Private O'Neil: the Recollections of an Irish Rogue of H. M. 28th Regt.-the Slashers-During the Peninsula Waterloo Campaigns of the Napoleonic Wars At war with 'the Slashers'-the fighting 28th O'Neil wrote his military memoirs from his American home; having moved there from Canada because he "did not feel safe" after quitting Ireland out of necessity. As a recruit he took his enlistment bounty four times - absconding to re-enlist on three occasions. This then is the story of a rogue (sanitized by him) who went to war against Napoleon's French. Whilst O'Neil may not have been reliable; like most of his breed he is entertaining. His accounts of war in the Peninsula are graphic and realistic. Present at the storming of Badajoz his description of the scene carries the reader to the heart of the action as well as any other account - and better than most. At Waterloo O'Neil was wounded and his account of the famous battle is equally compelling. This is a fine Napoleonic memoir from an ordinary soldier's viewpoint.
#5903470 in Books 2006-03Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 1.50 x 6.34 x 9.24l; 1.68 #File Name: 1845880455512 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. He penned some wonderfully eloquent lines about the people and places he sawBy Donald AutreyBuckingham traveled through the Slave States in 1839. He penned some wonderfully eloquent lines about the people and places he saw. He wrote this before the acrimonious period of the 1850s. His documentation of Southern resentment of the Abolitionists shows that Southern antipathy toward the Union was stirring twenty years before the actual breakdown of the Union.The book would be of interest to those who would like a first person view of how slaves were treated and what life was like in the antebellum South from an Englishman's point of view.He gives interesting vignettes of life in 1839 from Virginia to Mississippi. He is not unfriendly toward Southern society. He merely reports what he sees which includes cultural highlights; history; botany and sociology.The book lacks a table of contents and an index. An index would be very helpful; especially if the reader just wanted to concentrate on one locality. For example he gave a very moving story of how the hotel he was staying at in Augusta burned to the ground in one hour in the middle of the night. But it is difficult to find that story without the index.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Buckingham's "Journey Through the Slave States"By Melissa JonesBuckingham's work is definitely something every person should read who wants to truly understand the scope of the American slavery system of the South. He gives candid; detailed descriptions of the horrific conditions that slaves were subjected to that helped me to understand just how cruel and inhumane their situation was. Although it tells of such injustices; it also includes hopeful stories about some of the interesting people he met along his journey. Very interesting read...
