Peninsular Wars

Sapphire135

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Hi everyone, I am percolating a new novel and I want the hero to be an injured war veteran from the peninsular wars. I have an idea that he would have been one of the soldiers left for dead on the battlefield, but then rescued. He has some permanent injuries, but nothing major.

The thing is, I feel like in every novel of this period (regency England) if there is an injured soldier he was injured at Waterloo. I want my hero to have been injured at an earlier battle, resulting in him coming back to England sooner.

I have been researching the battles, but am having a really difficult time coming up with info about soldiers who were left for dead on the battlefield. I have read that this happened, but beyond this there is nothing more specific.

Does anyone have any idea of resources (books, etc) that might be useful to get more info about this?

The hero's history does not have to be meticulous, but I want to be able to give some details that are as close to accurate as possible.

Thanks!
 

Sapphire135

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You should have a look at the Bernard Cornwell Sharpe books. Many of them were set during the Peninsular wars. Sharpe is a low born British soldier.

Thanks! My hero is the second son of an Earl, so I think he would be an officer, but I will check those out.
 

Trebor1415

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Finding info on soldiers left for dead on the battlefield is going to be hard. That's the kind of thing that is mentioned, here and there, but seldom in any detail. You'd have to comb through a lot of books to find references, with no guarantee of a reference in any particular book.

I've run across references, now and then, in over 30 years reading about military battles ranging from the U.S. Civil War to Vietnam. I can't recall any specific titles off hand though.

A few characteristics from my memory:

He needs to be wounded (d'uh)
He likely needs to be unconscious or at a minimum unable to communicate
He likely is covered in blood. Some his, some of his enemies or comrades
His side needs to win the battle and have control of the battlefield afterwards
He will likely be found when the burial parties go out to gather bodies for battle. This was done fairly quickly, due to the risk of disease.

Something needs to happen for the burial party to realize he's alive. It could be something like he has just enough strength to grasp the hand of someone when they touch his hand to pick him up. Or possibly he moans. Something like that.

His injuries need to be within the medicine of that time to treat. He was likely left in the field originally because he was knocked unconscious and was in shock, etc, with some blood loss. You don't want any penetrative injuries of the torso as infection would be a really big problem. A penetrative wound to the gut would be a death sentance.
 

Sapphire135

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Finding info on soldiers left for dead on the battlefield is going to be hard. That's the kind of thing that is mentioned, here and there, but seldom in any detail. You'd have to comb through a lot of books to find references, with no guarantee of a reference in any particular book.

I've run across references, now and then, in over 30 years reading about military battles ranging from the U.S. Civil War to Vietnam. I can't recall any specific titles off hand though.

A few characteristics from my memory:

He needs to be wounded (d'uh)
He likely needs to be unconscious or at a minimum unable to communicate
He likely is covered in blood. Some his, some of his enemies or comrades
His side needs to win the battle and have control of the battlefield afterwards
He will likely be found when the burial parties go out to gather bodies for battle. This was done fairly quickly, due to the risk of disease.

Something needs to happen for the burial party to realize he's alive. It could be something like he has just enough strength to grasp the hand of someone when they touch his hand to pick him up. Or possibly he moans. Something like that.

His injuries need to be within the medicine of that time to treat. He was likely left in the field originally because he was knocked unconscious and was in shock, etc, with some blood loss. You don't want any penetrative injuries of the torso as infection would be a really big problem. A penetrative wound to the gut would be a death sentance.


This is so helpful I cannot tell you. Thanks a million. I have had the same experience in my research as far as finding info on the soldiers left for dead. I was hoping there was some other source I hadn't thought of. I think I'm going to go on and read about the particular battles and see which one is most suited for the conditions in which my hero can be left for dead on the battlefield.

Thanks again!
 

Trebor1415

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Thought of a couple other things: He likely is in a pile of bodies, probably from his own side, from when the enemy overran the position. In fact, he may have had someone fall on him or perhaps pulled a body on top of him which would have protected him if the enemy bayoneted any of the "dead" bodies as they ran past. Also, perhaps he is discovered to be alive when one of the guys retrieving bodies touches his hand while trying to steal his ring. The character feels the pulling and squeezes the guy's hand and the potential thief does the right thing and lets people know he's alive.
 

vagough

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If you're interested in specifics about various battles, Mr. Vagough recommends "Campaigning with the Duke of Wellington & Featherstone," by Donald Featherstone (published by Emperor's Press).
 

ULTRAGOTHA

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The Spanish Bride by Gerogette Heyer is researched historical fiction with a good list of sources and several battles in Spain.
 

