Eminent Victorian Soldiers: Seekers of Glory [Paperback]

Byron Farwell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 17, 1988

This book brings together the lives of eight of Queen Victoria's most renowned and idiosyncratic generals, men who helped create the British Empire and whose lives reflect the vigor and diversity of the age.

They are: Hugh Gough, Charles Napier, Charles Gordon, Frederick Roberts, Garnet Wolseley, Evelyn Wood, Hector Macdonald, and Herbert Kitchener.

Editorial Reviews

Review

[Mr. Farwell] reminds us how much of history has always been about war. The figures he etches are Horatio Alger types with epaulets, conventional men whom luck and daring raised to unconventional situations. . . . Sparely but convincingly, Mr. Farwell conveys a sense of the society they worked in, one that tolerated eccentricity and excess but not transgressions of its male mythology—in which riding and religion were crucial, along with laudanum and chloral and stoic hardihood. Those who shun analyses and learned footnotes, preferring a thundering tale well told—or rather eight of them—should not miss this book. (Eugen Weber - New York Times Book Review )

About the Author

During the Second World War, Byron Farwell (1921–1999) served as a captain of engineers attached to the Mediterranean Allied Air Force in the British Eighth Army area.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (June 17, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393305333
• ISBN-13: 978-0393305333
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #247,449 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Useful and well written guide to Victorian Generalship, May 18, 1999

By 

Simone BONECHI - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eminent Victorian Soldiers: Seekers of Glory (Paperback)

This book is a detailed overwiew of the lives and military careers of eight prominent Victorian Generals and as such it represents a very interesting insight in the higher echelons of the British Officer Corps during the XIX century. Spanning from the Napoleonic Wars to the First World War, the narrative brings to life the experience of these leading figures of British military from the professional as well as human point of view. Often at loggerheads with the political authorities on the spot and at Home, these Generals (Hugh Gough, Charles James Napier, Charles Gordon, Garnet Wolseley, Frederick Roberts, Evelyn Wood, Hector MacDonald and Herbert Kitchener)were nevertheless the spearhead of the expansion of British Empire during the Victorian Era. Their failings as well as assets are presented by Farwell with fairness, even though this is not enough to conceal a slight preference for Lord Roberts, undoubtly the best person of the lot. Through the life ot these leaders of men the reader has a better understanding of the different motivations behind the "imperial adventure" of Britain. The author does a commendable work in bringing to the fore the often original, quizzical or downright ambiguous personality of these "empire-builders". As a scholarly work the book is a bit superficial: the influence of the cultural and social background of the charachters remains to be analyzed and the problems of the relationships between the Army and society are not properly stressed. These failings apart, I found this a high recommendable book for anyone interested in Victorian Colonial history and one of the very few sources of information now available about XIX century British Generals.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mad but magnificent!, November 4, 1998

By 

Robert Jarvis ([e-mail]) (El Salvador) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eminent Victorian Soldiers: Seekers of Glory (Paperback)

This is a fine selection of off-the-wall & varied characters. From the cold, calculating introverts to magnificently brave & foolish show-offs. Their strengths &, many times their weaknesses, are developed with brutal frankness. For almost every positive trait there is usually a corresponding defect, that many times went without notice during the charater's lifetimes. This "warts n'all" approach, whilst probably being completely libelous (if the guys were not long dead), has a humanizing effect that increases both the credibility of the stories, & the reader's interest in the subjects. What all the Generals certainly have in common is an implacable desire to succeed at all costs. Completely oblivious to personal danger, & most, in their thirst for victory, having a callous disregard for the lives & general well-being of their soldiers. The content is varied, the style is fast, well written, & above all, enjoyable. History at school should have been as much fun to read as this!

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Victorian Empire Builders, June 22, 2002

By 

Roger Kennedy (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Eminent Victorian Soldiers: Seekers of Glory (Paperback)

This compendium biography presents a fine sketch of the eight prominent Victorian generals who commanded during the Little Wars of Queen Victoria. The often respressed and somewhat bizarre characteristics of these men seems typical of the Victorian mind-set. While they were certainly eccentric, these men personified the times they lived in and in their actions pursued the notion of the White Man's burden to civilize the dark regions of the world.

In the politcially correct times that we live in today perhaps some of these notions will appear offensive, but in order to appreciate these man we must understand the times they lived in and try not to impose our own values upon them. Indeed, many Victorians would find our social values today strange to comprehend as well. Byron Farwell specializes in the Victorian military experience and his writtings on this topic are always witty and informative.

The reader may find it surprising that homosexuality was present in several of these gentlemen, namely Charles Gordon and Hector Macdonald. Again, we can attribute this to the oddities of the age which repressed such feelings on the surface, thereby encouraging their lurkings behind the scenes. It is doubtful that any of them would have preferred to advertise their inclinations as seems to be the norm today. Homosexuality was more discreet then, and perhaps that was a good thing in a way.
The military life that these men pursued perhaps inclined them toward a different lifestyle as the compnay of women was often infrequent in far outposts.

The talents of these generals certainly expanded the British Empire and made it one of the great epochs of its day. Farwell has provided a worthy addition to Lytton Strachey's earlier work, "Eminent Victorians". The reader will find all sorts of interesting and amusing aspects of these Eminent Victorian Generals.