War as it Was, and as it Is.

[Currie]

From The Aberdeen Journal, Wednesday, December 13, 1854.

"WAR AS IT WAS, AND AS IT IS.

THE world has changed in many ways since the great wars with France, but war itself remains unchanged. Fifty years ago, the public hung for month over a battle. Small clubs met once-a-week, in town and country, to hear the newspapers read. An obliging postmaster, perched on a table at the office door, doled out the news to a congregated community; or a fiery old soldier, who had received a London journal, mounted a cask in the middle of the street, to regale an enthusiastic auditory with the wonders of the war. He who had a letter from a campaigning friend was a man famous in his town for a week to come, and of much request among his fellow-citizens; and a wounded veteran, on his way home, was a welcome guest at many a fire-side. Week by week, the deeds of daring on the battle-field were brought piece-meal to the knowledge of the public; and gradually narrative after narrative appeared in the booksellers' windows, or in the hands of peripatetic stationers in the streets. It was long before anxious relatives of the slain knew of their fate. The despatch, meagre and business-like, gave little more than the general result; and the friends of the poor soldiers in the ranks had to wait long, between hope and fear, till a wounded soldier came home, or a comrade's letter, or a long delayed application to the Horse Guards, dispelled all hope, and disclosed the sorrowful truth. People listened with a transient emotion of pity to the distant rumours of desolation; and those whose homes did not feel the misery and ruin of war forgot all in the excitement of triumph, or the anger of reverse. The poor soldier laboured in the wet trenches—died in the cold camp—fought half naked and hungry, and worn with want and disease—and the miserable details of his sorrows did not sadden the rejoicings at home over "a glorious victory." It was weeks before the retreat and death of Sir John Moore were known in England; and nearly a year after Waterloo, Sir John Sinclair, while compiling a narrative of that great victory, was informed by Wellington that all that he could tell him was, "that we met the enemy; that we fought a battle; and that we gained a victory."

How different now. The war, beyond the confines of civilized Europe, at a distance of 3,000 miles, is in progress immediately under our eyes. We knew more in ten days of the battle of Alma, than was known in two months of Vittoria and Talavera. We knew more of the battle of Inkermann in three weeks than was known, for nearly six months, of Waterloo. Every day brings its news, and we watch the movements of the armies, by our fire-sides, with as much interest and minute knowledge of details as the burghers of Alessandria did of the battle of Marengo, which they speculated on, through their telescopes, in anything but a comfortable frame of mind. We have our representatives, whose special duty, which is to see after everything in general, is not interfered with by the necessity of attending to anything in particular, except the wants of the public. In addition to these, we have almost every officer and every soldier for casual correspondents. One tells us of the work of his own company —another of the wounds and deaths of his friends—a third pictures the sufferings of the camp, or the dreary labours of the trenches—a fourth, fired with enthusiasm, though perhaps lying weak and worn with wounds and fever, cheers his sorrowing mother with brave words of exultation—and the General gives, in his short ringing sentences, a hard bold outline of the day's work, and the result that followed, for triumph and for sorrow alike. We accompany our countrymen to the dreary bivouac and the crimson battle-field—we hear the roar of the artillery from the city below, answered, roll after roll, from the lines of the Allies—we see the charge of squadrons, and the head of the advancing columns withered and consumed by the long line of fire from the firm phalanxes above.

But we see, too, the sorrow and the sufferings of war—we see well-known faces pale and wasted—gallant men lying dead, as thick as sheep on a hillside—we see the gloomy desolation of a shelterless camp, with the cold winds from the bleak steppes of Tartary, and from the turbulent waves of the Euxine, blowing down the wet tent, drowning out the dim dreary watch-fire, beating on the wet cheeks of the soldiers on duty, and dashing hail and sleet over the prostrate forms of sick and wounded men. We see the sorrow, if we see and feel the excitement; and happy it is for us that we do so. We see that a just war is a martyrdom; and if we exult, we only exalt in the triumph of justice, and the evidence that the old virtue of courage, instead of disappearing in our peaceful years, is strengthened in each and all to the highest and most chivalric perfection in which it was wont to appear in individual heroes. Happily for us is it that, while we follow the army with our eyes, we follow it with our hearts; and that the sacrifices of patriotism of which we read when the women of Carthage gave their jewels, and the Roman matrons their sons, are emulated by the ready contribution of all classes, to promote the comforts of the soldiers, and the zealous devotedness with which tender women hasten to the pest-house and the hospital of foreign lands, to tend the wounded and the sick.

