This book provides a firsthand account of the Napoleonic Wars from the perspective of Field-Marshal Sir William Maynard Gomm. The collection includes Gomm's letters and journals from the years 1799 to 1815, covering his experiences and observations during the war. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in military history and the Napoleonic Wars in particular. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Field-Marshal Gomm’s letters and journals provide a first-rate account of the numerous actions, battles and events that he was involved in during the Napoleonic wars. A seasoned officer from a military family, he was an acute observer of all that went on around him, and the notes and letters he wrote, edited by his son, provide a capital trove of information. This collection of his diary entries and letters focuses on the Napoleonic Wars, although he would rise to the highest rank in the British Army and C-in-C of India. Engaged in the early campaigns of the British Army against the French forces from 1799, he was one of the few officers that fought in the Peninsular War and the Waterloo campaign that actually had some staff training, having passed through Staff College. Many of his contemporaries were somewhat amateur in their outlook to soldiering, but Gomm was a thoughtful and assiduously thorough officer. After the campaign in Portugal and Spain, first under Wellington and then under Sir John Moore, he managed to survive the Walcheren expedition and was then posted back to Spain, where he would serve out the Peninsular war. Present at the battles of Busaco, Fuentes d’Oñoro, Salamanca, Vittoria, the Pyrenees, the Nive, the Nivelle and St Pierre, as well as the sieges of Cuidad Rodrigo and Badajoz, he was a lieutenant-colonel by the time he left for England. This was a fairly rapid ascent for the time, a signal confirmation of his abilities as a staff and regimental officer, and some influence at home, no doubt. Appointed to the post of Quartermaster General of Picton’s fifth division, he was to see the furious combat of Quatre Bras and the “hard pounding” of Waterloo two days later. His position as an unattached staff officer gave him a view of the fields of battle from a position on horseback, and with freedom of movement around the field that few could match. His contemporaneous notes and letters of Waterloo are annotated with his more considered thoughts and views, particularly regarding the “crisis” of Waterloo, the repulse of the last columns of the Garde Impèriale. Author – Field-Marshal Sir William Maynard Gomm, G.C.B (1784-1875) Editor – Francis Culling Carr-Gomm (1834-1919) Introduction - Francis Culling Carr-Gomm (1834-1919)

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Excerpt from Letters and Journals of Field-Marshal, Sir William Maynard Gomm, G. C. B., Commander-in-Chief of India, Constable of the Tower London &C. &C: From 1799 to Waterloo, 1815 The papers of F ield-marshal Sir William Gomm were in some measure arranged by himself; but Lady Gomm, during her brief widowhood, set herself most religiously to collect them, and in some way prepare them for publication. Her will bequeathed all the manuscripts to General Lord Mark Kerr, the Hon. Edward Douglas, and Miss Augusta Howard Vyse, to be retained or published as they should think fit. They confided the papers to my care, and requested me to examine and edit them. I have at present only been able to take the earlier portion of these letters; but they to a great extent form so independent and complete a chapter - not only of his life, but of public history - that it has been decided to publish them separately, leaving to some future opportunity the project of preparing for the public the later voluminous and more general papers. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

During the Waterloo Campaign, Wellington had only one division that was composed entirely of British infantry, the 1st Division. This consisted of two brigades of the most famous regiments of the British Army the three regiments of Guards.The exploits of the Guards at Waterloo have passed into legend. On that day, Wellington entrusted the most crucial part of his line to the men he knew would hold their position at all cost. That vital position was the Chteau d'Hougoumont, and those men were the Guards.As the great battle unfolded, the French threw more and more troops at the walls of Hougoumont, setting some of the Chteaus buildings on fire and almost forcing their way in through its northern gateway. Though almost an entire French corps was engaged in the struggle for Hougoumont, the detachment of the Guards valiantly resisted every attack.Then, as the battle reached its climax, Napoleon launched his Imperial Guard at the centre of Wellingtons line. Just as the French believed that victory was in their grasp, up stood the 1st Guards Brigade to deliver a devastating volley, followed by a ferocious bayonet charge from which the French never recovered.The experienced duo of Robert Burnham and Ron McGuigan have compiled the first comprehensive study of the Guards Division throughout the entire Waterloo campaign, from the initial deployment in Belgium to the Occupation of Paris. The book also includes an explanation of the organisation and composition of the two brigades and personal details of many of the Guards officers the men who saved the day at Waterloo.