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Death Before Glory!: The British Soldier in the West Indies in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars 1793–1815
Death Before Glory! is a highly readable, thoroughly researched and comprehensive study of the British army's campaigns in the West Indies during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic period and of the extraordinary experiences of the soldiers who served there. Rich in sugar, cotton, coffee and slaves, the region was a key to British prosperity and it was perhaps even more important to her greatest enemy France. Yet, until now, the history of this vital theatre of the Napoleonic Wars has been seriously neglected. Not only does Martin Howard describe, in graphic detail, the entirety of the British campaigns in the region between 1793 and 1815, he also focuses on the human experience of the men the climate and living conditions, the rations and diet, military discipline and training, the treatment of the wounded and the impact of disease. Martin Howard's thoroughgoing and original work is the essential account of this fascinating but often overlooked aspect of the history of the British army and the Napoleonic Wars.
- GenresNonfictionHistory
412 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 19, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 28, 2020
Despite the solid ratings in GR, and although the subject matter is interesting and Howard's research broad and deep, the writing is lifeless -- except for verbatim extracts from firsthand sources. I felt at times as if plodding through it. The author is a physician and not a historian. It shows in the book's best chapter, A Great Mortality: Disease, unfortunately it's also the last chapter and it ends rather abruptly.
A strong Two Stars is all I can muster.
A strong Two Stars is all I can muster.
July 30, 2022
This is a real disappointment in that it could have been so very much better. There is not much material readily available on the West Indies campaign and Howard appears to have the knowledge and done the research to have filled the gap so long after Duffy's 'Soldiers Sugar and Seapower' - which is not readily available nowadays (and which I haven't therefore read). Despite everything I did learn a fair bit along the way. It actually might have made sense to give a decent critique of other works - being so few, on the subject especially in these days of political correctness vis a vis slavery?!
The last four chapters overviewing situations before arrival, every day life, experience of combat and disease are highly readable and very interesting - all being good selections from available memoirs. However the five chapters on the campaigns are nothing much more than summarising the action rather than describing it or chronicling events - it reads too much like a paraphrase of perhaps Fortescue?? Again there is liberal use of anecdotes, but without better context this is a poor way to describe history.
Not helping any of this are the maps and illustrations. Although there are plenty of maps they are nothing but solid blocks with a few place names. When terrain was so vital in determining the course of campaigns all that was needed was at the very least for Howard himself to sketch on a few mountains, the location of plantations versus jungle etc. Another peeve is that although the text frequently refers to maps and illustrations by number these are only detailed in the contents not under each map or picture.
The first two chapters supposedly detailing first the British forces then their enemies really lack depth. It is harsh to say, but it seems nothing more than a list of units while arbitrarily saying this one was good and this one was bad. A vital factor that needed to be considered in this was the personalities involved (especially when many came or go onto other things). Inevitably over such an extended period of time many figures come and go, and just dropping names into the campaigns really doesn't do the reader justice. Backgrounds and assessment of the key leaders was needed here, ready for the later chapters.
The last four chapters overviewing situations before arrival, every day life, experience of combat and disease are highly readable and very interesting - all being good selections from available memoirs. However the five chapters on the campaigns are nothing much more than summarising the action rather than describing it or chronicling events - it reads too much like a paraphrase of perhaps Fortescue?? Again there is liberal use of anecdotes, but without better context this is a poor way to describe history.
Not helping any of this are the maps and illustrations. Although there are plenty of maps they are nothing but solid blocks with a few place names. When terrain was so vital in determining the course of campaigns all that was needed was at the very least for Howard himself to sketch on a few mountains, the location of plantations versus jungle etc. Another peeve is that although the text frequently refers to maps and illustrations by number these are only detailed in the contents not under each map or picture.
The first two chapters supposedly detailing first the British forces then their enemies really lack depth. It is harsh to say, but it seems nothing more than a list of units while arbitrarily saying this one was good and this one was bad. A vital factor that needed to be considered in this was the personalities involved (especially when many came or go onto other things). Inevitably over such an extended period of time many figures come and go, and just dropping names into the campaigns really doesn't do the reader justice. Backgrounds and assessment of the key leaders was needed here, ready for the later chapters.
February 28, 2017
An excellently written and comprehensive study of an often forgotten theatre of the revolutionary and Napoleonic wars.
