A typical British soldier
British soldiers tended to hail from the lowest social strata, though the popular image of recruits taking the king’s shilling as an alternative to prison does not entirely stand up to scrutiny, for many gave up work as artisans, petty tradesmen, millers and agricultural workers. Nor did Wellington’s oft-quoted condemnation of his men as the ‘scum of the earth’ actually represent his broad view of the common soldier – or indeed reflect anything more, when the remark is examined in its full context – than a criticism of those elements who drank to excess and looted. There is no denying that heavy drinking and outright drunkenness figured high amongst the vices characteristic of the common British soldier, who faced flogging as a consequence. A dozen lashes was not an uncommon sentence, though a man might endure many dozens at the whim of his colonel. The British soldier viewed this seemingly inordinately harsh practice with equanimity, for life in the army reflected life in society at large: imprisonment for debt, widespread criminality, no social welfare to speak of, hard living, a poor prospect of longevity, and little in the way of personal comforts. The common soldier intensely disliked arbitrary, unjustified or excessive punishments inflicted upon himself or his comrades, but not the practice of harsh punishment per se. So long as an officer used his power judiciously, with the punishment fitting the crime, his men respected his position of authority.
The British soldier was a particularly tough breed, for while he enjoyed a reputation for grumbling, he accepted his fate with resignation – and frequently with good humour. With proper training he ranked amongst the best soldiers in Europe. Certainly at Waterloo he was at least the equal of his French counterpart, with a stalwart attitude to defence and a keen readiness to engage his opponent once committed to the fray by the sword-wielding lieutenant of his platoon. Unlike his French counterpart, the British soldier was less willing overtly to express enthusiasm or anger; yet his quiet disposition belied a determination in battle which rendered him formidable indeed, particularly when skilled in the use of his musket, for whatever his shortcomings, no infantry in Europe could deliver a rate of fire to equal his.
*
A typical French soldier
A French infantryman, or fusilier, carried a knapsack supported by straps which extended over the shoulder and under the armpit, plus a leather cartridge box suspended on a belt slung over the left shoulder. Often he wore a second belt over the right shoulder which carried a bayonet or a short sword. He invariably carried a canteen, plus a rolled greatcoat or blanket either fastened on top of his knapsack or slung diagonally across his front or back. He usually also carried a mess tin and haversack. The burden of all this equipment, including several day’s supply of rations, changes of clothes and various personal effects, could weigh as much as 60lb – quite apart from his musket. Soldiers probably valued their boots above all other items of clothing and equipment, for unless well-shod he was destined to the miserable experience of marching barefoot. During the Waterloo campaign he lived in a bivouac with nothing more to protect him than the shelter of his blanket or greatcoat.
A soldier passed his time in camp with letter-writing, gambling, playing music and telling stories. His lot generally consisted of marching, establishing camp, cleaning his weapon, and drill. Officers expected strict discipline and although they had largely long since ceased to strike their soldiers in the ranks to ensure the proper alignment of the ranks, flogging remained the principal corporal method of punishing serious infractions, such as sleeping on duty or, above all, desertion. Rations varied according to availability, but a typical infantryman could expect a sufficient quantity of bread, cheese, meat and wine on a daily basis, particularly during the Waterloo campaign, when the shortness of the operations caused no shortage of supplies. If not actually conscripted, a soldier might join the ranks for a number of motives, usually a combination of several: the desire for comradeship and a sense of belonging to the extended ‘family’ which the army represented; a chance for adventure and possibly even ‘glory’, however an individual chose to define that elusive but well-respected concept; promotion within an institution famous for its egalitarian culture; as an alternative to prison, if a magistrate offered such an option; but, above all, an escape from poverty, for the army provided regular food, pay and accommodation, even if on a rudimentary scale.
Gregory Fremont-Barnes holds a doctorate in Modern History from the University of Oxford and serves as a Senior Lecturer in War Studies at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. A prolific author, his books on this period include Waterloo 1815, The French Revolutionary Wars, The Peninsular War, 1807–14, The Fall of the French Empire, 1813–15, Nile 1798 and Trafalgar 1805. He also edited Armies of the Napoleonic Wars and the three-volume Encyclopedia of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. As an academic advisor, Dr Fremont-Barnes has accompanied several groups of British Army officers and senior NCOs in their visits to the battlefields of the Peninsula and to Waterloo.