Fighting Napoleon: The Recollections of Lieutenant John Hildebrand 35th Foot in the Mediterranean and Waterloo Campaigns

by Gareth Glover

“These lively and entertaining memoirs provide an intriguing counterpoint to Wellington’s better-known operations in the Iberian Peninsula” (Julian Stockwin, author of the Thomas Kydd series).   It is often forgotten that Britain’s struggle against Napoleon ranged across the continents, and the extensive operations of the Royal Navy and the British Army in the Mediterranean were key battlegrounds in this prolonged war of attrition. Even when Napoleon considered himself the master of Europe, he was unable to control the Mediterranean.   Lt. John Hildebrand arrived in the Mediterranean as part of the garrison of Malta in 1810. He was then involved in the defense of the island of Sicily; the campaign to capture the Ionian Islands; the siege of Ragusa; and the Occupation of Corfu. With the war ending in 1814, John and his regiment returned home, only to be sent to Belgium when Napoleon escaped from Elba in 1815. The regiment was not involved at Waterloo, but was at Hal, where it guarded Wellington’s flank during the battle. He then marched to Paris with the army.   “Napoleonic students will enjoy this refreshingly different slant on Napoleonic warfare.” —Stuart Asquith, author of Stuart Asquith’s Wargaming 18th Century Battles   “Essential reading for military historians and collectors of Napoleonic War era artifacts and militaria.” —The Armourer Incorporating Classic Arms & Militaria    

311 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 30, 2017

Reviews

[Rob Markley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written, albeit archaic memoir made all the more interesting by it's unusual angle on affairs. John Hildebrand's writing style is very dated and its organisation obviously not carefully prepared for publishing which makes it all the more genuine and thus inherently interesting. Gareth Glover has done a pretty good job of editing, to cross reference Hildebrand's occasional lapses of memory, chronology or factual mistakes; to fill in and verify the overall narrative. This narrative details an extremely young man doing extremely well in the most alien of situations. Hildebrand was certainly talented as well as a daring young fellow and one wonders how he would have done in another theatre, or had the war lasted another ten years.

Certainly his adventures in the Adriatic and in the Waterloo campaign (while personally missing all major engagements ), give a valuable new perspective on these times and on the life of a subaltern. We see the civil role he assumes, we see the respect he receives fr0m foreigners as a British officer and we see the latitude in military affairs both given and taken. It is also interesting what is not said, for example no mention of relationships with the NCO's and men under his command whom he must surely have relied a great deal upon. He also seems to care little for life's comforts.

It is a good and easy read which doesn't overstay it's welcome. The only criticism is that the older maps included by Glover are really not clear enough to follow events and even few a simple hand sketches by Glover would have been invaluable - e.g. tracing Hildebrand's journeys, the layout of Ragusa etc.