Book Description

Sir Francis Head took up the challenge of writing a short biography of one of the most esteemed members of his parent corps, the Royal Engineers, Field Marshal Sir John Fox Burgoyne. Dubbed the “Moltke” of England by the Emperor, Napoleon III, his military career was a long and glorious. Sir John’s career began during the Napoleonic Wars, where he was involved heavily in the fighting from 1809 to its close, but mostly particularly during the sieges that dominated the strategic movements of the Allied armies under Wellington. Even at the relatively junior rank of Lieut.-Colonel, he was the most senior engineer officer with the army during parts of the Peninsular War, and his opinion was valued and often sought by the great Duke himself. His excellent memoranda on the sieges of Badajoz and St. Sebastian are included in this book. After much peace-time work, during which he attempted vigorously to enact some change in the army to bring it to a state of readiness to take the field, he was defeated by the inertia of the establishment and political needs. He was forced to witness the ironic denouement of the failure of the government to heed his calls for change in the army when he was posted to the Crimea. However, he stuck to his task, visiting the siege lines at Sebastopol frequently, keeping the spirits of the men up, and attempting to assuage the massive defects which he had identified earlier.Author — Major the Right Honourable Sir Francis Head, Bt. (1793-1875)