How much is war changed in relation to commerce, since the Berlin decrees, and the orders of Council in 1807, on the one hand, shut out British produce and industry from the whole continent, and blockaded the coast of France, on the other; and left the ladies of Paris to drink a decoction of sloe leaves, instead of tea; and the burghers of Germany to break their hearts through want of tobacco. There has been a blockade of the coast of Russia, but neutral bottoms have been allowed to carry on the trade; and the British factories have, spun Russian flax the whole summer. We speak not of the propriety of such relaxations of the old laws of war, economically considered. But it is, at least, an evidence that commerce is becoming more and more paramount, and the exemptions in its favour are but forerunners of its absolute dominion, as the great material antagonist of war.

In itself alone is war unchanged. It is the same thing that it was in the terrible sieges of Jerusalem and Syracuse—the bloodshed being diminished only by the concentration of the destruction into a few days or weeks, that was spread over months and years. The weight of ordnance employed has been increased fourfold. Military engineering has risen to be a science in itself. The minie rifle has proved more deadly than even the flying artillery, and the flying artillery can pour on the enemy four shot per minute for one that it did fifty years ago. In itself alone is war unchanged. It is still the same thing, remorseless and barbarous—as the worst passions of humanity when roused and left to themselves. The Russians stabbing the wounded as they lay helpless on the ground, and the Allies, in the fierce wrath of battle, dealing death around them—deaf to the supplications of enemies who, as examples innumerable displayed, were ready to strike the breast that had spared them—shew that the battle-field is no place of humanity, and that, while all things besides are changing, war is still the same, It is well that it is so. The gloss of chivalry may throw a faint light over the sorrow, and the suffering, and the cruelty, but no more. The sanguinary reality remains; and it is well that it remains—hateful to humanity, even when ennobled by a righteous cause."



THE world has changed in many ways since the war in the Crimea—now we have nuclear weapons, aimed to slaughter civilians in their hundreds of millions—and television.

And I just read today that, according to Oxfam, 12 BILLION bullets are produced each year—almost two for every person in the world.

Alan

[jimfrags]

For Evil to prosper the good need do nothing at all

[Montrose Budie]

My 4g-uncle John JACK served in the 52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment of Foot, right through the initial campaign in The Peninsula, ending up with the retreat to Corunna; and then right through the rest of the Peninsular Campaign, under Wellington.

The 52nd were part of the Light Division, under the renowned 'Black Bob' Robert Crauford, and were present at most of the major battles of the Peninsula campaign, becoming one of the most celebrated regiments, described by Sir William Napier as "a regiment never surpassed in arms since arms were first borne by men"; capable of marching 40 miles in 24 hours.

They later had the largest British battalion at Waterloo, 1815, where they formed part of the final charge against Napoleon's Imperial Guard (The 'Old Guard').

The 52nd had been on its way to Canada, but were stormbound in Cork, when an urgent message reached them cancelling their previous orders and redirecting them to Belgium, following Napoleon's escape from Elba.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Andygm/John_Jack

Note that John has 12 clasps on the General Service medal on the left, - only Wellington had more Peninsular clasps. (The current value of this unique set of medals shown is ca. £50,000 !)

After his return to Scotland John wrote a long series of articles for the local newspaper in the Co. of Banff, detailing his experiences, but disguising the name of the author. These can be accessed on line in the newpaper's archive. (Help please, Currie, as I can't for the moment locate the website details.)

This series of articles give a truly terrifying description of the life of a private soldier in a regiment of the Light Division in Portugal, Spain, France, and Belgium; never mind being 'in the line' at Waterloo and repelling the final attack by Napoleon's 'Old Guard'. The "Sharpe" TV series isn't even the half of it !

Fortunately, John was a shoemaker by profession, which may well have saved him on the retreat to Corunna, during which many of his comrades ended up barefooted.

mb

[sheilajim]

Up until the end of WW1, war was still thought of as "Glorious".

[SandySandilands]

Loved reading about your Uncle Jack, Montrose Budie. What an amazing character to have in your family tree

Have you ever read The Letters of Private Wheeler 1809-1828? Well worth the read.

[StewL]

A nice story about your ancestor MB.
Remarkable man I would say.

[Currie]

Hello mb,

I can access the 19C British Library Newspapers database which only has Aberdeen Journal, Caledonian Mercury, Dundee Courier, and Glasgow Herald for Scotland and no prospects of getting any more.

You may be thinking of the British Newspaper Archive. There’s a list of their newspapers here. http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.u ... aperTitles I don’t think I can see anything for Banff, perhaps that’ll come later. All that seems to be there for John Jack at the moment are the 1849 and 1861 articles, as set out below. The Wiki article appears to be based partly on these.

I couldn’t find anything like a story of the adventures of the 52nd written by a private soldier that may have been by him. Perhaps it didn’t get beyond the Banff newspaper. No luck with The Scotsman either. Any idea what name he used or approximately when the articles were published?


