Drummer Boy: The Road North

[Sircody]

another great chapter I cant believe how good this is getting, here are a few ideas that hit me while reading this.  i believe that the council is going to take care of thomas family by using the marking shipping company. I also cant wait to hear what the prince has in store for the ball.  As always thank you Author for another great chapter that leaves you wanting more and thank you al for all you do to help.

[dtm180]

Definitely another superb chapter and the suspense is building rapidly. I also am waiting with glee to see what happens at the ball and i am more than sure that the senior english officers wil be more than a little uncomfortable as Thomas is revealed.

I do have to agree with Sircody that it looks like the council is looking out for Thomas family, most likely by the use of the shipping company. I have to admit to r08 and tinker that i had forgotten that Thomas parents had bought their farm from iirc Peter Morgan. So i suppose shame on me, but with so much going on all the time it was bound to happen.

 

On a sidenote I thought something didn't quite add up in the promotions so i went back and i was right.

In Book 1 Chapter 20 Viscount Wellingtons Ball, Lt's Allen, Perrin & Lorenco were offered the rank of Major in the spanish Army. The Perrin in Question is Tommy Perrin as we had not yet met Oliver Perrin. In the promotions List of Book 2 Chapter 4 however, Tommy Perrin is only a Captain. Did he get demoted orso? Lt Lorenco was promoted to Colonel, Lt. Allen was Lost at Olivenca and Thimothy Carterton was given his Rank instead. Also a small continuity error but in Book 1 Mr. Carterton's first name is Bertram, just something i noticed lol.

 

edited to insert a sudden thought that occurred.

[SussexBoi]

10 hours ago, Al Norris said:

Nope. You didn't miss a thing.

If you read a lot of what Arthur writes, you will find that he inserts a "few" red herrings into his stories. Making you think he will come back to a section with an explanation, when in reality he simply moves on. In some circles it would be called, "dangling plot lines". Others are more polite and would say that the author simply forgot.

Arthur will get this evil grin on his face, and point-blank tell you that it was the influence of Loki.

The correct answer is (and trust me on this), Loki.

Now as far as to where General Markings army is... Only those necessary were at the hacienda in Andalusia (Spain). The rest were in Vimeiro, which is in Portugal (Google Maps is almost essential to follow where the action is. All the places Arthur mentions are real places).

I hope this helps.
Al

Thank you Al, for that, Having travelled through Spain and Portugal quite a lot, I find that Arthur's detailed description of the various battles sites jump out of the page as I can understand just how hard life would have been for Thomas’s not so little army to move around in what back then would have been a pretty hostile environment.

My Old regiment The princess of Wales Royal Regiment still to this day celebrate with a loving cup ceremony the battle at Albuhera on the 16th May each year to honour  the exceptional bravery of its founding regiments the 3rd, 31st and 57th Regiments of Foot.

[SussexBoi]

Here is a little bit about the  Napoleonic War which may be of interest.taken from the history of my old regiment the PWRR.

 

THE NAPOLEONIC WAR 1803–1815 Napoleon had signed the Amiens Treaty only to give himself time to prepare for his invasion of England and fourteen months later he declared war again on the trumped-up grounds that Britain had failed to hand back Malta to the Knights of St. John, in accordance with the Treaty. In October 1805, at Trafalgar, Nelson removed the threat of French invasion, which had led to the raising of some infantry regiment’s 2nd battalions, notably those of the 31st, the 35th, the 37th and the 67th. The Napoleonic War, which involved most European nations against France, continued until Napoleon Bonaparte was finally defeated by the allies at Waterloo on the 18th June 1815. The 1st Battalion of the 35th (Sussex) Regiment helped defeat the French at Maida in Italy in 1806, but the main British contribution to the War was in Portugal and Spain, in what was called the Peninsular War. THE PENINSULAR WAR 1808–1814 The Queen’s, The Buffs (East Kent), 31st (Huntingdonshire), 37th (North Hampshire), 50th (West Kent), 57th (West Middlesex), 67th (South Hampshire) and 77th (East Middlesex) all took part in the Peninsular campaign. The battle honours of Vimiera, Corunna, Douro, Talavera, Barrosa, Albuhera, Ciudad Rodrigo, Badajoz, Almaraz, Salamanca, Vittoria, Pyrenees, Nivelle, Nive, Orthes, Toulouse and Peninsula were won by forebear regiments. It is not surprising that the second Regimental Day of The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment, Albuhera, comes from this War.

