A second long-lost memoir written by a famous 19th-century British soldier named Shadlock Byfield has surfaced in a somewhat unexpected place – Cleveland, Ohio. As shown in a study recently published in British Studies JournalByfield’s second book depicts a very different veteran than the one described in his first autobiography, written 11 years earlier.
Who was Shadrack Byfield?
Although he may not be a household name, many early American history buffs know him well Shadrack Byfield. The British soldier served at Fort George near the Niagara River during World War II War of 1812fighting in multiple battles over the course of the nearly three-year conflict.
At one point, a musket ball wound forced doctors to amputate Byfield’s left forearm without anesthesia. After learning that his limb had been thrown into a “dung heap,” the recovering soldier reportedly retrieved it himself so he could bury it in a makeshift coffin.
Byfield returned to England after the war, but his disability prevented him from returning to his previous job as a weaver. After dreaming up a “tool” to solve the problem, Byfield asked a nearby blacksmith to make him the tool. In 1840, he published The Veteran An account of the service of a light company soldierDetailed notes on these and other experiences.
New chapter
For more than 200 years, historians believed the 1840 book to be Byfield’s only manuscript. However, Cambridge University historian Eamonn O’Keeffe recently discovered the only known copy of an entirely separate book in the library of the Western Reserve Historical Society in Cleveland, Ohio. But unlike Byfield’s first publication, in 1851, The History and Transformation of a British Soldier He tells his life story from a completely different angle.
“In the 1840 novel, Byfield sought to impress wealthy patrons by presenting himself as an obedient soldier and a worthy war veteran,” O’Keefe he said in an accompanying statement. “By contrast, the 1851 memoir was a story of spiritual redemption, tracing his progress from rebellious sinner to devout, repentant Christian.”
The second book is also much more confessional. where a novel Explore Bayfield’s experiences supporting his family “comfortably” for nearly 20 years after receiving his prosthetic forearm, History and conversion He describes his chronic pain and daily difficulties caused by the injury.
“Now it has pleased the Lord to give me a severe rheumatic pain in my right shoulder, which came from it [musket] “The ball was cut off. I was in this state for about three years… Often I could not raise my hand to my head, nor a cup of tea to my mouth,” Byfield wrote in the final book.
Other memories were more negative, such as abandoning his military duties to participate in a plundering expedition with other soldiers.
“Such unpleasant incidents are conspicuously absent from Byfield’s earlier accounts of his military service,” O’Keefe said. “In his 1851 memoirs, the veteran also dwells on the periods of indebtedness, illness and unemployment after his return to England.
New details about flexibility
Byfield’s difficulties did not end after publication History and conversion. In 1853, fellow church members accused him of injuring the eye and face of a rival using the iron hook of his prosthetics. The dispute was part of a larger tangle over legitimate control of the village church, which eventually grew to include arson, vandalism, and even riots. Although he was not found guilty of a crime, Byfield and his supporters ultimately lost the battle and his job at that time.
By 1856, Byfield was a widower and returned to his hometown. While he married a second wife, he continued to struggle financially at times. In 1867, he published another personal novel, Desperate hopeHe died at the age of 84 in 1874. No copies of this third and final book are known to exist.
O’Keefe said: “The revelation of these new details about his life provides a fascinating insight into the suffering and resilience of British soldiers returning home.” “Bayfield’s 1851 diary underscores the challenges of postwar reintegration, especially for disabled veterans, in the decades following the Napoleonic Wars.”