The Aberdeen Journal, Wednesday, July 18, 1849.
NEWBYTH, KING EDWARD, l2th July.—WAR MEDALS. —There are eight of these honorary badges come to this village neighbourhood. One silver-haired veteran, John Jack, of the 52d light infantry, has twelve clasps:—they are Corunna, Fuentes d' Onor, Roderigo, Badajoz, Salamanca, Vittoria, Pyrenees, Neville, Nive, Orthes, Toulouse. The gallant veteran has also a regimental medal from his officers, with the following inscription: "The Officers 52d L. I.," To John Jack, a volunteer in the leading column of attack at the assault of Ciudad Roderigo.” His regimental certificate bears, that he was in 27 battles, from December, 1808, to Waterloo; during which time the causualities in the 52d were—killed, l colonel. 6 captains, 4 lieutenants, 2 ensigns, 6 serjeants, and 169 rank and file; wounded, 4 lieut.-colonels, 5 majors, 25 captains, 30 lieutenants,7 ensigns, 63 sergeants, 9 buglers, and 978 rank and file—making a total of 1309. The brave fellow was only once wounded, and that was at Badajoz. John is a native of Montquhitter parish, and volunteered into the 52d light infantry, from the Aberdeenshire militia. He served in the gallant 52d upwards of 23 years, and always bore the character of a brave soldier, and an honest man.


Glasgow Herald, Thursday, March 21, 1861.
CONSIDERATE KINDNESS TO AN OLD CAMPAIGNER.
Among the few surviving heroes of Waterloo is a veteran of the name of John Jack, who resides in the village of New Byth. This man, who was formerly a private in the 52d Regiment of Foot, and who served during the Peninsular war under the command of the late Duke of Richmond, has been, since his discharge, in the receipt of a pension of thirteenpence a day. Thinking himself entitled, by his long services and numerous wounds received, to an augmentation of pension, he, in the month of October last, addressed a letter to his former noble commander, from whom he had formerly experienced many acts of kindness and generosity, soliciting his Grace's powerful influence in procuring the wished-for augmentation. The result of the application was a letter from Dr. Hair, the Duke's secretary and life-long companion, of which we subjoin a copy:—
"Though John Jack, late of the 52d Regiment, has probably ere this received intimation that the authorities of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, have increased his pension from 1s. 1d. per day to ls. 6d. per day, Dr. Hair thinks it would perhaps be satisfactory to him to know how the increase was accomplished. John Jack's letter to the late Duke of Richmond was received on the day before his Grace's death. The dear departed Duke, therefore, never saw it; but it was read by the Earl of March, who requested Dr. Hair to take the steps his father would gladly have adopted, had he lived, towards carrying out the strong claims of John Jack for an increase of pension. Dr. Hair, therefore, with the support of the Duke of Richmond's name, entered into an official correspondence with the secretary of Chelsea Hospital, in behalf of John Jack's claims, which happily terminated as above stated.
"51 Portland Place, London, Nov. 19, 1860."
John Jack, as Dr. Hair had anticipated, had, previously to the receipt of this letter, had an official communication from the Secretary of Chelsea Hospital, announcing his increase of pension, and both were received by the "Hero of many battles" with the most lively feelings of gratitude, especially towards the present Duke of Richmond, for his promptitude in fulfilling what he deemed the wishes of his noble and venerated father. John Jack, besides possessing a Waterloo medal, and one given by the officers of the 52d Regiment to him for being one of the leading column of attack on Ciudad Rodrigo, has a medal with twelve clasps for being in the following engagements, viz.:—Corunna, Basaco, Fuentes d'Onor, Ciudad Rodrigo, Badajos, Salamanca, Vittoria, Pyrenees, Neve, Orthes, Toulouse. —Banffshire Journal.

An interesting fellow.

All the best,
Alan

[Montrose Budie]

Hello mb,

I can access the 19C British Library Newspapers database which only has Aberdeen Journal, Caledonian Mercury, Dundee Courier, and Glasgow Herald for Scotland and no prospects of getting any more.

You may be thinking of the British Newspaper Archive. There’s a list of their newspapers here. http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.u ... aperTitles I don’t think I can see anything for Banff, perhaps that’ll come later. All that seems to be there for John Jack at the moment are the 1849 and 1861 articles, as set out below. The Wiki article appears to be based partly on these.

I couldn’t find anything like a story of the adventures of the 52nd written by a private soldier that may have been by him. Perhaps it didn’t get beyond the Banff newspaper. No luck with The Scotsman either. Any idea what name he used or approximately when the articles were published?
......snipped.......

That was pushing my computer abilities! I lost easy access to my original CompuServe email archives a few years ago, but via a very old laptop am just able to check.