Sapphire135

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Thanks everyone! I found some more resources online and I was able to narrow my search down to one battle in particular and - miracle of miracles - found a book just about that one battle which has several chapters on those that were injured/killed/taken prisoner. It even has lots of excerpts from letters and dispatches.

Appreciate all the help and ideas. They have been invaluable!
 

Sapphire135

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Thought of a couple other things: He likely is in a pile of bodies, probably from his own side, from when the enemy overran the position. In fact, he may have had someone fall on him or perhaps pulled a body on top of him which would have protected him if the enemy bayoneted any of the "dead" bodies as they ran past. Also, perhaps he is discovered to be alive when one of the guys retrieving bodies touches his hand while trying to steal his ring. The character feels the pulling and squeezes the guy's hand and the potential thief does the right thing and lets people know he's alive.

Thanks Trebor! Great ideas. My only dilemma now is that the more I've been reading the more I have realized that even after months in the hospital recovering from horrific injuries the soldiers were not likely to have been released from service and sent home. I need to figure out how it would be that my hero would be back in England by 1813 if he was severely injured in 1811. I suppose if he is the son of an Earl or a Marquess they might have been able to pull some strings or something. I might have to leave this part a little vague in the story.
 

ULTRAGOTHA

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If he's upper class, he's most probably an officer. If he's an officer he can sell his commission and go home. No string pulling needed.
 

Sapphire135

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If he's upper class, he's most probably an officer. If he's an officer he can sell his commission and go home. No string pulling needed.

Thanks for the info! Yes, he is upper class. I don't want to make him too high up in the army though since I need him on the field so that he can be injured and left for a day or two. I think if he was too high ranking this would not be as likely a scenario. I am still researching, but I think that the rank of lieutenant-colonel might be a good fit.
 

Trebor1415

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Thanks for the info! Yes, he is upper class. I don't want to make him too high up in the army though since I need him on the field so that he can be injured and left for a day or two. I think if he was too high ranking this would not be as likely a scenario. I am still researching, but I think that the rank of lieutenant-colonel might be a good fit.

How old is he? That would affect his rank.

Also, Lt Col is getting to the point where he would be more likely to be in a staff position and less likely to be out in the front lines.
 

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Thanks for the info! Yes, he is upper class. I don't want to make him too high up in the army though since I need him on the field so that he can be injured and left for a day or two. I think if he was too high ranking this would not be as likely a scenario. I am still researching, but I think that the rank of lieutenant-colonel might be a good fit.

Lieutenant-colonel is quite high.He probably had a command position, and people would make sure he was found. Make him a lieutenant;he would have been on the field, not at headquarters.
 

ULTRAGOTHA

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How long has he been in the army? The duke of York's reforms stated a man must be in the army at least nine years to be promoted to lieutenant-colonel, so your character would be no younger than 25. A Lieutenant-colonel commanded a battalion. That's between 300 to 1000 men.

It would have cost a lot of money to have purchased his way that high. Either he's had a lot of prize money or his faher is generous.
 

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You should have a look at the Bernard Cornwell Sharpe books. Many of them were set during the Peninsular wars. Sharpe is a low born British soldier.

Specifically, you might want to try Sharpe's Sword, in which Sharpe (who is an officer btw, having been promoted from the ranks), is seriously injured and is taken to a 'death ward'.
 

Sapphire135

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How old is he? That would affect his rank.

Also, Lt Col is getting to the point where he would be more likely to be in a staff position and less likely to be out in the front lines.

Thanks Trebor! I need him to be about thirty at the time of his injury so that, when the story commences, he can be thirty-three. I am not sure now how feasible this is. I have some wiggle room, but I don't want him to be any younger than thirty in the present day of the story or any older than, say, thirty-five.

Lieutenant-colonel is quite high.He probably had a command position, and people would make sure he was found. Make him a lieutenant;he would have been on the field, not at headquarters.

Thanks for the info King Neptune! Is the second son of an Earl likely to be only a lieutenant after several years in the army? I want him to be on the field, but I don't want to make it seem he was in the army for a long time and never advanced.

How long has he been in the army? The duke of York's reforms stated a man must be in the army at least nine years to be promoted to lieutenant-colonel, so your character would be no younger than 25. A Lieutenant-colonel commanded a battalion. That's between 300 to 1000 men.

It would have cost a lot of money to have purchased his way that high. Either he's had a lot of prize money or his faher is generous.

Thanks Ultragotha! I am re-thinking the lieutenant-colonel based on things you all have said. His father is an earl and would have been generous but I don't want the hero to have purchased his way that high. I want him to have been promoted in the army on merit. But I don't want him to have advanced so high that he would not have been on the field.

The battle I decided to have him injured in took place in 1811 if that makes any difference to how long he would have been in the army or how old he might be.

