Chapter I: Front Matter

SOLDIERS AND SAILORS.

LONDON:
S. & J. Bentley, Wilson, and Fley,
Bangor House, Shoe Lane.

TIPPOO SAIB.
]

SOLDIERS AND SAILORS;
OR,
ANECDOTES, DETAILS, AND RECOLLECTIONS OF NAVAL AND MILITARY LIFE,
AS RELATED TO HIS NEPHEWS, BY
AN OLD OFFICER.

WITH MORE THAN FIFTY ENGRAVINGS ON WOOD, FROM DESIGNS BY JOHN GILBERT.

LONDON:

JOHN HARRIS, ST. PAUL’S CHURCH-YARD.

1842.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

Soldiers and Sailors.—Recruiting sergeant, officer and Jack-
tar.—Generals and Admirals.—Which is the braver, the Red-coat
or the Blue-jacket?—Cavalry and Infantry.—Engineers,
Artillery, and Marines.—Not all sunshine with soldiers and
sailors.—The old Soldier.—Different opinions about war.—When
are sailors most steady?—A standing rule for a soldier. Page 1

CHAPTER II.

A general rule for the conduct of a good soldier.—The beginning
of sailors.—The origin of the British army.—The oldest
regiment in the service.—Description of the life-guards.—
British soldiers and sailors the best in the world.—The
Flemish brig and the Deal galley.—The French sloop and the
British fisherman.—The black trumpeter and the bold soldier.—A
soldier should attend to his own duty. 12

CHAPTER III.

British sailors.—A hearty cheer.—Seamen are sad clumsy fellows
in some things.—The pretended sailor.—Jack in the wherry.—A
squall.—The chain cable.—The sailor’s marriage.—The arrival.—
Banns.—Disappointment.—Doctors’ Commons.—Licence.—The church
gates.—The robing-room.—The ceremony.—The Prayer Book.—The
Bible.—Jack happy. 24

CHAPTER IV.

Discipline.—Standing in a proper position.—Young soldiers for
the East Indies.—The Articles of War in the army and the
navy.—The Sentinel and St. Paul’s Cathedral.—Mutilation among
foreign troops.—The reckless Irishman.—His mad freak.—His
lighthearted observation.—His sentence.—Discipline on board
the Atalanta.—The selfish severity of a sea captain. 37

CHAPTER V.

Alexander the Great.—Frederick the Great.—Charles XII.—Peter the
Great.—Buonaparte.—Duke of Marlborough.—Hastings.—
Bannockburn.—Cressy.—Poictiers.—Agincourt.—Bosworth Field.—
Blenheim.—Culloden.—Prague.—Quebec.—Battles of Marathon,
Thermopylæ, and the siege of Troy.—Preparation for a battle.—
The battle array.—General De Zeithen.—Monument of Peter the
Great.—Duke of Marlborough. 51

CHAPTER VI.

Uniforms.—Old Admirals in the Naval Gallery at Greenwich.—
Admiral Forbes and the Duke of Bedford.—Dress of an admiral of
the fleet.—Captains and commanders.—Full dress of the officers
of the life-guards.—Dragoon-guards.—Light dragoons.—Lancers.—
Hussars.—King George the Fourth and the life-guardsman.—Full
dress of the officers of the foot-guards.—Infantry of the
line.—Light infantry.—Fusiliers.—Highlanders.—Riflemen.—Sir
Samuel Hood and the new-made boatswain. 65

CHAPTER VII.

Weapons of war.—Artillery.—Train of artillery.—Chevaux-de-
frise.—Bows and arrows.—The old archer.—The musket.—The
bayonet.—Captain Von Selmnitz.—Broad-swords.—Highlanders.—
Artillery and stores sent to Spain.—James II. of Scotland.—
Buonaparte and Colonel Evain.—Wooden cannon.—Brass twenty-
four-pounder from the wreck of the Royal George.—The brass
sixty-eight-pounder in the Tower, called the ‘Great Harry.’—A
beautiful mortar.—The new destructive power. 80

CHAPTER VIII.

The passionate soldier.—A blue-jacket paying his debts.—A monkey
on board.—A ship.—Keel.—Decks.—Masts.—Sails.—Rigging.—Life-
boat.—Cables.—Anchors.—Capstan.—Buoys.-Blocks.—Knotting.—
Quadrant.—The Indian and his fine clothes.—His return home.—
His relation of his adventures.—The indignation of his tribe.—
His tragical end. 95

CHAPTER IX.

