Excerpt from Rough Notes by an Old Soldier, During Fifty Years Service After the Battle. - Albuquerque. - Merida. - Ciudad Rodrigo. The Assault - Bone Soup - Horrors of War. - Badajos. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1867.

Volume Two of General Bell’s memoirs begins with his journey back to Britain from India, stopping on the way at St. Helena to pay his respects at the tomb of Napoleon. He is then posted to Canada, taking part in putting down a rebellion led by republican Canadians, and his further travels lead him back to Europe via the United States. His reminiscences form a travelogue with a military slant, capturing the environs and habits of the populations with a delicate piquancy. Frustrated by court intrigue and influence stunting his further advancement in the service, in peacetime circumstances he would have been stuck with dismal prospects for the future. Many years after his baptism of fire in the Napoleonic Wars, he is posted as part of the British expeditionary force under Lord Raglan to the Crimea. Despite horrific conditions, he leads his men in the battles of Alma and Inkerman. His commentary of the daily life in the trenches recalls the slough of despond of the First World War: the mud, blood, shelling and disease are recalled along with the scarcity of supplies. Infuriated by the blundering politicians, Bell writes a passionate letter to the Times, which (although truthful) does nothing to help his advancement. By a stroke of luck he is plucked from his pestilent surroundings by a staff posting offered by an old comrade. As he recovers his health, he travels once more to Canada and to the United States, just at the turn of the Civil War, meeting such luminaries as General McClellan and General Scott. He briefly meets with the great Lincoln who he describes as “thin and wiry...very kind and familiar in his manner to all, but a very commonplace-looking man”. As with his first volume, Bell maintains his narrative with wit and verve, not without a few passing shots at his particular gripes, the Army hierarchy and Roman Catholicism. Author – Major-General George Bell C.B. – (1794 - 1877)

Leach describes his exploits with the 95th Rifles, including the expedition to Denmark, the battles of Rolica, Vimiero, Busaco, Salamanca, Vitoria, and the Nivelle, culminating in the battle of Waterloo, where he was posted to the sand-pit next to the crucial position of La Haye Sainte. He also recounts the vicissitudes of campaigning in the Peninsular, vividly describing those under his command and those of higher rank that he came into contact with. Full Title of the book is - Rough Sketches Of Life Of An Old Soldier; During A Service In The West Indies; At The Siege Of Copenhagen In 1807; In The Peninsula And The South Of France In The Campaigns From 1808 To 1814, With The Light Division; In The Netherlands In 1815; Including The Battles Of Quatre Bras And Waterloo: With A Slight Sketch Of The Three Years Passed By The Army Of Occupation In France, &c. &c. &c. A classic of the genre.