Following initial allied successes against General Junot in Portugal during 1808, Napoleon decided to intervene personally. This compelled the force under Sir John Moore to withdraw to Corunna for evacuation by the British fleet. The Queen’s, 50th and a company of The Buffs were amongst this exhausted army when it reached the port of Corunna and found that the ships had not yet arrived. On the 16th January 1809, the French Marshal Soult attacked the allied force and was defeated. The 50th repeated the bayonet charges, which the French had been unable to face at Vimiera and their commanders’ success was acknowledged by Sir John Moore who cried ‘Well done my majors!’ the majors were Sir Charles Napier and the fatally wounded Charles Stanhope. Both were to be remembered by the toast to the ‘Corunna Majors’ on the anniversary of the battle by The Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment and, celebrated in later years by the 2nd Battalion The Queen’s Regiment.

[R08m4rv]

Yes, I totally agree with you Al.  Arthur should be cackling with glee, he so richly deserves ALL of the praise that he gets from everyone who posts here. It shows that his writing is enjoyed by everyone who reads it and the next chapter is eagerly awaited, with all of the twists and turns in the plot that Arthur is going to surprise us all with and that I am surely waiting for. Even though I said before until the last Friday of 2016.

A very Merry Christmas and a peaceful and prosperous New Year 2017 to every one here.

[R08m4rv]

Well it would appear that Thomas is now the"owner" of Marking Shipping Company ! Mr. Percy and the Council have now made sure that Thomas's Army have enough Guns and ammunition for a few battles. I can see in future chapters that this and the French vessels that will surely join the Company, will I am sure make Thomas and his family be reunited in Spain once the Peninsular Campaign draws to a close. The Council will take care and now they are sure that El TORO is back there will be some extremely embarrassed  British Officers at the Ball, I have an inkling that Colonel Grey is well aware that Thomas will be there and will help in the "fun" that the Prince has in mind.

A peaceful and prosperous New Year 2017 to every one here.

[Tinker Taylor Soldier I]

Happy New Year, fellow fans of Thomas and his buddies! May 2017 be your best year yet.

[ken barber]

I cannot get over how well written, researched and presented this story is. Arthur's attention the detail and character development makes this one of my all time favorite stories. 

I cant say this enough. If you have not read this story yet you are doing yourself a huge injustice. 

 

[Tinker Taylor Soldier I]

12 hours ago, ken barber said:

I cannot get over how well written, researched and presented this story is. Arthur's attention the detail and character development makes this one of my all time favorite stories. 

 

 

Same here, Ken. In fact, I’ve surmised Sir Arthur must be a professional British Military Historian who was born and raised in Spain, and has several close Portuguese cousins with whom he frequently reenacted Peninsular War battles when they were children (or perhaps yet at family gatherings). He is either on faculty at Cambridge, or on staff at the Royal College of Defense Studies… or retired from a long distinguished career at such a post. Otherwise, how on Earth could he possibly know all this stuff?  It would be really amazing to learn that a casual writer does this level of research solely for our entertainment. (Not that we aren’t worthy, or appreciative.)   J

For example, our colleague MilitaryPress mentioned to me how really vital guerrilla units were against the French, and how young some Spanish officers were at the end of the war. I know nothing of such things, and although I looked up some basic stuff about the Peninsular War just after I started reading Drummer Boy, I certainly don't know that level of detail... so I took time to Google further. MilitaryPress was certainly right, on both counts. One of the top guerilla leaders was only 19 (only 6 or 7 years older than Thomas) when he fled to the hills and formed a small unit that grew to more than 1,200. (...good looking guy, too)  So, there's some reality to this story that goes much deeper than names and dates of battles, commanders, and the color of their uniforms.  (MilitaryPress was making the point that it's okay to believe that perhaps Thomas was real... because perhaps this is not so farfetched to believe about a boy so young if he has the right character and motivation.)

