"Our Young Soldier": Lieutenant Francis Simcoe, 6 June 1791 - 6 April 1812

Chris Raible is the author of Muddy York Mud: Scandal and Scurrility in
Upper Canada.

Although they were in Upper Canada for only five years, the
Simcoes—Lieutenant-Governor John Graves and Elizabeth Posthuma
Gwillim—left their mark. This book tells the life story of their first
son, Francis. An eager, intelligent child in a rich and established
family, Francis grew up to follow his father’s example and join the
army, as an officer, naturally. The Napoleonic wars made such a career
both laudable and dangerous. To the young officer’s regret, however,
his early assignments in Ireland kept him away from the battlefield.

Simcoe’s letters and journal trace his actions and his attitudes. He
believed in honor and duty, accepting without exception the rigidities
of soldierly discipline and military hierarchies. His wish to see combat
was granted when he was sent to join the Duke of Wellington’s armies,
which were fighting the Peninsula wars. The campaigns in which Simcoe
played a part are thoroughly described. Two months before his 21st
birthday, Simcoe was killed at Badajoz; the exact circumstances of his
death are unknown.

Letters, diaries, journals, and memoranda form the documentary basis of
this meticulously researched book, which underscores how powerfully
public lives can be shaped by private, domestic influences.