Opening the text

A British army, as it was,--is,--and ought to be : $b illustrated by examples during the Peninsular War; with observations upon India; the United States of America; Canada; the boundary line; the navy; steam warfare, &c.Campbell, James

History

A British army, as it was,--is,--and ought to be : $b illustrated by examples during the Peninsular War; with observations upon India; the United States of America; Canada; the boundary line; the navy; steam warfare, &c.

Name: A British army, as it was,--is,--and ought to be : $b illustrated by examples during the Peninsular War; with observations upon India; the United States of America; Canada; the boundary line; the navy; steam warfare, &c.
Author: Campbell, James

Campbell, James

Great Britain. Army

"No. 1. It is now full time that the plunder of Badajoz should cease,
and the Commander of the Forces requests that an officer and six steady
non-commissioned officers may be sent from each regiment, British and
Portuguese, of the 3rd, 4th, 5th and light divisions into the town
to-morrow morning at five o'clock, in order to bring away any men that
may be straggling there.

"No. 2. The Commander of the Forces has ordered the Provost-marshal
into the town, and he has orders to execute men he may find in the act
of plunder after he shall arrive there."

  "G.O. _Camp before Badajoz, 8th April, 1812,
  at 11 o'clock, p.m._

"No. 1. The rolls must be called in camp every hour, and all persons
must attend till further orders.

"No. 2. Brigadier-General Power is ordered and held responsible that no
British or Portuguese soldiers, except those belonging to the place,
or having a passport from a field-officer, shall go into Badajoz till
further orders.

"No. 3. The Commander of the Forces is sorry to hear that the brigade
in Badajoz, instead of being a protection to the people, plunder them
more than those who stormed the town.

"No. 6. The Commander of the Forces calls upon the staff officers of
the army and the commanding and other officers of regiments, to assist
him in putting an end to the disgraceful scenes of drunkenness and
plunder which are going on at Badajoz.

"No. 7. The Provost-marshal of the army, and the Assistant Provosts of
the several divisions, are to attend there to-morrow at daylight and
throughout the day.

"No. 8. Brigadier-General Power is requested to place 50 men, with
officers in proportion, on guard at the gate of Elvas, and another of
the same number at the breaches; and to prevent soldiers from entering
the town, or from quitting it with bundles of any description.

"No. 9. British and Portuguese soldiers are forbid to go into Badajoz,
and the Provosts are to punish those they may find there as being
guilty of disobedience of orders, unless they have a pass signed by a
field officer, or the commanding officer of the regiment."

This must surely open the eyes of the most incredulous as to the
behaviour of our army; but even long before the Peninsular war the
conduct of the British soldiers, wherever they had an opportunity of
breaking loose, was much to be deplored, indeed nothing can show this
more strongly than the following extracts from a modern publication,
and for the correctness of which I think I could answer, from what I
myself saw in South America.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

History

A British army, as it was,--is,--and ought to be : $b illustrated by examples during the Peninsular War; with observations upon India; the United States of America; Canada; the boundary line; the navy; steam warfare, &c.

Campbell, James

Great Britain. Army

"No. 1. It is now full time that the plunder of Badajoz should cease,
and the Commander of the Forces requests that an officer and six steady
non-commissioned officers may be sent from each regiment, British and
Portuguese, of the 3rd, 4th, 5th and light divisions into the town
to-morrow morning at five o'clock, in order to bring away any men that
may be straggling there.

"No. 2. The Commander of the Forces has ordered the Provost-marshal
into the town, and he has orders to execute men he may find in the act
of plunder after he shall arrive there."

  "G.O. _Camp before Badajoz, 8th April, 1812,
  at 11 o'clock, p.m._

"No. 1. The rolls must be called in camp every hour, and all persons
must attend till further orders.

"No. 2. Brigadier-General Power is ordered and held responsible that no
British or Portuguese soldiers, except those belonging to the place,
or having a passport from a field-officer, shall go into Badajoz till
further orders.

"No. 3. The Commander of the Forces is sorry to hear that the brigade
in Badajoz, instead of being a protection to the people, plunder them
more than those who stormed the town.

"No. 6. The Commander of the Forces calls upon the staff officers of
the army and the commanding and other officers of regiments, to assist
him in putting an end to the disgraceful scenes of drunkenness and
plunder which are going on at Badajoz.

"No. 7. The Provost-marshal of the army, and the Assistant Provosts of
the several divisions, are to attend there to-morrow at daylight and
throughout the day.

"No. 8. Brigadier-General Power is requested to place 50 men, with
officers in proportion, on guard at the gate of Elvas, and another of
the same number at the breaches; and to prevent soldiers from entering
the town, or from quitting it with bundles of any description.

"No. 9. British and Portuguese soldiers are forbid to go into Badajoz,
and the Provosts are to punish those they may find there as being
guilty of disobedience of orders, unless they have a pass signed by a
field officer, or the commanding officer of the regiment."

This must surely open the eyes of the most incredulous as to the
behaviour of our army; but even long before the Peninsular war the
conduct of the British soldiers, wherever they had an opportunity of
breaking loose, was much to be deplored, indeed nothing can show this
more strongly than the following extracts from a modern publication,
and for the correctness of which I think I could answer, from what I
myself saw in South America.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

A British army, as it was,--is,--and ought to be : $b illustrated by examples during the Peninsular War; with observations upon India; the United States of America; Canada; the boundary line; the navy; steam warfare, &c.

A British army, as it was,--is,--and ought to be : $b illustrated by examples during the Peninsular War; with observations upon India; the United States of America; Canada; the boundary line; the navy; steam warfare, &c.

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