The battlefield of Assaye is largely unchanged, as any reader can see by putting ‘Assaye India’ into Google Maps. You can clearly identify the space between the fork in the two rivers. Wellesley’s ford is even marked, although there is a road bridge there now so you do not have to get your feet wet crossing the river. There are few remnants of the battle visible, but there is a white gravestone next to a giant peepul tree which is apparently that of Colonel Maxwell, killed leading his men in that final cavalry charge. Perhaps it is also the same peepul tree that Flashman rested beneath before he joined that charge.
Gawilghur
The final battle of the book was another extraordinary event but also a mystery for historians. According to contemporary witnesses, there were around eight thousand Mahratta soldiers in the fortifications before it was attacked. Yet it fell to the British with the official casualty figures as quoted by Flashman of just fourteen killed and one hundred and twelve wounded. Certainly a lot of the outer fort garrison died in the ravine, but that does not explain how the inner fort fell so quickly or so easily.
The fort still stands and has not been used as a stronghold since the battle. The breaches in the outer fort walls remain there to be climbed. The inner fort is still an imposing structure and traces of the four gateways survive. Historians have speculated that the defenders of the inner fort were thoroughly demoralised and so did not put up much of a fight. But these were the troops who had gathered to make a last-ditch stand and there was no easy escape from Gawilghur. You would have thought then that they had every incentive to fight hard to defend the inner fort.
The engineer, John Blackiston, who was there for the battle, is not particularly helpful. After describing the awful slaughter of the garrison of the outer fort he simply says: “The light company of the Scotch brigade placed their ladders against the wall and we were soon masters of the last defences of the fort.” He does go on to describe the suicidal attack by the Rajputs and finding their womenfolk, but that is the only other resistance he mentions.
Of casualties, the engineer simply says: “Our loss on this occasion, and during the operations of the siege, were (sic) not as great as might be expected. That of the enemy must have been immense. Out of a garrison of 8,000 men, none escaped but such as dropped from the walls at the peril of their lives, all the gates having been stopped by our troops.”
This imbalance of casualties sounds hard to believe, and so perhaps Flashman’s account that the southern gate was for a while unguarded and that many escaped through it goes some way to explaining what happened.
Thank you for reading this book and I hoped you enjoyed it. If so I would be grateful for any positive reviews on websites that you use to choose books. As there is no major publisher promoting this book, any recommendations to friends and family that you think would enjoy it would also be appreciated.
There is now a Thomas Flashman Books Facebook page to keep you updated on future books in the series. It also includes portraits, pictures and further information on characters and events featured in the books.
Copyright © Robert Brightwell 2012
Also by this author
Flashman and the Seawolf
This first book in the Thomas Flashman series covers his adventures with Thomas Cochrane, one of the most extraordinary naval commanders of all time.
From the brothels and gambling dens of London, through political intrigues and espionage, the action moves to the Mediterranean and the real life character of Thomas Cochrane. This book covers the start of Cochrane's career including the most astounding single ship action of the Napoleonic war.
Thomas Flashman provides a unique insight as danger stalks him like a persistent bailiff through a series of adventures that prove history really is stranger than fiction.
Flashman in the Peninsula
While many people have written books and novels on the Peninsular War, Flashman’s memoirs offer a unique perspective. They include new accounts of famous battles, but also incredible incidents and characters almost forgotten by history. Flashman is revealed as the catalyst to one of the greatest royal scandals of the nineteenth century which disgraced a prince and ultimately produced one of our greatest novelists. In Spain and Portugal he witnesses catastrophic incompetence and incredible courage in equal measure. He is present at an extraordinary action where a small group of men stopped the army of a French marshal in its tracks. His flatulent horse may well have routed a Spanish regiment, while his cowardice and poltroonery certainly saved the British army from a French trap.
Accompanied by Lord Byron’s dog, Flashman faces death from Polish lancers and a vengeful Spanish midget, not to mention finding time to perform a blasphemous act with the famous Maid of Zaragoza. This is an account made more astonishing as the key facts are confirmed by various historical sources.
Flashman’s Escape
This book covers the second half of his experiences in the Peninsular War and follows on from Flashman in the Peninsula. While it can be read as a stand-alone novel, if you are planning to read both, it is recommended that you read Flashman in the Peninsula first.
Having lost his role as a staff officer, Flashman finds himself commanding a company in an infantry battalion. In between cuckolding his soldiers and annoying his superiors, he finds himself at the heart of the two bloodiest actions of the war. With drama and disaster in equal measure, he provides a first-hand account of not only the horror of battle but also the bloody aftermath.
Hopes for a quieter life backfire horribly when he is sent behind enemy lines to help recover an important British prisoner, who also happens to be a hated rival. His adventures take him the length of Spain and all the way to Paris on one of the most audacious wartime journeys ever undertaken. With the future of the French empire briefly placed in his quaking hands, Flashman dodges lovers, angry fathers, conspirators and ministers of state in a desperate effort to keep his cowardly carcass in one piece. It is a historical roller-coaster ride that brings together various extraordinary events, while also giving a disturbing insight into the creation of the Hunchback of Notre Dame!
Flashman and Madison’s War
This book finds Thomas, a British army officer, landing on the shores of the United States at the worst possible moment – just when the United States has declared war with Britain! Having already endured enough with his earlier adventures, he desperately wants to go home but finds himself drawn inexorably into this new conflict. He is soon dodging musket balls, arrows and tomahawks as he desperately tries to keep his scalp intact and on his head.
It is an extraordinary tale of an almost forgotten war, with inspiring leaders, incompetent commanders, a future American president, terrifying warriors (and their equally intimidating women), brave sailors, trigger-happy madams and a girl in a wet dress who could have brought a city to a standstill. Flashman plays a central role and reveals that he was responsible for the disgrace of one British general, the capture of another and for one of the biggest debacles in British military history.
Grinning Bandit Books
Please check out these other brilliant Grinning Bandit books:
The Girl from Ithaca, The Walls of Troy and Percy the High Flying Pig by Cherry Gregory (Grinning Bandit Books).
Kevin and I in India, Rupee Millionaires, Off the Beaten Track, Ginger the Gangster Cat, Ginger the Buddha Cat and He Ain’t Heavy, He’s my Buddha by Frank Kusy (Grinning Bandit Books).
Weekend in Weighton by Terry Murphy (Grinning Bandit Books).
Scrapyard Blues and The Albion by Derryl Flynn (Grinning Bandit Books).
The Ultimate Inferior Beings by Mark Roman (Cogwheel Press).
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Flashman and the Cobra Page 36