Napoleonic Lives

 
From the publishers:
Two hundred years ago the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars convulsed the whole of Europe. These were key events in the history of the continent, and for Britain, and they are a fascinating field for historical – and family history – research. More records than ever are available on the men who served in the British army during the wars, and on their families: Carole Divall's new book acts as a guide on how to locate and understand these sources, and get the most out of them.
 
Using the full range of sources – contemporary military records, correspondence, diaries, memoirs – she reconstructs in detail the stories of a representative group of individuals who took part in the wars: a soldier who saw action as a marine in the Mediterranean fleet, a Gordon Highlander who was taken prisoner, riflemen who served at Walcheren, in the Peninsula and at Waterloo, artillerymen who played a crucial role in battles and in sieges, a gentry family whose sons served as officers in the Peninsula and in India, and two remarkable women who were among the many who went to war with the men.