Hay, William/Bamford, Andrew (Hrsg.) Reminiscences 1808-1815 under Wellington

The Peninsular and Waterloo Memoirs of William Hay

Volume 3 of the series From Reason to Revolution 1721-1815. William Hay had a varied and exciting military career in the later years of the Napoleonic Wars, which took him to the Peninsula, to Waterloo and, after 1815, to Canada. After graduating from the Royal Military College at Marlow, about which he provides a rare account at the beginning of his memoirs, he first enlisted in the 52nd Light Infantry and served with that regiment in the campaigns of 1810 and 1811. After a promotion, he was transferred to the 12th Light Dragoon Regiment, and after a spell at home due to illness, he took to the field with his new regiment as Wellington's army retreated from Burgos. Hay then served for the remainder of the Peninsular War and again during the campaign of Waterloo in the 12th century. A well-connected young man, he spent part of his time away from the regiment on staff duties, serving as aide-de-camp to Lord Dalhousie in the Peninsula and later again for the same officer during his tenure as Governor-General of British North America. This edition of his memoirs is introduced and annotated by historian Andrew Bamford and includes additional information identifying places, people and events, as well as providing context to the original narrative.