlefield, where ‘vast clouds of smoke and dust that rolled along the basin’ obscured vision even for those fighting. Supplementing their letters, diaries and memoires with modern geographical aids, archaeology and a stout pair of boots, it is now possible to reconcile the sequence of the battle with locations, in a way in which it was not feasible even a few years ago.

Download or read book The Light Division in the Peninsular War 1808 1811 written by Tim Saunders and published by Pen and Sword Military. This book was released on 2020-03-30 with total page 444 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This regimental history chronicles the legendary exploits of the British Army’s Light Division against Napoleon in Spain and Portugal. From the outset of the Peninsular campaigns in 1808, the Light Division achieved results way beyond their scant numbers. But it was during the epic winter retreat to La Corunna that they showed their metal. Returning to the Peninsula months later, the irascible Brigadier Robert Craufurd led the Light Brigade on a terrible march to meet General Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, at Talavera. The Light Division played significant roles in the Battle of the River Côa, where the riflemen fought hard to escape Marshal Ney’s trap; the Battle of Buçaco Ridge, the Battle of Salamanca, and many others. More than a simple series of battle scenes, however, this history of the Light Division provides a wider picture of campaigning during the Napoleonic Wars and sheds light on the life of a 19th century light infantry soldier.

Download or read book The Light Division in the Peninsular War 1811 1814 written by Tim Saunders and published by Pen and Sword Military. This book was released on 2023-09-30 with total page 504 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "...this is an excellent partner to the original volume, very well presented by experienced military men, with a clear tactical eye and it is extremely well illustrated. It comes highly recommended." — The Napoleon Series By the middle of 1811, Brigadier General Robert Craufurd’s Light Division was emerging as the elite of the Peninsular Army and Wellington was seeking opportunities to go over to the offensive, following the expulsion of Marshal Masséna from Portugal. After a period of outpost duty for the Light Division on the familiar ground of the Spanish borders, Wellington seized ‘the keys to Spain’ in the epic sieges of Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz. Still reeling from the loss of General Craufurd, ‘The Division’ led the army against Marshal Marmont and after a protracted period of marching and counter marching, the French were finally brought to battle at Salamanca. As a result of King Joseph being driven out of Madrid, the French marshals united and in the autumn of 1812, the British were driven back to Ciudad Rodrigo in another gruelling retreat. With news of Napoleon’s disaster in Russia and with reinforcements from Britain, Wellington prepared his army to drive the French from the Peninsular. A lightening march across Spain to cut the Great Road found King Joseph and Marshal Jourdan at Vitoria and the resulting battle, in which the Light Division fought their way into the heart of the French position, was a triumph of arms for Wellington’s light troops. The pursuit into the Pyrenees, had a sting in the tail when Marshal Soult mounted counter offensives in an attempt to relieve San Sebastian and Pamplona. Having thrown the French back and with the Sixth Coalition intact, the Light Division fought their way through the mountains and into Napoleon’s France. With the allies closing in on all sides, the French fought on into 1814 and the Light Bobs had further fighting before the spoils of peace in a war-weary France could be enjoyed.

Download or read book Waterloo 1815 The British Army s Day of Destiny written by Gregory Fremont-Barnes and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2014-11-03 with total page 583 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Writing to his mother the day after the fighting, Captain Thomas Wildman of the 7th Hussars described ‘a victory so splendid & important that you may search the annals of history in vain for its parallel’. Little wonder, for Waterloo was widely recognised – even in its immediate wake – as one of the most decisive battles in history: after more than twenty years of uninterrupted conflict, this single day’s encounter finally put paid to French aspirations for European hegemony. The culminating point of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, Waterloo also witnessed levels of determination and bravery by both sides which far exceeded anything experienced by the veterans of Wellington’s recent campaigns in Spain and Portugal. Indeed, it was that unconquerable spirit which left over 50,000 men dead on the field of battle and tens of thousands of others wounded. This thoroughly researched and highly detailed account of one of history’s greatest human dramas looks first at the wider strategic picture before focusing on the tactical roles played by individual British units – all meticulously examined with the benefit of an extensive array of hitherto unexploited primary sources which reveal the battlefield experience of officers and soldiers as never before. Refusing simply to repeat the same unchallenged accounts and to commit the same errors of previous historians, this work relies exclusively on hundreds of first-hand accounts, by men of all ranks and from practically every British regiment and corps present on that fateful day, to provide a fresh and revised perspective on one of the most pivotal events of modern times.

Download or read book On The Fields Of Glory written by Andrew Uffindell and published by Frontline Books. This book was released on 2002-11-01 with total page 349 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This spirited history of the 1815 campaign provides a new and stimulating account of the epic confrontation at Waterloo and, in addition, acts as a reliable guide to the battlefield and all related sites. The authors have divided the battlefield of Waterloo into three distinct sectors: one for each of the three armies involved. This allows the reader to follow the fighting from three different perspectives and gain an objective understanding of the dramatic course of the battle. The authors also make use of vivid eyewitness testimony, drawn from participants in all three armies, and this brings to life the epic battle and provides a dramatic backcloth to the rapid course of events. Previously unpublished letters from British officers, the recollections of a Dutch-Belgian staff officer and the memoirs of a French colonel of cuirassiers all contribute to an understanding of just what it was like to fight in one of Europe's most crucial confrontations. In addition to covering Waterloo itself, this important book also examines the tense situation in Brussels as the French drew near, the aftermath of the battle, the battle at Wavre, the Prussian pursuit and Marshal Grouchy's stubborn defence of Namur.This spirited history of the 1815 campaign provides a new and stimulating account of the epic confrontation at Waterloo and, in addition, acts as a reliable guide to the battlefield and all related sites. The authors have divided the battlefield of Waterloo into three distinct sectors: one for each of the three armies involved. This allows the reader to follow the fighting from three different perspectives and gain an objective understanding of the dramatic course of the battle. The authors also make use of vivid eyewitness testimony, drawn from participants in all three armies, and this brings to life the epic battle and provides a dramatic backcloth to the rapid course of events. Previously unpublished letters from British officers, the recollections of a Dutch-Belgian staff officer and the memoirs of a French colonel of cuirassiers all contribute to an understanding of just what it was like to fight in one of Europe's most crucial confrontations. In addition to covering Waterloo itself, this important book also examines the tense situation in Brussels as the French drew near, the aftermath of the battle, the battle at Wavre, the Prussian pursuit and Marshal Grouchy's stubborn defence of Namur.

Download or read book Voices from the Peninsula written by Ian Fletcher and published by Frontline Books. This book was released on 2016-03-30 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Peninsular War was one of the most successful campaigns ever fought by the British Army. Between 1808, when British troops landed in Portugal, and 1814, when Wellington's Army advanced into the south of France, British soldiers were involved in countless battles and sieges against Napoleon's vaunted French veterans. Drawing on rare letters, diaries and memoirs, Ian Fletcher presents a superb insight into the daily lives of British soldiers in this momentous period and evokes such key battles and sieges as Vimiero, Talavera, Badajoz, Salamanca, Vittoria and San Sebastian. Ian Fletcher's skillful compilation of accounts, placed in context by important background detail, make this the story of the Peninsular War in the words of the men who marched, fought and triumphed with Wellington. Although there have been many accounts of soldiering in Wellington's army, Voices from the Peninsula throws new light on the experience of Napoleonic warfare and brings to life what Wellington called 'the finest military machine in existence'.