Thanks again everyone. Really appreciate the feedback.
 

ULTRAGOTHA

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I need him to be about thirty at the time of his injury so that, when the story commences, he can be thirty-three.

Is the second son of an Earl likely to be only a lieutenant after several years in the army? I want him to be on the field, but I don't want to make it seem he was in the army for a long time and never advanced.


Make him a Captain. 30 is a perfectly respectable age for a Captain and he’d be more likely to be on the field with his men. A Captain led a company. Or you could make him a Major. Lieutenant-colonel seems a bit high ranking for what you have in mind, as you say.


Is he in a foot regiment or a cavalry regiment? Cavalry regiments are more expensive, not just from a purchasing commission point of view but also in buying and maintaining one’s horses and gear.

If he’s in a foot regiment, he still needs a horse, all officers did, but not as expensive a horse nor so many as a Cavalry officer.

If he went into the Army as soon as he could, he’d have purchased a commission as an Ensign (Cornet if he’s in the Cavalry) when he was 16 years old. Or you can have him enter the army older than that if you wish. At least two years as a subaltern (Ensign and Lieutenant) before he can be promoted to Captain but even good officers could go more years than that before being promoted.


I am re-thinking the lieutenant-colonel based on things you all have said. His father is an earl and would have been generous but I don't want the hero to have purchased his way that high. I want him to have been promoted in the army on merit. But I don't want him to have advanced so high that he would not have been on the field.

The battle I decided to have him injured in took place in 1811 if that makes any difference to how long he would have been in the army or how old he might be.

I recommend that you read up on the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars. Be leery of 21st Century sensibilities coloring your story.

Purchasing one’s way up in rank is how promotions happened. It was considered more respectable than promotion by merit. Yes, there were purchaseless promotions for merit but they weren’t so very common, even during war; and I think it would be ... less gentlemanly for a man who had the means to purchase to instead angle for promotion by merit. He doesn’t need to lead a forlorn hope for promotion, he can afford to be promoted.

When he sells his commission, he gets back all the money he spent to purchase it. Plus he’d have any prize money he managed to hang on to and not spend like water as many of them did. The Army didn’t get as steady and large prizes as the Navy did; but they did get some. Also, if he was owed any back pay he might actually be able to collect it from Horse Guards when he got home. Though I think by 1811 the pay problem was not so bad as it became later.

If you want him to have been in the Army for many years, then he’s got experience outside of the Peninsular War. It only started in 1807. I presume you want him to have been in the army for more than four years? If he joined in 1797 at age 16, then he’s seen quite a lot of service.
 

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Make him a Captain. 30 is a perfectly respectable age for a Captain and he’d be more likely to be on the field with his men. A Captain led a company. Or you could make him a Major. Lieutenant-colonel seems a bit high ranking for what you have in mind, as you say.


Is he in a foot regiment or a cavalry regiment? Cavalry regiments are more expensive, not just from a purchasing commission point of view but also in buying and maintaining one’s horses and gear.

If he’s in a foot regiment, he still needs a horse, all officers did, but not as expensive a horse nor so many as a Cavalry officer.

If he went into the Army as soon as he could, he’d have purchased a commission as an Ensign (Cornet if he’s in the Cavalry) when he was 16 years old. Or you can have him enter the army older than that if you wish. At least two years as a subaltern (Ensign and Lieutenant) before he can be promoted to Captain but even good officers could go more years than that before being promoted.




I recommend that you read up on the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars. Be leery of 21st Century sensibilities coloring your story.

Purchasing one’s way up in rank is how promotions happened. It was considered more respectable than promotion by merit. Yes, there were purchaseless promotions for merit but they weren’t so very common, even during war; and I think it would be ... less gentlemanly for a man who had the means to purchase to instead angle for promotion by merit. He doesn’t need to lead a forlorn hope for promotion, he can afford to be promoted.

When he sells his commission, he gets back all the money he spent to purchase it. Plus he’d have any prize money he managed to hang on to and not spend like water as many of them did. The Army didn’t get as steady and large prizes as the Navy did; but they did get some. Also, if he was owed any back pay he might actually be able to collect it from Horse Guards when he got home. Though I think by 1811 the pay problem was not so bad as it became later.

If you want him to have been in the Army for many years, then he’s got experience outside of the Peninsular War. It only started in 1807. I presume you want him to have been in the army for more than four years? If he joined in 1797 at age 16, then he’s seen quite a lot of service.

Thanks Ultragotha!! If he was an earl's second son, would it have been possible that he went up to Oxford first and then joined the army afterward?

Also, if he was in the army would there have been a time that he could have been in London during the season before leaving for the continent? I need him to have been in London briefly during the season when he was in his early twenties before he left to go off with his regiment.

