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An Officer and a Gentleman — 22 Comments

  1. According to this information, Colonel Fitzwilliam was likely several years older than Darcy even if he became an officer at 16. I find that very interesting. I suppose he could have been promoted for valor. Most fanfiction has him only a couple years older.

    Your articles are very interesting.

    • In order to have been a Colonel, he would have to have served at least 11-13 years, so he would have been between 27 and 29, assuming he started at 16. So, you’re right he probably would have been a few years older than Darcy.

      I am glad you are enjoying the articles. so much research goes into historical writing, that I thought these tidbits would be interesting to share.

      thanks Jadie!

  2. Maria,

    This was wonderful. Concise and interesting. (I’m a bit more scatter brain these days so I like short and concise).

    Did you run across any research about the militia? How did Wickham get into one? Did it cost anything etc…?

    • Thanks, Nina. Yes, I did come across information on the militia. I was the ‘Officer and and Gentlemen’ topic will run across several articles as there was just too much to include in a single post. I try to keep these is easily readable bites, so I will be addressing the topic fairly soon.

      Thanks for taking the time to comment.

  3. I am really enjoying this. I find the differences in Regency life to be fascinating and the more I understand those differences, the more I understand the books written during the 1800s – I read more than Austen, but she is my addiction .. lol.
    Reading your info made me think of Elliot in Persuasion when he extolled against the ‘status’ military officers acquired in society and of the difference in elevation of Frederick over the 8 years.
    Our society certainly views the military echelon differntly and therefore modern adaptations have to put a different spin on things. which is why I enjoy moderns also.
    Anyway, I’m rambling – thanks for sharing what you learned. I’m sure I’ll find myself referring back to it, and look forward to your next ‘tidbits’

    • I find that the more I research about Regency life the more I understand and appreciate Austen too. So many small and subtle things she puts in that I used to just gloss over stand out and make the story much much richer now. I am glad to be able to share that with you.

      Thanks for coming by!

  4. Pingback:An Officer and a Gentleman pt. 2 | Maria Grace

  5. Thank you for the information. One of the things I find frustrating about Austen is that her military men seem to have so little connection to the activities of the military during her times. It was a period comparable to our own with wars and occupations happening on multiple continents, but her officers always seemed to be at leisure. It was after I read all of Georgette Heyer that I was able to see more clearly exactly what the lives of miltary men were like–both before, during and after their service. She writes the most delightful military men. My favorite (though not as literature but more for the wealth of information it provided) was her ‘Spanish Bride.’ What amazed me most was that it was based on a real couple. Harry Smith was one of a number of children of a country parson who came up through the ranks as you described. It made me want to write a JAFF about Lydia ‘following the drum’ and being with Wickhamin during Waterloo. It is hard for me to imagine such an experience would not change even a young woman as shallow as the youngest Bennet daughter. .

    • I hope to write a little bit about the life of an army officer in the next article, though a short 1000 cannot possibly do justice to the topic. What both the men and their wives endured is hard to imagine. It was a very very difficult thing that would certainly have had to change Lydia should she have experienced it.

      Thanks, Beth!

  6. There are a number of interesting memoirs that were published during and after the Peninsular War & Waterloo by officers and soldiers of various regiments. It was amazing that the wives/camp followers suffered as much as the soldiers did during those campaigns–a horrible business before the discovery of anaesthesia or antibiotics. Luckily one memoir was written about the regiment that my ancestor served in (spain/france/waterloo), which gave me a rare opportunity to see what he experienced.

  7. Hi Maria
    Thank you for the above article.
    How did an officer get out of the Army? It is mentioned that Colonel Brandon had purchased an ‘exchange’ to return to England from India. How did that work? Also, in a time of war, could retired officers be recalled to duty?
    Thank you
    MFlannery ‘Celticjaneite’

    • An officer left the army by selling his commission. That was handled through official army offices. He got back the money paid for his commission.

      I am not familiar with the concept of purchasing an ‘exchange’ though. I haven’t really encountered that.

      Officers who retired on half pay could be recalled to duty, those who had ‘sold out’ their commissions, as far as I understand, could not.

      Hope some of that is helpful.

      grace

  8. Pingback:The Regency Interpreter tackles Mansfield Park pt.2 - Random Bits of Fascination

  9. I’m a little suspirred, but that’s only because my kids know about Pride and Prejudice. Having read both of the above books, you will have a much greater appreciation for the Zombies version having read the original! It was a fun read!

    • I think it quite possible he would have had his education first. Education was more about making connections than getting a degree, and those connections would be vital both in getting a good position in the military and in setting in later in life when he sold out.

  10. If Wickham just joined the militia and the same system was in place there as in the Regulars, he must have been at most 21 – surely too young to have grown up with Darcy. Any ideas about this? I am puzzled.

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