An engineer.—Mining.—Sappers.—Gunners.—The Surveillante.—Loss in
the British army.—Furlough.—Muster-roll.—Punishment.—Poor Jack
sent aloft.—Captain Hall on naval punishments.—Instance of
injustice to a seaman.—The captain proved to be in the wrong.—
Tribute to the brave.—Letter of a private soldier.—The Tenth
and the Imperial guards. 112

CHAPTER X.

Fortification.—Surprise of Bergen-up-Zoom.—Six hundred British
troops lay down their arms from a want of knowledge of
fortification.—Fortified places in England and abroad.—On the
origin of fortification.—The battering-ram.—Parapets.—
Embrasures.—Square towers.—Terraces or ramparts.—Bastions.—
Horn-works.—Curtains.—Maxims in fortification.—Old plan of
fortifying a place.—Modern plan.—Periods of attack.—Investment
or blockade described.—Parallels.—Circumvallation and
countervallation.—What is necessary to ensure the reduction of
a fortress.—Blockade of Pamplona.—A bombardment, siege, and
storming party described. 125

CHAPTER XI.

The tale-telling captain.—The heroic and kind-hearted officer.—
The standard-bearer.—Flags.—The royal standard.—Flag of the
lord high-admiral.—Flag of the admiral of the fleet.—Colours
in the army.—Day signals.—Night signals.—Fog-signals.—Cipher
flags and substitutes.—Telegraphs.—Alphabet for field
signals.—Description of a sailor on shore. 138

CHAPTER XII.

Pillage.—Military surveying.—Tippoo Saib.—His armour and
mantle.—Tippoo’s treachery.—Seringapatam attacked by British
and native troops, commanded by Major-General Baird.—Colonels
Dunlop and Sherbrooke.—A shot breaks the chain of the draw-
bridge.—Terrible carnage.—Tippoo Saib killed.—Seringapatam
taken.—The storming of Ghuznee.—The forlorn hope.—The gate of
the fortress blown in.—Colonel Dennie leads on the stormers.—
The mistake.—A retreat sounded.—Brigadier Sale advances.—
Desperate struggle.—The place taken. 155

CHAPTER XIII.

Tactics and stratagems of war.—Captain Bentley and Captain
Baines.—The defiance.—Scaling the rock.—The stratagem of the
boat.—Battle of Actium.—Duke of Saxe Weimar.—Breaking the
line.—The Prussian General.—Ibrahim Pasha.—The old Dervise.—
War terms.—Actions.—Attacks.—Attempts.—Battles.—Blockades.—
Bombardments.—Descents.—Defeats.—Engagements.—Expeditions.—
Invasions.—Sea-fights.—Storms.—Sieges.—Surprises.—Skirmishes.—
Repulses.—Explosions.—Three-fingered Jack. 168

CHAPTER XIV.

Motto for a soldier.—Glory.—Reply to a challenge.—The
caricature.—Discharges.—A picquet, sentinel, vedette, advanced
guard, and flag of truce.—Crossing rivers.—Presentations.—
Camps of instruction.—Comfort of a cigar.—Tribute to the
brave. 181

CHAPTER XV.

Algiers.—Admiral Keppel and the Dey.—The expedition of Lord
Exmouth against Algiers.—The Christian slaves are set free,
and such slavery abolished for ever.—The French at Algiers.—
The taking of Jean D’Acre by Sir Robert Stopford.—The
explosion of the powder magazine.—The mistake made by the
garrison.—The operations of a siege.—The daring young
soldier.—The siege of Antwerp, by Marshal Gerard.—Desperate
defence of General Chassé.—The surrender. 197

CHAPTER XVI.

The Duke of Wellington.—Remarks.—The Waterloo banquet at Apsley
House.—Salter’s celebrated painting.—The names of the generals
and officers at the banquet.—Anecdote of Apsley House.—George
the Second and the old soldier.—The old apple-woman and the
lord-chancellor.—The legacy.—The Duke of Wellington’s
generosity.—Major-general Macdonnel’s noble conduct.—Sergeant-
major Frazer. 212

CHAPTER XVII.

