Military Memoirs of Capt. George Carleton

In Short

This episodic memoir presents the first-person account of Captain George Carleton, a British officer whose military career spans the Dutch War of 1672 through the War of the Spanish Succession to the Peace of Utrecht in 1713. Blending tactical battle scenes, siege narratives, and personal close calls, the text transitions from high-stakes military action to an extended observation of early eighteenth-century Spain. It endures as a vivid portrait of early modern warfare and cultural travel, driven by a veteran’s plain-spoken desire to set the record straight on his own service.

The Story

The narrative opens with George Carleton exchanging his academic pursuits for a soldier's life (Musas cum Marte commutare) during the Dutch War. Entering the service of the Prince of Orange, he witnesses key sieges and pitched campaigns across Flanders. The author describes the tactical geometry of seventeenth-century siegecraft, capturing the sudden shifts of fortune on the battlefield, the devastation of smallpox among command, and the hazards of soldiering—including an episode where a rogue hand grenade detonates prematurely in his own hand during an assault on a fortified Scottish castle.

Carleton’s career culminates when he joins the British expedition to Spain under the charismatic Earl of Peterborough. Here, the narrative hits its stride with detailed accounts of the siege of Barcelona. Carleton details the high-stakes assault on the mountain fort of Montjuïc, crediting the combined efforts of land forces, naval officers, and irregular Catalan Miquelets for securing a seemingly impossible victory. He chronicles Peterborough’s unorthodox maneuvers through Catalonia and Valencia, where deception, bold diplomacy, and swift marches repeatedly outwit superior French and Spanish forces.

The fortunes of war shift drastically when Carleton is wounded and captured. Stripped of his active command, he spends over three years as a prisoner of war in Sainte Clemente de la Mancha and later travels through Madrid, Bilbao, and the Basque country. During his captivity and subsequent travels, Carleton shifts from a military narrator to an observant travel writer. He paints detailed scenes of Spanish civic and religious life: the absurdities of local monastic delivery systems, the terrifying spectacle of provincial bullfights, encounters with predatory Irish friars trying to convert him, and the majestic solitude of the Montserrat monastery.

In his final chapters, Carleton reflects on the vanity of political patronage, the fickle nature of military glory, and the strange fate of fellow officers lost to battle mines or political intrigue. Reaching the border town of Bayonne and reflecting on his old adversary General Mahoni, the aging captain ends his record with a Latin prayer of thanksgiving for surviving decades of conflict to write his story.

How It Unfolds

The march in Flanders Carleton begins his military trial under the Prince of Orange, experiencing the brutal rhythms of siege warfare, rapid retreats to Brabant, and the near-fatal impact of smallpox on the army's leadership.

The assault at Lethendy Stationed in Scotland, Carleton creeps up to a rebel-held thatched castle and hurls four hand grenades into its open roof and windows, forcing a barricaded party of Highland gentlemen to surrender.

The out-guard at Shoerbeck Taking over a post corrupted by heavy drinking, Carleton sets out-sentinels a quarter-mile away, narrowly averting a night ambush by advancing enemy forces who falsely challenge in Spanish.

The breach of Montjuïc Under Lord Peterborough, Allied forces execute a surprise attack on Barcelona's mountain fortress, relying on naval officers acting as infantry and irregular Miquelets to cut off the city's supplies.

The trick at Molviedro Peterborough engages in a face-to-face conference with Brigadier Mahoni beneath the ruins of ancient Saguntum, using strategic troop placements on nearby hills to outmaneuver the enemy through artifice rather than artillery.

The mine at Alicante Carleton relates the tragic doom of General Richards and Colonel Syburg, who stubbornly remain on a battery to drink a final toast despite clear warnings, seconds before an enemy mine explodes directly beneath them.

The prisoner in La Mancha Wounded and relocated inland to Sainte Clemente, Carleton settles into a three-year captivity, observing elaborate three-day bull-feasts in the town square and dodging persistent local proselytizers.

The journey home Traveling through Madrid and northern Spain, Carleton takes notes on Spanish court etiquette and the Basque language before crossing into France to conclude his long service.

The People

• Captain George Carleton wants to earn distinction, secure a steady livelihood, and leave an accurate record of his services. Subject to the whims of political patrons and the hazards of battle, he finishes his career frustrated by the nation's ingratitude yet fundamentally proud of his duty.
• The Earl of Peterborough wants to achieve swift, decisive victories in Spain through audacity and strategic deceit. Hampered by cautious councils of war and uncooperative allies, he succeeds in taking Barcelona and Valencia before being unexpectedly recalled from his command.
• Brigadier Mahoni wants to serve King Philip's cause with unyielding loyalty. Confronted by Peterborough's persuasive entreaties at Molviedro and later facing Allied forces at Zaragoza, he remains an honorable, formidable opponent who earns Carleton's lasting respect.
• Murtough Brennan wants to convert the captive English soldier to Roman Catholicism. Armed with a license from the Bishop of Cuenca, his relentless intrusions drive the cautious Carleton to abruptly flee their shared quarters.

In Its Own Voice

"'Twas my fortune, my Lord, in my juvenile Years, Musas cum Marte commutare, and truly I have Reason to blush, when I consider the small Advantage I have reap'd from that Change."

Carleton addresses his noble patron, acknowledging how little wealth or political advancement his decades of military service ultimately yielded.

"He would cut them all to Pieces, for their Murder of two of his Grenadiers, after his Proffer of Quarter."

Sir Thomas shouts this harsh instruction to Carleton within earshot of Highland prisoners, before quietly instructing him to offer them mercy instead.

"Where the Days, without Anxiety or Troubles, may be gratefully passed away, with an innocent Variety of diverting and pleasing Objects, and where their Sleep sand Slumbers are never interrupted with any thing more offensive, than murmuring Springs..."

Reflecting on the hermits living at Montserrat, Carleton contemplates the tranquil peace of a monastic life compared to the chaos of the battlefield.

What It's Really About

Beneath its chronological recording of troop movements and sieges, the book explores the tension between individual merit and political caprice. Carleton repeatedly contrasts the brave, uncalculated sacrifices of soldiers on the front lines with the cold, cynical arithmetic of government ministers back home. It is also an investigation into the nature of leadership, demonstrating how singular commanders like Peterborough use theater, intellect, and deception to overcome overwhelming odds. Finally, the memoir acts as a study in cultural observation, contrasting Protestant English pragmatic military discipline with Spanish religious devotion, strict social honor codes, and violent public spectacles.

Why Read It Today

Military Memoirs of Capt. George Carleton offers readers a front-row seat to early eighteenth-century warfare written with directness, concrete detail, and zero romantic fluff. Readers who enjoy military history, travel writing, or the robust prose of early English narrative will find themselves drawn into Carleton's pragmatic world.

The book does present challenges. Modern readers must navigate eighteenth-century capitalization, variable place-name spellings, and sudden shifts from tactical military reports to lengthy descriptions of Spanish customs or architecture. Carleton's period attitudes toward foreign religions, regional dialects, and public animal spectacles like bullfighting reflect the unvarnished views of his era.

Yet what stays with you is the voice of the narrator: an aging soldier sitting down with his memories, untangling the chaos of battlefields from Flanders to Spain, and quietly demanding that his story finally be heard.

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