The newspaper was The Banff and Buchan Herald and the series of articles were written at some point in the 1860s by John Jack's son Alexander Bell JACK relating the story in The Peninsula of a "William HENDERSON".

If you're successful in tracking down this series of articles, note that they were written 50 years after the events described on the basis the memories of an auld sojer in his 80s !

I can well imagine John's son Alexander having heard so many stories over the years that he eventually thought that it was a good idea to record these and have them published.

I have the memory that the local history dept of local authority up there has digitised and indexed the The B&BH, and put them on-line, but, on an initial Google I can't find anything.


Many thanks for that Aberdeen Journal article which I haven't previously seen.

The "eight of these honorary badges" in the article refers to the military General Service Medal issued in 1847 (or 1848?, - I'm seeing conflicting references).

With the exception of the Waterloo Medal (which also was awarded to those who took part in the battles of Ligny and Quatre Bras two days before the battle of Waterloo; including incidentally, next-of-kin), medals had not previously been issued to private soldiers.

The GSM mainly dealt with the award of the medal and clasps for the many actions during the Peninsular Campaign. The great majority of the other army medals between 1815 and 1847 relate to service in the forces of the Honourable East India Company (HEIC).

mb

[Montrose Budie]

Loved reading about your Uncle Jack, Montrose Budie. What an amazing character to have in your family tree

Have you ever read The Letters of Private Wheeler 1809-1828? Well worth the read.

Hi Sandy

Yes, I have. I believe that there was only one other account written by a private soldier (John Jack's second hand account in the Banff & Buchan Herald apart). I can't for the moment recall if it was Private Wheeler or the other man who was from Edinburgh, very well educated, and joined the army because of some family dispute.

I believe that there are a couple of memoirs written by NCOs, apart from all those written by officers, but, obviously, here, my interest is in private soldiers' writings.

My link to John JACK of the 52nd Oxfordshire LI is via his elder brother Charles, my 4g grandfather, who also served in the Aberdeenshire Militia.

Charles didn't take up the invitation to transfer to the regular army. Instead he returned to the Edinburgh area, and goat merrit tae a lassie that he had obviously met when the Aberdeenshire Militia were stationed in the area !, - my 4g grandmother Margaret McLATCHIE.


On the military side I'm priviledged to have a great uncle Joseph Young WEBSTER DCM, who served with The Cameron Highlanders in Egypt, The Sudan, and S Africa (the Boer War). It brings a tingle to my spine when I see the position in the line of battle at Omdurman of The Cameron Highlanders and realise that they had a great view of the cavalry charge by the 21st Lancers, who included a young Winston Spencer Churchill.

Joseph then returned to his home in Montrose, and served his time in the Reserve, and then joined the territorials.

In 1914 he was immediately called up to the 5th (Angus) Bn The Black Watch, who were one of the very first territorial battalions to go to France & Flanders, where, very sadly, he perished in the Battle of Aubers Ridge on the 9th May 1915, his body never being found.

The battle of Aubers Ridge is one of the many battles of WWI where the casualties were major, but the name of the battle is now not generally recognised.

I've been to Belgium, and visited the memorial to the soldiers who don't have a grave, and seen his name on the relevant memorial. It takes the form of a white marble circular monument, ca. 25 feet in diameter, and over 12 feet high, on the inside walls of which, from 2 feet above the ground to 10 feet high are inscribed the names of all those who gave their lives in the area but have have no known grave. Work out how many names that means !

And then there's my uncle who was in RAF Transport Command, shot down by The Luftwaffe over The Channel, and two cousins of my mother, one a stoker in the RN who was part of the prize crew of a Danish ship that left Scapa Flow but was never seen again, and a an army major whose story neatly illustrates how family stories can distort the reality.

I was told that he died at Arnhem. No he didn't!, but the story is still very interesting. He was one of Monty's peripatetic ADCs who was following closely the push on the ground by Horrock's XXX Corps to relieve the paras at Arnhem. During this action he was wounded, and later died of his wounds.

mb

[Currie]

Hello mb,

I didn’t have any luck with the Banff newspaper thing, it’s sure to end up being somewhere pretty obvious. I picked up a few odds and ends on the way, you’ve probably seen them, but I’ll post the links just in case.

The person who wrote this in 2009 was in the process of transcribing the son’s newspaper article. The Aberdeen Journal death notice mentioned there was on 25th May. http://www.territorioscuola.com/wikiped ... #John_Jack

A bit more from the above site.
http://www.territorioscuola.com/wikiped ... alk:Andygm

A lot of documentation for John Jack is on this Ancestry page, maybe there’s something buried there.
http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse. ... h=000&cp=0

All the best,
Alan