Adventures of a French Serjeant: During His Campaigns in Italy, Spain, Germany, Russia, &c., from 1805 to 1823 |
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Adventures of a French Serjeant: During His Campaigns in Italy, Spain ... Charles O. Barbaroux No preview available - 2019 |
Common terms and phrases
amidst Aphanassi arms arrival asked Bastia battalion battle battle of Borodino battle of Trafalgar battle of Wagram became began boat Borodino Cabrera Captain Barbara colonel commanded companions corps Corsica Cossacks crowd danger Daria desirous division Emperor enemy enemy's English entered father favour felt felucca fire formed fortune forward France French army gave give guard Guillemard heard honour hour inhabitants King King of Naples knew learned leave Lyons marched Marshal Brune ment military mind misfortune morning Murat Naples Napoleon never night non-commissioned officers o'clock officers Ollioules Oudet passed perceived prisoners rank received redoubt regiment remained retreat Ricaud road rushed Russian sail sailors scarcely seemed sent sergeant shore Siberia situation Sixfour soldiers soon Stralsund taken thought told took Tortosa Toulon town troops Ural mountains Valdejo Vescovato vessel village Wassili Whilst wished wounded young
Popular passages
Page 108 - Philoctete of Laharpe. I had formerly played the character, and still remembered it, as well as fragments of a variety of plays. I wrote them out as well as I could, and when I forgot the lines, I filled up the vacancy in prose. Darlier engaged to play the character of Ulysses. Chobar that of Pyrrhus, and a pioneer of the line, with a stentorian voice, and no small portion of sense, assumed the character of Hercules. At length, a public crier went through the camp, and gave notice that the same evening...
Page 94 - Royal, surrounded by ten or twelve huts, and containing as many stalls, some in the open air, others with a slight covering, with one end fixed to the ground, and the other supported by two poles. Here were sold bread, some salt fish, scraps of cloth, thread, needles, wooden forks and spoons...
Page 105 - Meanwhile, every one was busy at Cabrera ; we had tailors, shoemakers, public criers, artisans in hair, bones, and tortoise-shell, and some who cut out with their knives little figures of animals in wood : and about two hundred men, the wreck of a dragoon regiment, raised in Auvergne, were quartered in a cave, and made spoons of box-wood. The latter...
Page 109 - ... which we had not lost sight of: every evening we carefully locked them up in our hut. I was very desirous also of obtaining some arms, a sabre at least, for each of us; but I tried in vain, and did not press this matter much, for fear of becoming suspected; so that our tragic heroes were forced to be satisfied with wooden sabres.
Page 108 - Marlon et Frontin. I had transcribed this little piece pretty correctly, and performed it along with Chobar. ' About three hundred persons could find room in my cistern, and as I had put the places at two sous, it was completely crowded ; the company descended into it by the ladder I had made; and a confidential man was placed on the first step to receive the money, which he put into a little cloth-bag that was tied round his neck.
Page 89 - I also landed, and in about an hour after the brig was under weigh, and was speedily out of sight. An immense semi-circle was formed round the spot where the bread and meat had been deposited. Ten or twelve persons were in the centre ; one of them had a list in his hand, and called out successively for the different divisions to come forward, and likewise cried out their respective numbers. Three or four men then came forward, received the rations allotted to their mess, and carried them away; the...
Page 89 - ... ever in any country been fulfilled with such dignity as was shown on the countenances, and in every movement of the distributors. Bread seemed to be a sacred object, the smallest morsel of which could not be secreted without committing an heinous crime ; the smallest pieces which had been broken off in the conveyance were gathered with care and respect, and placed on the heap to which they belonged. I was busily engaged in surveying this singular ceremony, and took no share in it myself ; I did...
Page 21 - Lucas motionless at his post, and several wounded officers still giving orders. On the poop of the English vessel, was an officer covered with orders, and with only one arm. From what I had heard of Nelson, I had no doubt that it was he. He was surrounded by several officers, to whom he seemed to be giving orders. At the moment I first perceived him, several of his sailors were wounded beside him, by the fire of the Redoubtable.
Page 37 - ... traversing a spacious square, we stopped in front of a vast palace, guarded by several military posts. This was the Tuileries, which I did not yet know. We alighted, and the colonel made me enter into a guard-house, where he told me to stay. The vague fears I had felt at first increased every moment. I waited in this way for more than two hours, not knowing whether I was free or under the charge of the post, consisting of soldiers belonging to the guards, who, in fact, paid very little attention...
Page 37 - ... of soldiers belonging to the guards, who, in fact, paid very little attention to me. At last, a young colonel of engineers entered hastily and cried out " Guillemard ; " I replied " here," and followed him. After passing through various apartments, we entered a hall, where my guide told me to wait. In about half an hour (I am not very certain of the exact time, for I confess I was quite out of my element) he half opened the door by which he had disappeared, made me a sign, and I entered a cabinet,...