Twelve years in the army

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

78032

Title

Twelve years in the army

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

A veteran of the Crimean War and the Indian Mutiny recounts twelve years of service, detailing the brutal campaigns at Sebastopol and in India, the hardships faced by time-expired soldiers, and the poignant return to a peaceful Scottish homeland.

Summary up to 500 words

In *Twelve Years in the Army*, John G. Gollan, a late Corporal of the 79th Cameron Highlanders, provides a harrowing firsthand account of his military service spanning the Crimean War and the Indian Mutiny. The narrative opens with the intense siege of Sebastopol in 1855, where Gollan witnesses the catastrophic bombardment and the eventual assault on the Malakhoff and Redan forts. He describes the brutal carnage, the fall of the Russian stronghold, and the grim reality of the battlefield, noting that while he survived, hundreds of his comrades perished. Following the war's conclusion and a poignant review by Queen Victoria at Aldershott, the regiment is dispatched to India in 1857 to suppress the Sepoy rebellion. Upon arrival in Calcutta, Gollan and his unit face the horrors of the mutiny, including the rescue of women and children from Cawnpore and the grueling march to Nowshera. The memoir vividly portrays the cruelty of the rebels and the desperate struggle to save the British Empire in the East. Gollan eventually decides to retire, composing a heartfelt farewell poem to his comrades before embarking on the long voyage home. During this return journey, he offers a scathing critique of the British Army's administration, contrasting the generous supplies given to invalids who never saw active service with the neglect faced by time-expired soldiers like himself, who returned with shattered constitutions and no provisions. The book concludes with a collection of poems reflecting on the transition from the chaos of battlefields to the quiet solitude of his native Glenferness. These verses celebrate the healing power of home, the enduring memory of fallen friends, and the stark contrast between the glory of war and the peace of retirement. Through his diary entries and poetry, Gollan preserves the legacy of the Highland Brigade, honoring their bravery while calling attention to the injustices suffered by veterans upon their return to civilian life.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

Download URL

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/78032.epub.noimages

Local file path

data/epubs/pg78032.epub

Removed after upload

Downloaded at

2026-07-02 03:36 UTC

Categories

• Biography
• History