Flashman and Madison's War

by Robert Brightwell

  In December 1814 he was tried by court martial, which concluded the following month. He was found guilty of misconduct. In addition to demotion and suspension from duty, the Prince Regent directed that his own ‘high disapprobation’ be conveyed and included in the general orders to be read to the entire British army. Procter returned to England in 1815 and unsurprisingly was never given a command again. He died in 1822.

  Tecumseh

  Much of the information provided by Flashman on Tecumseh is confirmed by contemporary sources. This includes his insistence on attacking Fort Meigs, the saving of the American prisoners, the council meetings at Amherstburg and his conduct on the retreat and at Moraviantown. Incidental details are corroborated too such as his removing weapons at Procter’s dining table and carrying out an inspection of the British troops before Moraviantown. Some of the words and phrases used by Tecumseh at the council meetings were also recorded by those present and these include him referring to Procter as a creature that ‘drops his tail between his legs and runs off’ and his demands for the ammunition ‘sent by the King Across the Sea for his red children.’

  Flashman’s account of Tecumseh’s death also matches key accounts although there was subsequently much debate on who had fired the lethal shot. The American cavalry commander Richard Johnson claimed that he had shot Tecumseh as a part of his campaign to be elected Vice President 1836/7. While Johnson was undoubtedly brave, leading the forlorn hope cavalry group against the Indians in the swamp – during which he was wounded by four musket balls – it is by no means certain he killed Tecumseh.

  Chippawa

  To this day many accounts of the battle of Chippawa barely mention the battle that took place in the forest between the militia and Indians on both sides. Instead they concentrate on the battle that took place in the open where an overconfident Riall swiftly discovered that the men in grey jackets were not militia after all. The British regulars advanced and found themselves facing well-trained American troops to their front and one flank with further canister fire from nearby artillery. Eventually they were forced to retreat in good order.

  The battle in the forest took place largely as Flashman described, with Riall criticising Norton for leading the Iroquois too deep into the trees before making his attack. There is no accurate record of Indian casualties but American statistics, partly based on scalps presented after the battle, indicate that the Grand River and western tribesmen fighting for the British lost eighty-seven killed, five taken prisoner and an unknown number wounded. These were similar losses to the eighty five British dead, but this number was devastating for the much smaller Iroquois community.

  Lundy’s Lane

  The battle of Lundy’s Lane was the bloodiest battle of the whole war, with much of it fought in darkness and confusion. The early part, when there was still some light, was fought as Flashman describes. General Riall did order a retreat from Lundy’s Lane but this order was countermanded when General Drummond

  arrived. Riall was later wounded and inexplicably captured when those escorting him to the rear took him too close to the crossroads, which were under an American attack.

  The subsequent fighting which took place in near pitch darkness was a confused, short-range brutal affair. According to witnesses, General Drummond did ask the 103rd regiment to charge the enemy. They refused the request and fired volleys instead. As Flashman describes, in the end the guns that the battle had been fought over were abandoned by both sides.

  Photograph of three Iroquois veterans who fought for the British during the war of 1812.

  The man on the right is John Smoke Johnson, then aged around ninety - you can just make out the pipe bowl on the back of his tomahawk.

  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 2015

  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 and the Cobra

  This book takes Thomas to territory familiar to readers of his nephew’s adventures, India, during the second Mahratta war. It also includes an illuminating visit to Paris during the Peace of Amiens in 1802.

  As you might expect Flashman is embroiled in treachery and scandal from the outset and, despite his very best endeavours, is often in the thick of the action. He intrigues with generals, warlords, fearless warriors, nomadic bandit tribes, highland soldiers and not least a four-foot-tall former nautch dancer, who led the only Mahratta troops to leave the battlefield of Assaye in good order.

  Flashman gives an illuminating account with a unique perspective. It details feats of incredible courage (not his, obviously) reckless folly and sheer good luck that were to change the future of India and the career of a general who would later win a war in Europe.

  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 Thomas Flashman’s experiences in the Peninsular War and follows on from Flashman in the Peninsula.

  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 a French literary classic!