By the way... in my Googling around, I discovered the “Prince of Anglona“ and “Prince Pedro Pimentel” is the same person. I was confused, and thought they were two different characters, but there were things about that understanding that didn’t fit well. Now I’ve got it sorted.

In October 1812, the Cortes sent the prince to arrest another Spanish general for trying to start a military uprising in opposition to Wellington’s appointment as generalissimo of the Spanish army. This fact points again to Sir Arthur’s attention to real details as he mentions the Spanish officers being under the English, and hints of how they felt about it. We can also see why they'd like to have a little fun at the ball at the expense of the English commanders.

Yeah… the level of Arthur’s detail is incredible.

I agree too about his ability to develop believable characters… some, you become emotionally attached to… others, you really hope to see destroyed because of their folly.

[Al Norris]

Received the following from our dear author:

Dear Al,

Well its finally come true, Alzheimer's has hit and I no longer can remember things so i am now leaving it up to you.

 

I was looking in the forum and then was going to reply to Tinker but have forgotten my password for the login, oh how senility comes so quickly and lays us old fogeys low.

 

If you wished you could pass onto the forum that Thinkers summations were very good but; as we both know, far off the mark. I have never been a military historian; far from it I am just a lowly JOAT (jack of all trades) with very few skills and even less sense. I have never traveled to the continent or even been within shooting distance of Portugal although I have probably drunk them dry of good port.

 

I have served in the services but that was long ago before they used automatic weapons to make the soldiers feel good and keep their asses safe, While I like Tinkers kindness it would be remiss of me to let him think I was that good, 8th grade drop outs usually have to make up with either aggression or be just plain ugly and smart; take your pick but remember that at heart I am a real softy even if I do occasionally give Loki a bop on the nose for being a smart ass. Perhaps you could let Tinker know that I live at the ass end of the world (NZ) and the Poms (English) are not really my favourite flavour, colonials and all that 

 

Thank you

 

Of course, I sent Arthur a new password, so perhaps he will come in and chastise me for posting the email in its entirety.

[Castle Herald]

Arthur

Drummer Boy: The Road North

General Thomasino Surprises Viscount Wellington

Chapter 5

[Tinker Taylor Soldier I]

Thanks very much for your personal response, Sir Arthur. That was very kind of you.

Now I am more impressed than ever, to learn that this masterpiece is written by a man who has overcome so many obstacles in his life… Alzheimer’s, senility, JOAT-ism, middle-school education, displaced aggression at Loki, and isolation at the ass-end of the world… not to mention wondering around without his password.

In any event… your story about Thomas and his companions is greatly appreciated for the captivating storyline, the wonderful characters, and all the fine details. At the very least, we fans owe you a cask of port.

All the very best to you, Arthur. (…and Loki, and Al)

[Tinker Taylor Soldier I]

Excellent Fifth Chapter! (of course)

This Wellington fellow is way too snooty for my tastes (no surprise there), but he knows how to pick his battles and wisely backed down from taking on the Prince and his new "Spanish" general. I suspect perhaps he had to inwardly admit at least a little more respect for Thomas than his most recent comments portrayed. I'm glad he decided to seek out the real truth of the matter, and hope we will later read that he was able to do so, and that Beresford gets what he deserves.

Col. Lewis is a good man. I’m glad he was there, and that he enjoyed the moment. It’s good that he is Thomas’ friend.

But best of all, Thomas is back to what he prefers to be doing, and is so good at… giving the French hell. Although he’s very serious about it, and concerned about doing it in a way that protects his men, he must be a much happier young man now that he’s out in the field again. No more laying around and following his surgeon’s orders, and no more political games with higher ranking masters.

I almost referred to Thomas as a boy just now. But I guess he’s really a young man, having just turned fifteen. He has title, position, a Spanish estate, wealth, and most importantly friends and a mission he’s determined to fulfill. Wow… what big changes in not quite four years!

His earlier life in Limehouse must seem so far away now in many ways, if he ever has time to think of those days.

Several times I’ve gone back and reread how we were introduced to Thomas.

