Black soldiers in the Napoleonic Wars

William Buckland of Guadeloupe, Limerick and Liverpool

I expect you know where Guadeloupe is, I mean, exactly where it is, beyond ‘in the Caribbean somewhere’? I’m going to confess that I didn’t – sometimes I learn more than history from articles by John Ellis!

John’s latest contribution features William Buckland. Born on Guadeloupe in about 1786, he went on to serve in the British Army from 1810 until he retired on a small pension in 1823. His medical records show that he was ‘worn out and unable to march’ and had ‘imperfect vision of both eyes’ – not exactly conducive to life as a soldier!

The Royal Hospital, Kilmainham, Dublin, where William Buckland went for his medical examination

After leaving the Army he registered as a British Merchant Seaman from 1835 and obtained work as a cook and steward. Having retired in Limerick he moved to Liverpool, possibly driven out of Ireland (along with many others) by the Great Famine of 1845 to 1849. He spent the last years of his life working as a merchant seaman, based in Liverpool, as so many seamen were.

John’s exploration of the historic black presence in the British Army continues apace and you can read about William Buckland here:

https://www.historycalroots.com/william-buckland-1786-1856-from-guadeloupe-to-the-fighting-fifth-limerick-and-liverpool/

Stephen Pappin c.1788 to 1845

What amazing lives some people lead!

In his latest article for Historycal Roots John Ellis follows the extraordinary life of Stephen Pappin.

He was born in about 1788 in the French colony of St Domingue on the island of Hispaniola (as it was then known) in the Caribbean. This was a tumultuous period in the history of the island. The French, Spanish and British were all vying for a piece of the action but the enslaved black population had their own ideas. Their inspirational leader, Toussaint Louverture, led the efforts that eventually led to the creation of the first black independent nation state outside of Africa in 1804 (although Toussaint Louverture had died at the hands of the French the previous year).^[1]The book ‘Black Spartacus: The Epic Life of Toussaint Louverture’ by Sudhir Hazareesingh tells the full, complex story Stephen Pappin, a ‘man of colour’ may have been just old enough to play a part in the fighting.

What we do know is that by 1807 he was serving in the French Army of Napoleon Bonaparte. I won’t ‘spoil’ John’s story here but suffice to say it includes time spent as a Prisoner of War, 24 years of service in the British Army (including front line service during the Peninsular War), marriage to a French woman, the birth of ten children in three different countries, retirement from the Army on a pension, a move to New South Wales where he became a farmer (of 100 acres of land) and time spent playing the bugle and drums at the Royal Victorian Theatre, Sydney.

Phew!

You can read the full story of Stephen Pappin’s remarkable life here: https://www.historycalroots.com/a-well-conducted-man-corporal-stephen-estiphania-pappin-of-st-domingo-and-the-39th-dorsetshire-foot-1788-1845/

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References
↑1	The book ‘Black Spartacus: The Epic Life of Toussaint Louverture’ by Sudhir Hazareesingh tells the full, complex story

George Wise – From Nova Scotia to Liverpool

Perhaps we take our ability to travel long distances in a short space of time for granted?

The distance from New York to London can now be traversed in less than six hours.

The flight time from Halifax in Nova Scotia to London is very similar.

An ocean going liner can cross the Atlantic in four days.

Taking things in more leisurely style, a ship like the Queen Mary will stroll across in seven days.

Going back a little further in time, the Empire Windrush took over two weeks to bring the Windrush pioneers from the Caribbean to England in 1948, but only a little over.

The troop ships bringing men from the Caribbean to England in 1915 also took about two weeks. The RMS Danube landed an initial contingent of recruits from British Guiana (as it then was) at Plymouth, their journey started on 21st August 1915 and they disembarked on 5th September.

But if we aren’t careful we may forget that it was not always like that.

We don’t know how long it took George Wise to get from Nova Scotia to Liverpool, certainly many years as his journey was a circuitous one. His Army record shows that with the 29th Worcestershire Regiment of Foot he “served four years and six months in the Peninsula [Spain], seven months in Gibraltar, two years and one month in North America, and eight years seven months in the Mauritius. Was present at the battles of Rolica, Vimiera, Talavera and Albuera, and also at the capture of the Ponotscot Territory, United States, North America, in the expedition under the command of Lt.Gen. Sir John Sherbroke in 1814.” His first recorded presence in Liverpool was in 1837 (where he was part of a burgeoning black community), thirty two years after he first enlisted in Nova Scotia.

There are so many things about today’s world that George would find incredible, among them our ability to cross the Atlantic in hours rather than weeks, but, if you read the latest article for Historycal Roots by John Ellis, there are many aspects of the story of George Wise that we might find incredible. You can judge for yourself here:

https://www.historycalroots.com/george-wise-from-nova-scotia-to-liverpool-via-the-battlefields-of-the-napoleonic-wars/