I guess I need to figure out more of what he would have been doing pre-1807 while in the Army. Whether he would have been somewhere in England or somewhere else, etc. Still doing research, but your comments have been invaluable :)
 

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I agree with Ultra.

There was about a year when England was not at war. I think it was 1802-3, but I'd have to look it up. During that period many officers were put on the inactive list. London was full of them during that period.
 

ULTRAGOTHA

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If he was an earl's second son, would it have been possible that he went up to Oxford first and then joined the army afterward?

Also, if he was in the army would there have been a time that he could have been in London during the season before leaving for the continent? I need him to have been in London briefly during the season when he was in his early twenties before he left to go off with his regiment.

Absolutely. You could have him up at Oxford at 16 or 17, out of University at 19 or 20, spend the following year at home and on the Town, then purchase his commission after the Season. Alternatively, lots of soldiers, even at the height of the Napoleonic Wars, were in regiments stationed in London or other towns. He could be stationed in London for a while then his unit sent to whatever campaign was going around the turn of the century.



You may not need to know this, but it’s often overlooked:

Earls can either be Earl Lastname or the Earl of Somewhere (who’s given name is Firstname Lastname). Which sort of Earl is your MC’s father?

If the former, then if his father is Earl Grey, who has a lesser title of Viscount Fauntleroy, then the eldest brother is Lord Fauntleroy, his sisters are Lady Susan Grey and Lady Lucy Grey, but he is Mr. Grey. Younger brothers would be Mr. Peter Grey and Mr. Edmund Grey. Once he’s in the Army, he’s Ensign Grey or Lieutenant Grey or Captain Grey.

If the latter, then let’s say the family name is Pevensie. If his father is the Earl of Narnia, who has a lesser title of Viscount Fauntleroy, then the eldest brother is Lord Fauntleroy, his sisters are Lady Susan Pevensie and Lady Lucy Pevensie, but he is Mr. Pevensie. Younger brothers would be Mr. Peter Pevensie and Mr. Edmund Pevensie. Once he’s in the Army, he’s Ensign Pevensie or Lieutenant Pevensie or Captain Pevensie.
 

ULTRAGOTHA

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I agree with Ultra.

There was about a year when England was not at war. I think it was 1802-3, but I'd have to look it up. During that period many officers were put on the inactive list. London was full of them during that period.

That works, too. After the Peace of Amiens in 1802, in addition to hundreds of soldiers on the Town in London, Gazillions of Britons flocked to the Continent. When Britain re-declared war on France in 1803, all the British men, women and children in France were held there until the war ended in 1814.
 

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You may not need to know this, but it’s often overlooked:

Earls can either be Earl Lastname or the Earl of Somewhere (who’s given name is Firstname Lastname). Which sort of Earl is your MC’s father?

If the former, then if his father is Earl Grey, who has a lesser title of Viscount Fauntleroy, then the eldest brother is Lord Fauntleroy, his sisters are Lady Susan Grey and Lady Lucy Grey, but he is Mr. Grey. Younger brothers would be Mr. Peter Grey and Mr. Edmund Grey. Once he’s in the Army, he’s Ensign Grey or Lieutenant Grey or Captain Grey.

If the latter, then let’s say the family name is Pevensie. If his father is the Earl of Narnia, who has a lesser title of Viscount Fauntleroy, then the eldest brother is Lord Fauntleroy, his sisters are Lady Susan Pevensie and Lady Lucy Pevensie, but he is Mr. Pevensie. Younger brothers would be Mr. Peter Pevensie and Mr. Edmund Pevensie. Once he’s in the Army, he’s Ensign Pevensie or Lieutenant Pevensie or Captain Pevensie.

Thanks, I did know this. Just curious though, once he is out of the army could he just revert back to Mr.?
 

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Absolutely. You could have him up at Oxford at 16 or 17, out of University at 19 or 20, spend the following year at home and on the Town, then purchase his commission after the Season. Alternatively, lots of soldiers, even at the height of the Napoleonic Wars, were in regiments stationed in London or other towns. He could be stationed in London for a while then his unit sent to whatever campaign was going around the turn of the century.

Oops, just thought of one other question. If he was in London and then sent off to whatever campaign, would he say "I left London with my regiment" or "I left London with my unit"?

In some Jane Austen stories the men in the militia talk about leaving with their regiment, but I don't know if the lingo was different for the regular army.

Thanks again Ultra :) You have a great depth of knowledge on this time in history.
 

Sapphire135

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I agree with Ultra.

There was about a year when England was not at war. I think it was 1802-3, but I'd have to look it up. During that period many officers were put on the inactive list. London was full of them during that period.

Thanks King Neptune!