Adventures of Gerard

From The Arthur Conan Doyle Encyclopedia
1st UK ed. (22 september 1903, George Newnes Ltd.)

Adventures of Gerard (The Adventures of Gerard in some editions) is a volume collecting 8 short stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle first published on 22 september 1903 by George Newnes Ltd.

These short stories have been initially published in The Strand Magazine from august 1902 to may 1903.



Stories


Editions



Preface

I hope that some readers may possibly be interested in these little tales of the Napoleonic soldiers to the extent of following them up to the springs from which they flow. The age was rich in military material, some of it the most human and the most picturesque that I have ever read. Setting aside historical works or the biographies of the leaders, there is a mass of evidence written by the actual fighting men themselves, which describes their feelings and their experiences, stated always from the point of view of the particular branch of the service to which they be-longed. The Cavalry were particularly happy in their writers of memoirs. Thus De Rocca, in his "Mémoires sur la Guerre des Francais en Espagne," has given the narrative of a Hussar, while De Naylies, in his "Mémoires sur la Guerre d'Espagne," gives the same campaigns from the point of view of the Dragoon. Then we have the "Souvenirs Militaires du Colonel de Gonneville," which treat a series of wars, including that of Spain, as seen from under the steel-brimmed, hair-crested helmet of a Cuirassier. Pre-eminent among all these works, and among all military memoirs, are the famous reminiscences of Marbot, which can be obtained in an English form. Marbot was a Chasseur, so again we obtain the Cavalry point of view. Among other books which help one to an understanding of the Napoleonic soldier, I would specially recommend "Les Cahiers du Capitaine Coignet," which treat the wars from the point of view of the private of the Guards, and "Les Mémoires du Sergeant Bourgoyne," [1] who was a non-commissioned officer in the same corps. The "Journal" of Sergeant Fricasse and the "Recollections" of de Fezenac and of de Ségur complete the materials from which I have worked in my endeavour to give a true historical and military atmosphere to an imaginary figure.

ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE.
March, 1903





  1. Correct spelling is "Sergent Bourgogne". Thanks to Thierry Saint-Joanis for spotting the error.