Samuel Rice--Birth and parentage--Education--Sent to St Omer in 1792--French Revolution--Preparations for war--French hussars and their moustaches--Massacre of aristocrats--Expulsion of Jesuits--Founding of Stoneyhurst College--Duke of Brunswick's manifesto--Citizen Rice--French victories over Prussians and Austrians--Troublous times--Rice returns to England 1 CHAPTER II. ENSIGN OF THE 51ST. Rice joins the army--How commissions were obtained--The Purchase System--Officer's pay--Dress of officers--On board a transport--Disorder among the troops--Courts-martial-- Flogging--Many false starts--Gibraltar--_Sans culottes_-- Affairs at Toulon at the end of 1793--The 51st proceeds on active service--Evacuation of Toulon--Loss of the regimental baggage--Hyères Bay 14 CHAPTER III. THE ATTACK ON CORSICA. Lieut.-Colonel John Moore--The British army in 1793--The officers--Moore interviews Admiral Lord Hood--England's position in the Mediterranean--Elba and Corsica--Horatio Nelson--Operations against St Fiorenzo--Origin of Martello towers--Operations against Bastia and against Calvi--Nelson loses an eye--Moore wounded--Rice's experiences--Surrender of Calvi--French driven from Corsica--Sickness among the troops 35 CHAPTER IV. CORSICA WON AND LOST. Taking over the island--The life of a subaltern--Garrison gaieties--The Viceroy of Corsica--Misunderstandings--Disease and deaths--The 51st garrisons Corte--Corsican regiments--Sea-fights--Disaffection among the Corsicans--Pascal Paoli and Sir Gilbert Elliott--Bastia--General rising in favour of the French--Hasty evacuation of Corsica by the British--The army takes refuge in Elba 56 CHAPTER V. FROM THE MEDITERRANEAN TO CEYLON. The situation at Elba--News of Admiral Jervis's victory off Cape St Vincent--Evacuation of Elba--The 51st reaches Gibraltar--Moves to Lisbon--Napoleon's drastic methods--Position of Portugal--Rice a captain of light infantry--Naval warfare--Convoys--The 51st sails for the East Indies--Lands at the Cape of Good Hope--Arrives at Madras--Tippoo of Mysore--Prize-money and plunder--Ceylon--King of Kandy--A long and unfortunate war--Rice invalided--Affairs in Europe--The 51st returns to England 81 CHAPTER VI. THE REFORM OF THE ARMY. Sir John Moore's great work--His treatment of regimental officers--He trains a brigade for war--Shorncliffe Camp--Light troops--Their origin and history--Discipline--Intelligent code--Napoleon's proposed invasion of England--Nelson's victory at Trafalgar--Regimental life--Uniform of 1808--The beginning of the Peninsular War--Sir Arthur Wellesley--Vimiera--Occupation of Lisbon 102 CHAPTER VII. THE CORUNNA CAMPAIGN, AND AFTER.