A British Rifle Man: The Journals and Correspondence of Major George Simmons, Rifle Brigade, During the Peninsular War and the Campaign of Waterloo

In Short

This volume gathers the personal diaries and family correspondence of Major George Simmons, who serves in the 95th Rifles throughout the Peninsular Campaign and the Battle of Waterloo. Writing from muddy bivouacs, siege trenches, and makeshift field hospitals, Simmons delivers an unvarnished, eyewitness account of classic Napoleonic warfare. The book endures because it balances high military history with an intimate human story. Simmons writes not as a grand strategist, but as a hard-working regimental officer using his soldiering to secure financial stability and social advancement for his struggling family back home in England.

The Story

The narrative begins in May 1809 as George Simmons embarks from Dover, leaving two storage trunks at Hythe and writing instructions to his parents in case he is "popped off." Upon reaching the Iberian Peninsula, his regiment joins the Light Division under General Craufurd. Simmons is thrust into constant skirmishing along the rivers and mountain passes of Portugal and Spain. The narrative follows the unrelenting rhythm of campaign life: grueling marches through mud and snow, constant outpost duty, and fierce engagements with French forces. Simmons describes key historical actions, including the withdrawal to the Lines of Torres Vedras, the combat on the Coa, and the battles of Fuentes de Oñoro, Sabugal, Salamanca, and Orthez.

Through it all, Simmons endures severe hardship and personal injury. After suffering a severe thigh wound, he undergoes a painful evacuation in a springless bullock cart. The vehicle overturns, throwing him into the brush while his servant fends off suspicious armed men. Rather than taking extended leave to recover, Simmons routinely takes "French leave" from rear-area hospitals to rejoin his regiment on the front lines. Amid these military duties, Simmons manages his family's affairs from afar. He buys a commission for his brother Joseph, monitors the education of his younger siblings, and sends home gold jewelry, snuff-boxes, and money whenever his pay arrives.

The arc moves from the desperate early years of defending Portugal to the victory of driving the French across the Pyrenees and into France. After a brief peace, the narrative reaches its climax in June 1815 with the Waterloo campaign. On the eve of the historic battle, Simmons sleeps in a muddy field wrapped in a clay-smeared blanket to keep out torrents of rain. The narrative closes after the final defeat of Napoleon, showcasing Simmons as a seasoned, battle-scarred veteran who has survived extraordinary peril to achieve rank, honor, and financial independence for those he loves.

How It Unfolds

The voyage begins In May 1809, Simmons departs England with the 95th Rifles, leaving detailed instructions about his personal possessions in case he perishes. He writes to his parents with practical advice on educating his younger brothers so they can advance in the world.

Outpost duty on the frontier By 1810, Simmons and the Light Division hold front-line positions near the Spanish border, sleeping in their clothes and boots amid snow and heavy rain. He detail skirmishes along the Agueda and Azava rivers while praising the resilience of his men.

Wounded on the retreat After receiving a bad thigh wound, Simmons travels across rough mountain paths in a bullock car. When the cart violently flips over, he lands on a rare patch of soft ground and prepares to defend himself with his drawn sword against lurking stragglers.

Victories and hardship Through 1812 and 1813, Simmons takes part in major advances across Spain, describing the jubilation of local inhabitants, the destruction of enemy strongholds like Burgos, and the bitter cold that destroys his horses and wears his green uniform down to a ragged brown.

The final clash at Waterloo In June 1815, Simmons endures torrential rain and deep mud in Belgium, sleeping under a dead Cuirassier's coat before facing the French army in the decisive struggle that ends the Napoleonic Wars.

The People

• George Simmons: The central author and officer of the 95th Rifles. He wants to serve his country honorably, win rapid promotion, and earn enough money to rescue his impoverished family from financial distress. He endures horrific physical injury, fever, and exhaustion without complaint, growing from an anxious young lieutenant into a seasoned, highly respected major.
• Joseph Simmons: George's younger brother. Initially sent to sea by his father against George's wishes, Joseph enters the army under George's strict guidance. George buys him a pony, oversees his conduct, and secures him an officer's commission. Joseph becomes a spirited, brave soldier who captures an enemy officer and sword in battle.
• Robert Craufurd: The famed General of the Light Division. He represents the demanding, high-discipline military leadership that shapes Simmons's unit into an elite fighting force on the Peninsula.
• Simmons's Parents: The primary recipients of George's letters. They represent the distant family anchor that motivates Simmons's career, receiving his financial help, military advice, and gifts while managing his younger siblings back in Kingston-upon-Hull.

In Its Own Voice

"Danger is merely ideal to a man of spirit."

Simmons writes this to his father while reflecting on the severe physical demands of campaigning in Portugal.

"Our men's clothing was covered with patches of all colours, and many of the officers' dresses were in little better plight."

Describing a formal inspection by Lord Wellington, Simmons highlights the ragged visual reality of seasoned front-line troops.

"I pulled a greatcoat off a Cuirassier who was dead, and covered myself, which made me sleep well till one hour before daylight."

Simmons describes sleeping in the mud and cold on the damp eve of battle in Belgium.

What It's Really About

Behind the accounts of battle line movements and casualties, the book is fundamentally about social mobility and family devotion through military service. Simmons views his rifle, sword, and commission as tools to elevate his working family out of hardship. The narrative probes how human warmth and domestic love persist within an environment of constant violence. It reveals how soldiers build daily routines, humor, and camaraderies to survive severe physical trauma, terrible weather, and the constant presence of death.

Why Read It Today

This account appeals to readers seeking an authentic, unvarnished look at Napoleonic warfare from the perspective of an ordinary front-line officer. Unlike high-level military memoirs written decades after the facts, Simmons’s text retains the raw immediacy of real-time entries written on drumheads and in muddy tents.

The prose is direct, energetic, and free from grand historical pretension. Readers should be prepared for period obstacles, including archaic place-name spellings, dense campaign itineraries, and the unadorned harshness of early 19th-century military life. What stays with you long after reading is Simmons's extraordinary resilience: his ability to cracked jokes about flying cannon shells one moment and worry about his little sister's schooling the next. It offers a rare human portrait of courage, discipline, and family love under fire.