The Young Dragoon: Every Day Life of a SoldierDrayson, Alfred W. (Alfred Wilks)
History
The Young Dragoon: Every Day Life of a Soldier
Drayson, Alfred W. (Alfred Wilks)
Soldiers -- Juvenile fiction
Woolwich is the great rendezvous and head-quarters of the Royal
Artillery, the Military Train, and the Royal Engineers, and few troops,
besides marines--who are continually moving in and out with the various
men-of-war vessels--are ever quartered at Woolwich. The royal arsenal
is the main attraction of Woolwich; and the principal part of the
inhabitants derive their support from Government in some shape or other.
The admission is by ticket; and the visitor is accompanied in his tour
of inspection by policemen. The days of admission are Wednesdays and
Fridays.
There are generally about 12,000 men employed at the arsenal; but the
ordinary visitor is not allowed to walk into the workshops where
ammunition is being made. He is restricted to the paved footpaths, from
whence he can see the various artificers at work. The din of hammers,
the movement of wheels, the rush of steam, and the roar of the furnace,
is proof of the vast extent of the manufactures which are continually
going on. All kinds of shot are cast here--grape, chain, canister,
bullets, and cannon-balls. Rockets, percussion-caps, metal fusees, and
stores of round shot and shell are accumulated to a vast extent, the two
latter being piled up in pyramids to upwards of ten millions. There are
store-rooms for saddlery and arms of every description, both ancient and
modern; and a park of artillery numbering upwards of 30,000 pieces,
which comprise the reserve from which the army, navy, garrisons,
batteries, etc, are recruited. Sentries are stationed here and there to
keep people in order, as there are great numbers of all classes
constantly going through the arsenal. Not the least interesting, though
melancholy, feature of the place is, the gangs of convicts chained
together, and dragging heavily-laden trucks from one part of the yard to
another. Some of these unhappy wretches have chains attached to their
leg, and the expressions of their faces are as fierce as those of a
hyena, while others look completely spirit-broken.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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