Robert Butler - Narrative of the Life and Travels of Serjeant B–

Windham's plan, as it was called, now came into action. This was for Militia and Army of Reserve men, to volunteer into the line for seven years, and great numbers in our regiment were taking the bounty every day. There was nothing but drumming and fifeing to be heard in the very passages of the barracks, and our commanding officer gave five pounds to drink, night after night, at the mess-house, in order to encourage our men to extend 1 1 The Reserve were enlisted for five years, or during the war, and were not obliged to go out of the three kingdoms. their service, and enter into the first battalion of the regiment, which consisted of what are called regulars; and to add to the intoxicating effect of the liquor, the whole corps of fifes and drums were ordered to attend, and continued there nightly, till we were all worn out with fatigue. In spite of these temptations, I never once thought of volunteering, though the commanding officer laboured hard to induce me to go with him into the first battalion. I told him freely that my mind did not lead me to the army; and when he saw he could not prevail, he said, "Very well, my man, if your heart does not lie in the right bit, never volunteer." But, alas! the value of the Apostle's admonition, "Let him that standeth take heed lest he fall," was soon after exemplified in my experience. Shortly after this, upwards of one hundred of our men volunteered into the 2d battalion of the Scots Royals, which was also a marching regiment. Some of them were asked by Lieutenant-Colonel Stewart if there was any young man of the 26th corps of fifes, that was qualified for fife-major. They all answered, there was one B – . The Colonel hearing so much of me, sent a Serjeant to request me to call upon him. This I promised to do next day, but I had truly a miserable conflict in my mind that night, considering whether I ought to accept or refuse this offer. Sleep I could get none, but walked about the passages of the barracks all night, looking anxiously at both sides of the question. My principal objection was the wickedness of the army, for I easily got over that of the hardships to which I would be exposed in a marching regiment, either in the field or in a foreign country. On the other hand, if I could obtain the situation of serjeant and fife-major, the pay would be very comfortable, and I would have an opportunity of seeing the world, which would gratify an inclination I had long entertained. I therefore came to the resolution of going, if I received the above situation. To be short, I went to Colonel Stewart, and after a few words passing on both sides, he asked me if I would take the ten guineas of bounty, and fife-major, with the rank of serjeant, and go with him into the 2d Battalion of the Royals. I told him, if I received the pay , with the rank of serjeant and fife-major, I would, but not otherwise, for that I did not care for the rank without the pay. – So he was honest enough to tell me, that he did not know if the Duke of Kent would allow a fife-major the pay of serjeant, besides his perquisites as fife-major, but if I would take his offer, he would give me five guineas over and above my bounty, as he had received a good character of me, and liked my appearance, and, moreover, that I would find a friend in him, and that he would write the Duke of Kent, who was our Colonel, for authority to give me the serjeant's pay; but as he could not assure me of its being done, he would promise nothing but what he could perform. This was very honest plain dealing, and was truly attractive in my eyes, but it would not do: so I thanked him for his friendly offers, and so bade him farewell, and walked away; but he followed me to the foot of the stair, where the major of the regiment meeting us, said, "Well Stewart, have you agreed with this young man?" He answered in the negative, and stated to him the reason as above mentioned; but the major soon removed that obstacle, by saying, "we can easily give him the difference of pay out of the fund of the regiment, if the duke will not allow it; and to give me all satisfaction that the serjeant's pay would be sure to me from that date, he offered me his letter to that effect." To this proposal I could no longer object, and in short I received the letter, passed the Doctor, got my bounty, and a furlough of two months to see my friends in Scotland, before I returned to my barracks. A few days after, along with other volunteers, who had also obtained furloughs, we sailed in a vessel for Saltcoats, and, after a very pleasant passage of two days, were safely landed there, and my comrades each took his own road. One young lad only went with me to Edinburgh; and we were on the top of the coach on the 7th day of August, 1806; that dreadful day of thunder, lightning, and rain, by which so much mischief was done to men, beasts, and the fruits of the earth. We were the only outside passengers, and the company inside were willing to incommode themselves considerably, to give us shelter, which was kind on their part, and tempting upon ours; and my comrade gave me the motion to that effect; but I refused, saying, that as we had joined a marching regiment of the line, we must lay our account with being exposed frequently to such weather and worse, and that I could not brook this sort of effeminateness, but no doubt we got a very complete ducking.

I arrived safe at Peebles amongst my old friends, where I was warmly received after an absence of three years; but I did not long remain there till I formed an intimacy with a young woman; and our courtship, like that of many soldiers, was not long; but I would not marry till I returned to the regiment and obtained my Colonel's liberty, that so I might have a better chance of getting her abroad with me, should the regiment, as we expected, be ordered on foreign service. My attachment to this young woman was very sincere; and I gave instructions to the person with whom I had left my bounty money, as formerly mentioned, to give her ten pounds to bear her expenses to the regiment, then in England, when, after obtaining the Colonel's leave to marry her, I should send him a letter to that effect. All being thus settled between us, the time drew nigh when I was to leave my native spot, which was now doubly dear to me. I left Peebles about two o'clock in the morning, in fine moonlight, in the month of September; but it is easier for you, my dear reader, to conceive than for me to describe my situation. I cast many a longing lingering look behind me, and dragged myself by main force out of the view. I was little short of being angry at my preciseness, that I did not marry off hand, and bring the girl with me, whose situation was still more pitiable than my own. We were only two days in Edinburgh, then sailed from Leith Roads for the regiment, which was lying at Horsham, and I was not long there when I had all settled in our favour, and immediately wrote for the young woman; but, as I afterwards discovered, or at least had great reason to suspect, a certain evil-designing person kept up the letters. I waited in anxious suspense for "the girl I left behind me," but I waited in vain. Days were as months, and brought me no relief. At last, to crown my misery, I received a letter from a friend in Peebles, who knew of our agreement, stating, that Jean had almost gone out of her mind about me, and thinking, like too many of my coat, that I was going to prove unfaithful, she went to Edinburgh to inquire about me. There she got no relief to her distracted mind, but only the satisfaction that I had sailed for the regiment at such and such a time. She was now put to her wits end, and in a kind of derangement she wandered to Dumfries, where she had a brother residing, and remained with him for some time. She saw herself like a castaway, for she was ashamed to go back to her place at Peebles, and it being between terms, she could not get into service in a country where she was a stranger: so, in a word, the serjeant of a Highland regiment, an acquaintance of her brother's, paid his addresses to her, and she married him; but scarcely was the festival over when the contents of my letter, through the same channel probably by which it was intercepted originally, reached her ears; and if she was to be pitied before that time, she was not less so then. This was, I may say, my first courtship, (and I then thought it would be my last,) for, during the three years I was in Ireland, I never spent an hour in a woman's company, good or bad, although some of my companions often tried to lead me astray. But I was always so much taken up with my music, that I had no time to spend in such courses: Providence by this means preserving me from at least a worse evil; for these strange women (as Solomon calls them) were the occasion of hundreds of the regiment getting themselves confined and flogged, besides the other dreadful effects produced by their company.