Wellington's Men in Australia Peninsular War Veterans and the Making of Empire C. 1820-40 |
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| Author:
| Wright, Christine |
| Series title: | War, Culture and Society, 1750-1850 Ser. |
| ISBN: | 978-1-283-09714-7 |
| Publication Date: | Jan 2011 |
| Publisher: | Palgrave Macmillan
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| Book Format: | Ebook |
| List Price: | USD $105.00 |
Book Description:
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During the Peninsular War, the latter part of the Napoleonic wars fought in Spain and Portugal between 1808-1814, many men were commissioned as officers, usually without purchase, into the British army and, at war's end, these men found themselves desperately looking for something to do. Peninsular War veterans, and their cohort, found New South Wales ideal: it was opening up for free emigrants, British army officers could obtain land grants, and they could obtain cheap convict labour...
More DescriptionDuring the Peninsular War, the latter part of the Napoleonic wars fought in Spain and Portugal between 1808-1814, many men were commissioned as officers, usually without purchase, into the British army and, at war's end, these men found themselves desperately looking for something to do. Peninsular War veterans, and their cohort, found New South Wales ideal: it was opening up for free emigrants, British army officers could obtain land grants, and they could obtain cheap convict labour to work the land. Christine Wright explores how these particular veterans had a profound impact on New South Wales (and other Australian colonies) at a time of expanded growth: how they were the nucleus of colonial power structures, that their social networks influenced the pattern of settlement, they had the latest technical skills in medicine, surveying, mapmaking and engineering and, more astonishingly, that they played a crucial role in the development of colonial art and literature.