Thomas Marking sat with a hungry look on his young face as he watched his careworn mother prepare their evening meal. Thomas had very little and his hopes and dreams had long ago been put aside and forgotten. The destitution of Limehouse and its environs gave little hope for any boy’s future let alone one who was thin and underfed.

The times had been hard for all of them but more so for the young boy. He had no chance of an education and very little prospects for a good job in trade or any other of the jobs available to the poor. Thomas was lucky that his father had taught him how to sign his name and read from the book of regulations. He could also do his sums right up to fifty. It was the only education he had gotten.

Cromwell looked down at his only son. The boy was barely eleven years old and was nothing more than skin and bones, the rags he wore were the only ones he had. Tears welled up once again as he tried to remember what he really wanted for his son before he was hit by the grape shot and all his dreams disappeared…

Cromwell looked at the skinny boy sitting before him. The boy just might have a chance at something better, where as if he kept him home there was very little chance of anything.

Yes… big changes. Thomas' life now is not easy. But it is definitely "something better."

 

[Al Norris]

I have been waiting since just before Thanksgiving, to get this chapter published, as it is my favorite chapter. So far.

Being just a lowly American, perhaps I have gotten the nuances wrong, but this is how I viewed what happened at the ball. When Wellington bowed to the inevitable and acknowledged Thomas Marking as a General, he also acknowledged Don Thomasino as being near on par with his own status as Viscount; Wealthy, Landed and of Rank. In the eyes of the arrogant English, Wellington received his comeuppance. To save face, Wellington had no choice than to convene an immediate inquiry into the report furnished by Beresford. Beresford himself has just been given a slap to his dignity, but one that cannot be answered on the dueling field.

Of course, I don't believe we have seen the last of the Viscount, nor the last of Beresford. <-- Nothing I know for certain, just looking ahead at the battles of the Peninsular War.

[Arthur]

Firstly let me thank you all for your kind and generous reviews, without your kindness it would have been difficult to keep the story rolling along, I had originally thought of making this tale only 9-10 chapters but you can see how that worked out.

Al, consider yourself chastised (box of chocolates to follow)

As Al knows there are already 9 chapters written so he is aware of what is too come (Yes I know its unfair for him to know and for you all to wait but; as is often said, Loki made me do it but I will tell you all this much!

The War Goes On and there is a chance the French will become more like headless chickens than turkey dinners, I sincerely hope this helps, if not then blame L.

Again my sincere thanks to you all.

A

[Toby Eszterhazy]

Our favourite general is on the move once again. It seems the British will be pushed to the sidelines if only temporarily while Thomas reinstills the French with fear. I hope the Viscount Wellington remains an ally to the Cortes by straightening out Beresford. 

As a history enthusiast and attempted polymath, I found Drummer Boy fits the image I previously formed of the era. So much so that I often need to remind myself of the fact that I am not reading a research paper! (I blame Loki if I start lecturing on the exploits of General Thomasino to my students.)

And to our author, I wish you the best of health.

Till next time,

[R08m4rv]

On 12/24/2016 at 11:52 AM, R08m4rv said:

I have a feeling that The  Viscount Wellington will deal with the fool "Beresford" in a not very happy way for not checking the older "Perrin" brothers report fully. Now that the older Perrin   has resigned his commission he is looking to join Thomas and his younger brother " Buttons"( no mention of him so far) to continue the fight to remove the French form Spain.

I have slightly edited the name from Chelsea to Wellington.

In hindsight I was looking forward to Thomas pulling something like the surprise that the Prince had planned. It was executed perfectly with the De La Guerra and the entrance of Thomas and his Officers.

As the first drummer began the long drum roll, one at a time the others began to join in. While the drum roll was being played, the Prince saw Mister Percy pull a handkerchief from his pocket and cover his lower face as he pretended to cough.

"Is there something disturbing you Colonel?" The Prince asked with a smile on his face. Percy looked at the Prince and even the crinkles at the corner of his eyes told he was trying not to laugh out loud in front of all the Officers.

"Not at all Your Highness, I just had a sudden thought of what we are about to see and the reactions it may cause."

