Shadrack Byfield (sometimes Shadrach) was a British infantryman who served in the 41st Regiment during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

. He is best known as the author of a memoir of his wartime experiences, ''A Narrative of a Light Company Soldier's Service'', published in his hometown of

Bradford on Avon Bradford-on-Avon (sometimes Bradford on Avon or Bradford upon Avon) is a town and civil parish in west Wiltshire, England, near the border with Somerset, which had a population of 9,402 at the 2011 census. The town's canal, historic buildings, s ...

in England in 1840. This work is notable as one of the only accounts of the conflict penned by a common British soldier.

Early life and military service

Born in Woolley, a suburb of

to a family of weavers in 1789, Byfield enlisted in the Wiltshire Militia in 1807, aged eighteen. Two years later, he volunteered into the 41st Regiment and was sent to join the regiment in North America, serving in Lower Canada and at Fort George in modern-day Niagara-on-the-Lake prior to the outbreak of war. As a private in the 41st, Byfield saw heavy action during the Anglo-American War of 1812. In the conflict's western theatre, he served at the

Siege of Detroit The siege of Detroit, also known as the surrender of Detroit or the Battle of Fort Detroit, was an early engagement in the War of 1812. A British force under Major General Isaac Brock with Native American allies under Shawnee leader Tecums ...

and the

Battle of Frenchtown The Battles of Frenchtown, also known as the Battle of the River Raisin and the River Raisin Massacre, were a series of conflicts in Michigan Territory that took place from January 18–23, 1813, during the War of 1812. It was fought between the ...

, where he was wounded in the shoulder, as well as at the

Siege of Fort Meigs The siege of Fort Meigs took place in late April to early May 1813 during the War of 1812 in northwestern Ohio, present-day Perrysburg. A small British Army unit with support from Indians attempted to capture the recently constructed fort to fores ...

and the

Battle of Fort Stephenson The Battle of Fort Stephenson in August 1813 was an American victory during the War of 1812. American forces successfully defended the fort in August 1813; it guarded an important supply depot. It was located on the west bank of the Sandusky Riv ...

. Byfield narrowly escaped capture after British defeat at the

Battle of the Thames The Battle of the Thames , also known as the Battle of Moraviantown, was an American victory in the War of 1812 against Tecumseh's Confederacy and their British allies. It took place on October 5, 1813, in Upper Canada, near Chatham. The British ...

and later rejoined elements of his regiment in the Niagara Peninsula. Byfield participated in the

Capture of Fort Niagara The Capture of Fort Niagara took place late in 1813, during the War of 1812 between the United Kingdom and the United States. The American garrison was taken by surprise, and the fort was captured in a night assault by a select force of Britis ...

and the

Battle of Lundy's Lane The Battle of Lundy's Lane, also known as the Battle of Niagara, was a battle fought on 25 July 1814, during the War of 1812, between an invading American army and a British and Canadian army near present-day Niagara Falls, Ontario. It was one o ...

, but his left arm was shattered by a musket ball at the Battle of Conjocta Creek, an unsuccessful British raid on 3 August 1814 preceding the

Siege of Fort Erie The siege of Fort Erie, also known as the Battle of Erie, from 4 August to 21 September 1814, was one of the last engagements of the War of 1812, between British and American forces. It took place during the Niagara campaign, and the Americans s ...

. Byfield's forearm was subsequently amputated and he was invalided back to England, where he was awarded a pension from the

Royal Hospital Chelsea The Royal Hospital Chelsea is a retirement home and nursing home for some 300 veterans of the British Army. Founded as an almshouse, the ancient sense of the word "hospital", it is a site located on Royal Hospital Road in Chelsea. It is an ...

in 1815.

Later life

Byfield returned to

and married but was prevented from working at his trade because he required use of both hands to operate a loom. However, according to his memoirs, a design for an 'instrument' came to him one night in a dream; this contraption enabled him to work at a loom with just one arm, allowing him to provide for his family. Byfield published a memoir of his wartime experiences in 1840. Although some sources speculate that he died c.1850, more recent research suggests that Byfield actually died on 17 January 1874 in Bradford on Avon, aged 84. He also served as keeper of the

Lord Edward Somerset General Lord Robert Edward Henry Somerset (19 December 17761 September 1842) was a British soldier who fought during the Peninsular War and the War of the Seventh Coalition. Life Somerset was the third son of Henry Somerset, 5th Duke of Beauf ...

Monument at

Hawkesbury Upton Hawkesbury Upton is a village in South Gloucestershire, England, east of the much smaller Hawkesbury. It lies north of Horton, east of Dunkirk and south of Alderley and Hillesley. Hawkesbury Upton is close to the A46 road. The village lies on ...

in Gloucestershire from its completion in 1845 until he was dismissed from the post in 1853.

Significance

Shadrack Byfield's ''Narrative'' provides a rare common soldier's perspective of the War of 1812, and as such his account, considered to be a critical source for studying the conflict, has frequently been republished or anthologised. Byfield has often been portrayed as the archetypical 1812-era British soldier by modern historians. John Gellner, who edited Byfield's memoirs in 1963, asserted that his story "could have been told by any one of those humble, patient, iron-hard British regulars who more than made up in discipline, training and bravery for their lack of numbers." Byfield's account has frequently been referenced in secondary histories of the war, notably in

Pierre Berton Pierre Francis de Marigny Berton, CC, O.Ont. (July 12, 1920 – November 30, 2004) was a Canadian writer, journalist and broadcaster. Berton wrote 50 best-selling books, mainly about Canadiana, Canadian history and popular culture. He also wr ...

's popular histories ''The Invasion of Canada'' and ''Flames Across the Border''. Shadrack Byfield's story has commonly been featured in museum exhibits (for instance, at

Old Fort Erie Old Fort Erie, also known as Fort Erie, or the Fort Erie National Historic Site of Canada, was the first Great Britain, British fort to be constructed as part of a network developed after the Seven Years' War (known as "the French and Indian War" ...

) and in documentaries on the War of 1812, including Canada: A People's History (2000) and PBS's The War of 1812 (2011). Byfield is also the protagonist in a 1985 children's novel, ''Redcoat'', by Canadian author Gregory Sass, which presents a heavily fictionalised account of his military experiences.

Early life and military service

Later life

Significance

References

Further reading