Buonaparte.—His principal plaything.—Napoleon’s grotto.—
Buonaparte’s gratitude to his mother.—He goes to the Military
School at Paris.—Made a lieutenant.—His first military
service.—His address to the men under his command.—His conduct
to poor tradesmen.—Reproof to his generals.—The Jaffa
massacre.—Murder of the Duke d’Enghein.—Legion of honour.—
Buonaparte threatens to invade England.—French invincibles.—An
instance of generosity.—Napoleon’s bravery.—Battle of the
Pyramids.—The battle of Lodi.—Napoleon’s return from Elba.—
Campaign in Russia.—Allusion to Waterloo.—Buonaparte dies at
St. Helena.—The 18th of October a remarkable day. 225

CHAPTER XVIII.

Captain-general of the army.—Commander-in-chief.—Lord high-
admiral of the navy.—Field-marshal.—General.—Lieutenant-
general.—Major-general.—Brigadier-general.—Colonel.—
Lieutenant-colonel.—Major.—Adjutant.—Sergeant-Major.—Captain.—
Lieutenant.—Ensign and cornet.—Sergeant and corporal.—A round-
robbin.—Quarter-master.—Military saying.—Officer’s daughter.—
Officers of the navy.—Marines.—Catamaran.—Crew of a first-
rate.—Royal George. 240

CHAPTER XIX.

Regimental bands.—Drum.—Trumpet.—Bugle.—Kettle-drum of the life-
guards.—Kettle-drum of the royal artillery.—Qualities in
British soldiers.—The Rhine! The Rhine!—Love of country.—
Cowardice.—Death of Admiral Byng.—Native cavalry in India.—
Daring intrepidity of a seaman.—Preparations for an
engagement.—Battle of the Nile.—Superstitious seamen.—
Saragossa.—Missolonghi. 254

CHAPTER XX.

Admiral Nelson.—The loss of his eye and his arm.—Struggle
between Nelson’s barge and the armed launch.—Sykes the
coxswain.—Nelson’s thanksgiving for his recovery.—His coolness
in danger.—Battle of Copenhagen.—Hewson the seaman.—Battle of
the Nile.—Nelson’s prayer before the battle of Trafalgar.—His
signals on board the Victory.—His wound.—His death. 267

CHAPTER XXI.

De Ruyter.—Van Tromp.—Columbus.—Vasquez da Gama.—Villeneuve.—Tom
of Ten Thousand.—Hawkins, Drake, Blake, Hawke.—Rodney.—A
female soldier.—Vincent, on the 14th of February.—Duncan, off
Camperdown.—Admiral Howe, and the glorious First of June.—
Maitland’s generosity.—Viscount Exmouth, his courage and
humanity.—Codrington and the battle of Navarino.—The flag of
old England. 278

CHAPTER XXII.

French generals.—Desaix.—Ney.—Lasnes.—Soult.—Suchet.—Augereau.—
Berthier.—Rapp.—Macdonald.—Beauharnois.—Maret.—Jourdan.—
Grouchey.—Vandamme.—Bertrand.—Gourgaud.—Junot.—Massena.—
Davoust.—Moreau.—Lefebre.—Marmont.—Mortier.—Dupont.—Victor.—
Oudinot.—Bernadotte.—Murat.—Soldiers of the army of Italy.—
Battle of Marengo.—The Napoleon Pillar. 293

CHAPTER XXIII.

Personal courage.—Heroism.—A life-guardsman.—A corporal.—Private
in Bland’s dragoons.—Lewis de Crillon.—Wolfe.—Abercrombie.—
Colonel Gardiner.—Major André.—General Picton.—Sir John
Moore.—Marquess of Anglesey.—Sir John Elley.—Colonel
Colborne.—Colonel Ponsonby.—General Baird.—Sir Thomas Picton.—
Sir James Macdonnel.—Lord Edward Somerset.—Sir Henry
Hardinge.—Sir Colin Campbell.—General Evans.—Lord Hill.—The
regimental surgeon and Sir William Carr Beresford. 305

CHAPTER XXIV.

Sailors must strike their colours, and soldiers surrender when
they have death for an enemy.—A court-martial.—Shooting a
soldier.—Naval execution.—Soldier’s burial.—Funeral at sea.—
Battle of Waterloo.—First attack.—Second attack.—Third
attack.—Defeat of Buonaparte.—Consequences of the battle of
Waterloo.—Chelsea College.—Greenwich Hospital.—Old England for
ever!—Conclusion. 327

SOLDIERS AND SAILORS.