A British Rifle Man: The Journals and Correspondence of Major George Simmons, Rifle Brigade, During the Peninsular War and the Campaign of WaterlooSimmons, George
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A British Rifle Man: The Journals and Correspondence of Major George Simmons, Rifle Brigade, During the Peninsular War and the Campaign of Waterloo
Simmons, George
Peninsular War, 1807-1814; Waterloo, Battle of, Waterloo, Belgium, 1815
Juana sends her love, and you and your good wife I pray accept
mine.—Your old friend
Harry Smith.
Our old, dear, and mutual friends, Sirs Kempt, Barnard, and Lord
FitzRoy Somerset, have written in most enthusiastic terms. Oh! such a
noble son of Lord F.'s was killed close to me.[32] George, the hand of
Almighty God has shielded me; all my staff were killed or wounded, and
not I, or even a horse of mine, has _been touched_. I never dismounted,
and I never in my life so exposed myself.
APPENDIX II
Medical Certificates
Brussels, _2nd September 1815_.
I do hereby certify that Lieutenant Geo. Simmons of the 1st Battalion,
95th Regiment, was dangerously wounded on the 18th of June 1815 in
the Battle of Waterloo. A musket-ball entered the right side near the
spine, fractured the 9th and 10th ribs, passed through the liver; I
extracted it from the breast near the lower end of the sternum.
He experienced a high state of inflammation from the nature of the
wound.
A formation of matter took place in the liver, and was discharged by
the wound where the ball was extracted.
James Robson, Assistant Surgeon,
1st Battalion, 95th Regiment.
I certify that Lieutenant Simmons, 1st Battalion, Rifle Brigade (late
95th), received a severe wound from a musket-ball in the thigh in
action with the enemy at the Battle of Almeida, in Portugal, on the
24th of July 1810. He suffered much from the injury to the bone, and a
consequent confinement of near twelve months.
He even at this period, if he uses much exercise, complains of pain and
lameness. Also a spent ball on the leg.
I also certify that Lieutenant Simmons received a wound in the right
knee from a musket-ball, in action with the enemy at the Battle of
Tarbes, in France, on the 20th of March 1814. He suffered most severely
from violent inflammation. There is still an enlargement of the knee,
attended with pain in using much exercise in consequence of the ball
having fractured the patella in its course.
I further certify that Lieutenant Simmons received an alarming wound
from a musket-ball in the side, in action with the enemy at the Battle
of Waterloo on the 18th of June 1815. The ball entered his right side,
and was extracted from the breast.
In its course it fractured two ribs and wounded the liver. He suffered
severely from suppuration of that viscus, as well as from a profuse
discharge from the wound of his breast. He complains of spasmodic
attacks of his side and pain shooting towards the right shoulder, with
pain of the breast and difficulty of breathing, particularly in moist
weather. His digestion is also much impaired. With a view to moderate
these distressing symptoms and prevent their more frequent recurrence,
he is under the necessity of using stays in order to give support to
the body, and also to adopt the most abstemious plan of diet, with
almost a total abstinence from wine and fermented liquors.
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