"An Eloquent Soldier: The Peninsular War Journals of..." Topic

… Lieutenant Charles Crowe of the Inniskillings, 1812–14.

"Lieutenant Charles Crowe's journal of the 27th Foot (Inniskillings) of the final campaign of Wellington's army is a rare work for many reasons. It is, perhaps surprisingly, the first memoir about this campaign from this famous regiment to be published.

Crowe wrote a daily journal at the time, which practically guarantees the authenticity and accuracy of his account. But what makes it special is that Crowe was extremely well read and was an accomplished writer, so that when he wrote up his journal in 1842–3, he was able to embellish his basic journal, describing his thoughts, actions and words in beautiful detail. He thus turned his record of his short army career into a masterpiece of journalism.

Clearly written purely for the enjoyment of his family, Crowe does not pull his punches: he censures officers both junior and senior; he talks openly of the ravages of war, and the pillaging, raping and looting; the horrors of war, describing the deaths and horrific wounds of many in lurid detail, the cowardice and stupidity; and he also describes the mundane in detail – nothing is passed over…"
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Have anyone read this book?
If the answer is yes…comments please?

Thanks in advance for your guidance.

Amicalement
Armand

Bonjour, Armand;

I have read only a portion of Crowe's memoir, while doing research at Enniskillen Castle. (As an aside, I'd recommend a visit to the Inniskilling Museum when in Fermanagh.) At any rate, in the portion I read I found Lt. Crowe rather unlikable.

In the Peninsula he was was constantly ill, constantly complaining that the surgeons did not appreciate the depth of his illness, and to me, at least, he seemed to be looking for any excuse to prevent his joining his battalion. I might mention that every other officer of the 27th seemed a sterling hero in comparison. (Well, perhaps not Captain Tucker.)

My impression of Crowe would likely be dispelled by a thorough reading of the full text, though an officer friend of mine who had read the full text said Crowe sounded like a REMF waiting to happen. That was perhaps unkind, but a soldierly impression.

Slan go foil………..Mark

Merci bien mon ami!.

Amicalement
Armand

Several reviews on Amazon.UK.

I find it odd that Burnham's review seems to be for an entirely different book.