March 15, 2016
The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars are amongst some of the most written about events in history. Go into any good bookshop and you will not need long to find a shelf full of books on the subject. Yet despite this fact, you might find it difficult to find a book that focusses on the campaigns fought between the British and French in the West Indies, with most writings on the subject being relegated to a chapter at best in books with a wider focus. Author Martin R. Howard, however, has thankfully produced a work to help fill this glaring gap in the current literature.
As the subtitle suggests, this book specifically examines the experiences of the British soldier fighting in the West Indies from the beginning of Britain’s involvement in the French Revolutionary Wars to the final defeat of Napoleon in 1815. The book itself is split into three sections, the first of which briefly examines the opposing armies, including: the British Army battalions sent to the region and the professional French soldier along with his locally raised militias and other citizen warriors. The second section considers the actual campaigns themselves in detail, which took place in and around the West Indies almost continuously throughout the wars. Finally, the author concludes his work with a number of chapters that closely examine the personal experiences of those who fought in the campaigns, shedding much light on what it was like for the ordinary men who had to endure the hardships and terrors associated with service on the islands.
At the time of writing this review, Death Before Glory is one of two Napoleonic Wars related books written by Howard, the other being Walcheren 1809: The Scandalous Destruction of a British Army, itself another understudied aspect of the wars. Like his first title, this book is easy to read and packed full of detail, making it appealing to both the general reader and military history enthusiast alike. Due to the scarcity of works on this specific subject, it should be considered a must-read for those with a serious interest in the period. Overall, the book deserves a five out of five star rating.
As the subtitle suggests, this book specifically examines the experiences of the British soldier fighting in the West Indies from the beginning of Britain’s involvement in the French Revolutionary Wars to the final defeat of Napoleon in 1815. The book itself is split into three sections, the first of which briefly examines the opposing armies, including: the British Army battalions sent to the region and the professional French soldier along with his locally raised militias and other citizen warriors. The second section considers the actual campaigns themselves in detail, which took place in and around the West Indies almost continuously throughout the wars. Finally, the author concludes his work with a number of chapters that closely examine the personal experiences of those who fought in the campaigns, shedding much light on what it was like for the ordinary men who had to endure the hardships and terrors associated with service on the islands.
At the time of writing this review, Death Before Glory is one of two Napoleonic Wars related books written by Howard, the other being Walcheren 1809: The Scandalous Destruction of a British Army, itself another understudied aspect of the wars. Like his first title, this book is easy to read and packed full of detail, making it appealing to both the general reader and military history enthusiast alike. Due to the scarcity of works on this specific subject, it should be considered a must-read for those with a serious interest in the period. Overall, the book deserves a five out of five star rating.
May 22, 2016
In many ways this was an interesting book. I had no idea that there had been over 20 years of fighting between the British and the French in the Caribbean during the revolutionary and Napoleonic wars and it was interesting to learn of it. There is no question that this book was extensively researched and so will be an asset to anyone looking for specific details of the campaigns, but too be honest it wasn’t that well written. The book was split into different sections covering different aspects of the wars, the types of soldiers, the specific campaigns, the number of troops killed by disease and illness (a staggeringly high number), which on the face of it seemed like a good idea but it didn’t really work because each section was almost just a collection of quotes and references from the extensive research the author had done. There was nothing to bring the story to life and the overall result was just a dry academic book which was big on facts but missed out the sort of narrative that can bring a good history to life.
July 23, 2016
One of the best introductions to the usually confusing history of the West Indian campaigns from 1793-1815. Martin R. Howard brings together a lot of information from secondary -particularly Roger Norman Buckley's seminal history of the West India garrison- and more importantly first-hand accounts, from both British and French troops. Martin also includes little discussed details of combat stress and the excesses that this could lead to, on the battlefield. This book provides the perfect introduction to this part of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars.
March 14, 2016
Not a book I would have chosen, bought for my by my nephew and really glad he did.
It is well written with lots of information regarding the campaigns as you would expect.
My only gripe is he quoted a couple of French passages in French and did not translate. A pet hate of mine.
It is well written with lots of information regarding the campaigns as you would expect.
My only gripe is he quoted a couple of French passages in French and did not translate. A pet hate of mine.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews