Reminiscences Of My Military Life From 1795 To 1818

Having survived a posting to the disease ridden West Indies, the young ensign Steevens returned to Europe for further service with the XXth Regiment of Foot of the British Army, known as the “Old and Bold”. After some desultory fighting in the campaign in Holland, during which he was wounded and taken prisoner, Steevens had the good fortune to be exchanged for a Dutch officer and went back to active service. His adventures continued in Egypt and Sicily to Maida, where he was engaged with his regiment at the battle of the same name (1806).
Posted to the Peninsular, Steevens was in the light company of his battalion which fought in the company of the 95th Rifles at Vimiero (1808), despite suffering from a severe illness. His command of the light company of his regiment in the 1809 campaign under Sir John Moore would be very trying for him as the army retreated to fight a rearguard action at the battle of Corunna. As part of the military policy of the British government an expedition to Holland was again sent whilst Napoleon was elsewhere engaged, Steevens had the misfortune to be one of its members, suffered depredations on the “Fever” island of Walcheren.
Steevens would then be sent to the Peninsular once again to take part in the later part of the 1812 campaign doing some hard marching, until the battle of Vittoria in 1813, the debris and looting after which he gives a graphic description of. Present at the battle of Sauroren, and the siege of San Sebastian, he passes some touching anecdotes of some of his comrades who were not as lucky as he in avoiding harm during these hard-fought actions. After participating in further engagements that sent the French finally out of Spain, the later years of his soldiering were on garrison duty in Ireland.
“Lieut.-Colonel Steevens received a gold medal for the actions on the Pyrenees (July 28th to August 2nd, 1813); and also the silver war medal, with seven clasps, for Egypt, Maida, Vimiera, Corunna, Vittoria, Nivelle, Nive.”
A thoughtful memoir of a widely-respected soldier who saw much action during the Napoleonic Wars.
Author – Charles Steevens – (1777-1861)