A Soldier's Experience; or, A Voice from the Ranks: Showing the Cost of War in Blood and Treasure. A Personal Narrative of the Crimean Campaign, from the Standpoint of the Ranks; the Indian Mutiny, and Some of its Atrocities; the Afghan Campaigns of 1863Gowing, T. (Timothy)
History
A Soldier's Experience; or, A Voice from the Ranks: Showing the Cost of War in Blood and Treasure. A Personal Narrative of the Crimean Campaign, from the Standpoint of the Ranks; the Indian Mutiny, and Some of its Atrocities; the Afghan Campaigns of 1863
Gowing, T. (Timothy)
Crimean War, 1853-1856 -- Personal narratives
The Fusiliers were next employed at Copenhagen, in 1807. Napoleon's
plans had been frustrated by the destruction of his fleets at the Nile
and Trafalgar, by the immortal Nelson, and the Corsican tyrant was
determined, if possible, to obtain possession of the Danish fleet to
help to carry out his plans. But our Government were not to be caught
napping; a strong fleet and a nice little land force was despatched, and
demanded the whole of the Danish fleet, by treaty or by force. The brave
Danes fought for it, and lost all--"except their honour;" and the
Fusiliers returned to England with the victorious fleet.
We will now trace the gallant old Fusiliers through one of the brightest
pages in the history of our dear old isle--the Peninsular War. No
heavier effort had been made by our army since the days of Marlborough.
Our noble Jack Tars had carried all before them, and their gallant deeds
resounded throughout the world. All were compelled to admire. But the
time was now approaching when the matchless "thin red line" taught
Europe to beware; for all the brave sons of Albion and Erin's Isle were
not yet afloat. The proud and haughty Imperial Guards had stood as
conquerors on field after field, and had polluted every capital in
Europe except ours. But the usurper met his match for the first time on
a grand scale on the 27th and 28th July, 1809, on the bloody field of
Talavera; and the so-called "invincible pets of a tiger" were, so to
speak, lifted or pitchforked from the field by this dashing old corps.
The old "second-to-none" boys took the conceit out of the haughty
legions of Napoleon, and captured seven guns from them; and all the
attempts of the enemy to re-take them were in vain. The bayonet was used
with terrible effect, and the guns remained in the hands of the
Fusiliers. Wellington, with the eye of an eagle, watched the desperate
fighting, and thanked the Fusiliers on the field for their conduct.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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