 

[dtm180]

I thoroughly enjoyed this chapter. I hope that the viscount wil really investigate, but considering this 

Quote

Viscount Wellington looked at the two main protagonists, of them both he was for some reason more inclined to believe the young man who had saved his bacon more than once.

I feel that he wil.

Ofcourse Beresford is still in the country i am just curious if his title of Marshall wil be revoked if he is found guilty. I know promotions and demotions were common up to the rank of Colonel so i do not see him demoted so quickly although i wil not say that it is impossible merely that i believe it to be Not the done thing under the Upper echelon of the Generals. That being said i do not know how it is done with titles so time wil tell.

 

I Am overjoyed to see that Thomas and his 1r Regimento Espanol Guerrillas are out in the field again doing what they do best, in other words harrassing the French and instilling more fear into them.

[Jeikor]

Oh, look! There goes a bandwagon. Sounds like they're playing 'Another great chapter of Drummer Boy.' Well, here goes nothing.

Run, run, run, j-u-m-p! Ah! I made it! LOL

Another great chapter, Arthur!

So enjoying this story.

PS- If NZ is the ass end of the world then I'm into asses. A few of my favorite movies were filmed there and the landscapes were outstanding and amazing.

[SussexBoi]

16 hours ago, dtm180 said:

I thoroughly enjoyed this chapter. I hope that the viscount wil really investigate, but considering this 

I feel that he wil.

Ofcourse Beresford is still in the country i am just curious if his title of Marshall wil be revoked if he is found guilty. I know promotions and demotions were common up to the rank of Colonel so i do not see him demoted so quickly although i wil not say that it is impossible merely that i believe it to be Not the done thing under the Upper echelon of the Generals. That being said i do not know how it is done with titles so time wil tell.

 

I Am overjoyed to see that Thomas and his 1r Regimento Espanol Guerrillas are out in the field again doing what they do best, in other words harrassing the French and instilling more fear into them.

Whilst Beresford took the accolade for the Battle of Albuera, it was indeed one of his other commanders that saved the day by forcing  the French from the High ground above the bridge at Albuera. After the battle Beresford, was sent back to England on the excuse that his organisational skills were needed to provide logistical support for Viscount Wellington. Viscount Wellington then took charge of all the English troops.

As  a warrior Beresford was useless, as a administrator he was better suited.

[R08m4rv]

Here is something I found while looking up the battle of Albuera. It's that lying toerag  Beresford. And whoever painted that needs Thomas to sort them out as well. Looking forward to tomorrows chapter, I wonder if Beresford will be sent back to face the Viscount Chelsea ? Love to be a fly on the wall for that meeting.

[Castle Herald]

Arthur

Drummer Boy: The Road North

Snot's Travels

Chapter 6

[Tinker Taylor Soldier I]

Interesting chapter!   Nice to read about how well Young Snot regards and performs his duties assigned by Thomas. He's growing up, as are the other boys in Thomas' legions. It's also interesting to read of several tangible examples of the respect the common people, including dock workers in Lisbon have for the Patron El Toro. And, then there is also the surprising awareness and respect of common sailors for the Council, its long reach across the continent, and its power. I was surprised when this drunken, scruffy, down on his luck captain of a poorly-maintained ship recognized the Council's sign and immediately offered his assistance even if it would have meant an even greater financial loss for his ship. The too-brief mention at the chapter's end of Snot's visit to Thomas' family was good to read. I'm glad to know they'd been told Thomas was alive, but obviously they were delighted to have someone who could really tell them much more about how their son is doing and maybe a little about what his life is like. It was very thoughtful of Snot to go visit them, and I'm glad to see that he is enjoying a sense of a "normal" family.  All in all... this was a "comfortable" chapter (well-written, as always). 

[Jay]

A totaly different chapter than we are use to seeing. With this chapter we get to know Snot much better than befer. Will this make Snot a major player in this story? Time will tell. I wonder when the Marking family will join their son and move to his estates. Well, that is just another thing we will have to wait and see. Thursday just can not get here fast enuff.

[GCdiam]

It was indeed a refreshing change to have another character take front stage.  I also was glad to hear that Thomas' family was kept abreast of his being alive and as always look forward to Thursdays for further chapters.