<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: A rollicking ride
Review: The Autobiography of Harry Smith was written, by his own admission in the same way he lived his life - at a gallop. It is wonderful that they have republished this book because it was first released around the turn of 1900 and so was desparately difficult to get a hold of.This book is the first, and best volume, of the two that were published posthumously. They cover his military life as an officer in the 95th Regiment from his first disastorous expedition to South America when he was still a teenager through his years campaigning on the Peninsular (1808-1814) Waterloo and the occupation of France. His writing style, while stilted to modern ears, does not take long to learn to enjoy and he packs his book with hundreds of anecdotes of various army characters and snippets of life. He is just so good humoured and his stories so energetic without malice that you cannot help but enjoy him. I know Harry Smith best for his highly romantic and impetuous marriage to a young Spanish girl, following the seige of Badajoz in 1812. Their life together, and her rapid adjustment to the harsh realities of campaigning were fascinating enough to be the subject of at least one historical novel in the past - Georgette Heyer's book "The Spanish Bride" - but I think I like reading the original story in Harry and Juana's word's better. There are other truly wonderful biographies from officers of the 95th (which was later called 'The Rifle Brigade') in the Peninsular War also available in reprint I see from Amazon including George Simmon's "A British Rifleman" and John Kincaid's "Adventures in the Rifle Brigade." But Harry Smith is a gem.
<< 1 >>
| 
