Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Reflections on an Ancient Book.

I'd alway thought the first book that I'd read on the American Revolution was some book by Henry Steele Commager, the title of which I have forgotten. I was a kid, ten or eleven and had somehow managed to get a copy out of the Adults' Library Section at Earlwood, NSW, near where I grew up. Except that was not the book I remember. The same book that I got out of Earlwood library so long ago, arrived at my place from the USA yesterday. It was Christopher Ward's The War of the Revolution, a 2 Volume boxed set, published by MacMillan in New York in 1952. I recognised it the moment I saw it.
I don't know what it was started me off reading history at such an early age, though I'm sure my father had something to do with it. He brought home a poster of the pictures of the kings and queens of England one day, and I pored over that poster for months, maybe even years, examining every picture in minute detail, wondering about each particular king and queen. I quickly learnt from my father that Henry VIII was a bad king, but somehow, despite the fact that she was Protestant, Elizabeth II was a good queen. The medieval kings were endlessly fascinating especially Richard Coeur de Lion and King John, because they had something to do with Robin Hood, (as played by Cornel Wilde, who I think also played John Paul Jones.) When I was thirteeen or younger I wanted to go and see a movie about Martin Luther (not the one based on the play by John Osborne) but I was forbidden it, quite vociferously. So, secretly, I became intrigued by this dreadful thing called the Reformation.
The other very early memory of history I have, apart from Robert Taylor in Ivanhoe and The Knights of the Round Table, and some engraved pictures in a wonderful edition of Walter Scott's Kenilworth, (which I never got around to reading until I was an adult) was the presence on the family bookshelf of Scott's red-covered A History of Australia, the title printed one the spine in black, font unknown. I remember determinedly ploughing through it at quite a young age, and getting bogged down with the NSW Robertson Land Acts of the 1870s. Up to that point I had been enthralled. So, I learnt early, that not all history is necessarily "interesting."
Amazing what the sight and smell of an old dark blue book with its blue spine and faded gold title in a red diamond square can evoke, a book which I have to thank for my perennial fascination with the War of American Independence, which, after all these years, I finally have on my bookshelf.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Ensign Francis Grose and the Battle of Lexington Concord


This is the conclusion from the third chapter of my book on the First/Second Fleeters and their association with the American Revolution. Enjoy.

At this distance in time it is difficult to assess the adverse psychological impact that the experience of the Lexington-Concord conflict had on the young Francis Grose. Alan J. Guy has argued convincingly that traumatic stress had a major impact on the eighteenth century British soldiery.47 Grose must have been affected adversely in some way by the devastating slaughter at 'The Bloody Angle' in particular, and the militia's harried pursuit of the Concord espedition from Concord to Lexington. He was almost certainly involved in the bloody hand-to-hand and house-to-house combat at Menotomy. It is very likely that he may have killed his first man at Menotomy. He would certainly have been traumatised both by the sight of the apparently scalped British private near Concord's North bridge, and by the normal onset of fear soldiers experience in battle - '... I never had such a tremor come over me before -' Those experiences may have been heightened for him because he went into battle with very little training compared to many of his fellow officers.
Nevertheless, Grose's experiences on this police action turned murderous were nowhere near as severe as many of his comrades. To state the obvious, he was neither killed nor wounded. He was not at the first fight in Lexington. He missed the battle at the North bridge in Concord. At Barrett's Farm, though he was in a situation that engendered tension, he was one of the officers treated with a strained courtesy and dined on bread and fresh milk. At Mrs. Brown's Tavern he had a further opportunity to quench his thirst after a long, hot march, an opportunity not given to many of his peers. Basically, he missed the actual beginning of the War of American Independence.
One series of events do seem to have had an impact on his impressionable mind: the impunity with which the rank and file, along with some officers, were allowed to loot the houses of possibly innocent colonists. It is probably drawing a long bow to argue from this that his witnessing of the looting and its lack of punishment alone planted the seeds for his later attitudes of leniency toward the New South Wales Corps seventeen years later in Sydney. A long-formed regimental loyalty and the tradition that soldiers were entitled to land to settle on in the colonies in which they served undoubtedly also informed his attitudes in that instance.48
47 Alan Guy, 'The Army of the Georges, 1714-1783' in The Oxford History of the British Army,p. 107; Samuel Blacheley Webb to Joseph Webb, Cambridge, June 19, 1775, in John Rhodehamel, (ed.) The American Revoluition. Writings from the War of Independence,New York, 2001, p. 37, for an 18C. Expression of fear in first battle.
48 Manning Clark, A New History of Australia, Sydney, 1963, p. 29; Alan Atkinson, The Europeans in Australia, Vol. I, p. 183.

As this post has been transposed directly from the original manuscript, the original numbering of footnotes has been retained.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Burnsey's TV Dinners et al.

Yesterday (ie last Wednesday) on Larvatus Prodeo on the condemn thread, there was a discussion on food, partly prompted by me admitting I cook up shop bought chili con carne. Whereupon I was asked to expatiate here on my experiences with TV Dinners. Obviously, as some-one who lives half or all of the fortnight on pre-prepared meals I ain't no food critic. Nevertheless, here goes.
Best to start with the real TV dinners; the stuff in cardboard boxes you put in the microwave oven and cook for 30 seconds to one minute more than they say on the packet.
McCain's Roast Turkey Dinner. Slices of turkey covered with a combination of gravy and cranberry sauce. With vegetables, namely, thinly sliced carrots, peas, and roast potato. Eaten with bread thickly margarined on a plate beside the black plastic plate ready to mop up what's left of the gravy after I've eaten everything else. Appeals to my sweet tooth (sweet teeth why I haven't got any teeth; tho genetics played a part as well - an inherited calcium deficiency - though it might have something to do with the fact I don't drink milk, except for the powdered stuff you get in instant Mocha coffee.) much recommended because of it varying taste sensations.
McCain's Veal Cordon Bleu. I kid you not. Veal wrapped in ham and crumbed. Carrots as above. Beans - I think they're string beans. Some sort of cheese sauce, I think. Sometimes the ham the veal is wrapped in comes away from the ham. Crunchy. I'm not big on cheese sauce, but it does for variety.
McCain's Roast Chicken. Vegetables as above. Roast potato pieces and beans, I think. Don't have a packet in the fridge to check at the moment. Lots of gravy. Size of the chicken breast varies. Sometimes its big, sometimes, well, not so big. On those latter days I get annoyed. Gravy mopped up with bread and margarine. Usually recommended but if you don't put it in the microwave long enough the chicken isn't heated through.
Mccain's Steak Diane. This one's a bit more expensive so I don't get it very often. I don't like beef much so anything I say about this particular dinner can't be trusted.
McCain's Roast Lamb. Peas, carrots, chunks of roast potatoes. Gravy and mint sauce. Up there with the turkey and roast chicken, for the same reasons.
Mccain's Chicken Parmagiana. A TV Dinner gourmet's delight. Peas, carrots, pieces of baked potato. And that sauce! What can I say? Don't have to go out to Italian restaurants. Besides, I don't know where the one in Armidale is.
McCain's Lamb Cutlet With Gravy. Peas, carrots, instant mashed potato. Have to keep it in the microwave a minute longer to cook through the cutlets.
McCain's black plastic plates Sometimes they crack round the edges when they're stacked on the supermarket shelves. Its a bugger getting the plastic cover of the plate then and you have to pick out little bits of sharp black plastic from the meal before you eat. I could return them, I suppose but I live two miles from Bi-Lo and I don't have a car. Can't drive in fact. So, I pick out the sharp bits of black plastic.

Bird's Eye Create-a-Meals. All you can get at the moment at Bi-Lo's in Armidale are Honey Soy, Black Bean, Teryaki and some Green Ginger gunk. They're named after the rather large sauce packets in them which you melt over the cooked chicken with a tablespoon of water. Sometimes I sprinkle a very little bit of sugar on them.They used to have Chili Con Carne and Sweet'n'Sour. But they don't any more. Capsicum, water, chestnuts, beans, carrots etc, etc. all very good for you. Cook up with fried stir fry chicken in a frying pan - my wok is rusty - and serve on steamed long grained white rice. Lasts two days. Good stuff. Except you have to cook it on the stove. I suppose I could microwave it but sometimes I get a bit traditional, if you know what I mean.

Lean Cuisine Meals. Like Meatball Arrabiatta, Satay Beef, beef and Mushroom. I'm sure you know them. Heat and shake the sauce packets, add vegetable packets, mostly rice or pasta and some few vegetables. Cook in four minutes. All wonderful, but very spicy. Go for it.

Tuscan Style Baby Potatoes. I have them in the microwave right now. Potatoes in some kind of Italian herbs. Cooking for 9 minutes, it says 7, but what the hell. And I did sort of bust the plastic on top when I tried to pierce them with a fork. Never tried it before. Was looking for strawberries and chocolate dip, and there they were. We'll see.

Post-script. Reporting on Tuscan Style Baby Potatoes. A bit bland. I ended up eating most of them cold. Tasted better that way and I could use my fingers instead of struggling with a fork. I mean ... well ... nobody was watching.