Writing the story

I began the whole story writing process by researching into how I would be writing it, and any pre-existing letters or diaries that I could take inspiration from for the story. These are some websites I found and used heavily for the research:

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/waterloo.htm

https://janelark.blog/2015/06/22/brief-stories-from-the-battle-of-waterloo-marshal-michel-neys-charge/

https://www.historynet.com/hallowed-ground-hougoumont-farm-waterloo-belgium.htm

https://www.napoleon-series.org/military-info/battles/1815/waterloo/c_hougoumont.html

https://www.bl.uk/learning/timeline/large126767.html

https://freedomtoteach.collins.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Eyewitness-accounts-of-the-Battle-of-Waterloo.pdf

https://forums.armchairgeneral.com/forum/historical-events-eras/napoleonic-era/136070-the-french-drummer-boy-at-waterloo

http://www.waterloouncovered.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/1-Matthew-Clay-Peter-G-Mitch-Tom-Laura.pdf

https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/33165476

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hougoumont#The_Defence_of_Hougoumont

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/44th_(East_Essex)_Regiment_of_Foot#Napoleonic_Wars

I began by writing a small list of things that I wanted to include within the story.

• -      It being written to his family, mum, dad, and younger brother
• -       Being in the farm as a base. Cooking the pig and saving half 
• -       Hearing the cannons firing
• -       Seeing 5000 soldiers and knowing they were vastly outnumbered
• -       The battle lasting all day
• -       Being unable to load the musket, meaning the ball got lodged and mis-shaped
• -       Being shot in the arm and breast by musket ball
• -       At 12:30pm, the French broke the gates open, 
• -       But they were able to quickly close them again trapping 40 French soldiers, whom they killed all 
• -       The drummer boy and saving him because he reminded him of his brother, who was 11 (Thomas) Pushing him into the stable, to stop him being killed 
• -       Musket ball removed by surgeon
• -       Re-cooking the pig on a fire that had a person in it, and it being mingin
• -       The sounds of the Prussians firing at the retiring enemies becoming fainter, so they tucked themselves in to blankets and slept for the night
• -       Being woken by the accidental discharge of a musket, and seeing Chateau of Hougoumont burning in the distance
• 
  
• -       The end is him passing the body of a French soldier, lying dead in a stream, which is when he knew they were victorious in the battle

I       I decided that I would lay it out like a letter that was addressed to his family, I did this because it was the easiest way to create both a story and script without having to write two versions

I then wrote a first draft which is this:

Letter from a private soldier of the 44^th regiment to his family in Heybridge, East Essex.

Chateaux of Hougoumont, Braine-l'Alleud, 19^th June 1815.

Dear Mother, Father, and young Thomas,

I hope all is well back at home for you. I am unsure if the news will have reached you yet, the battle is over, we are victorious in our quest. I felt at this time I would inform you on the proceedings over the past couple days. 

I was put on watch duty the night of Saturday the 17^th, of which we stayed in a shallow ditch at the upper side of an orchard separated from the enemy, who were close at hand. The weather continued very stormy and had become cold, from which we suffered much during the night. 

When light appeared, all being quiet on Sunday the 18^th morning, we acquired some fuel from the farm of Hougoumont, then lighted fires to warm ourselves. We were each given a small ration of bread, and enquiry was made along the ranks for a butcher, whom was immediately ordered to kill a pig, which was divided among the company, my share of was a portion of the head. I placed it upon the fire to cook, once blackened with smoke I partook a little, which I found too raw and unsavoury, so I put the remainder in my havresac for later. 

We were quietly instructed to face our right and march in the direction of Hougoumont, known to us as the farmhouse. There were canon fires in the distance, whom we knew to be the French soldiers advancing on the farm. As heavy footfall approached, we knew we were vastly outnumbered, our future appeared dire, and so began the day long onslaught of battle.

I was fighting earnestly when I unwisely ascended the height part of a sloping ground on which the exterior wall of the farm was built, thinking it would be a vantage point, but very quickly found that I had become a target for them, my red coat being more distinctly visible than theirs; remaining in this position, I continued exchanging shots. As the shots continued to rain upon me, I struggled to load my musket in time, and a searing pain impacted me in my right shoulder and breast, I had been shot, I knew however that I had to carry on for the battle was not yet over.

At around 12:30pm I entered the courtyard to see the doors or rather gates were riddled with shot-holes, and it was also very wet and dirty; in its entrance lay many dead bodies of the enemy. 

The enemy’s artillery having forced the upper gates, a party of them rushed in who were as quickly driven back, no one being left inside but a drummer boy without his drum. I felt a moment of weakness towards the young boy and lodged him in a stable, he was about the same age as our Thomas and I could not help but see my junior, I could not allow him to be enthralled in the slaughter of the battle.

Not having succeeded in gaining an entry, the gates were again secured although much shattered, the enemy’s attacks became less frequent as the action was drawing to a close and it was approaching evening; the firing shortly after ceased, and our complete victory being announced in our little garrison, we had a look around and saw the sad havoc the enemy had made of our fortress. There was a fire raging in the buildings, due to the rain of shells earlier from the enemy. 

 As the battle had finished I went to the yard, taking the opportuning of cooking the remaining portion of park which I had stored away in my havresac this morning, and after having placed it upon the fire and quietly awaiting its being cooked, discovered that the glow of fire arose from the half consumed body of some party who had fallen in the contest; my meat which was unsavoury in the morning, became much more so by its re-dressing. 

The evening now closing upon us, we were ordered to take a supply of fuel and to proceed up the hill in the rear of the farm. On arriving at a bank, being heavily loaded and nearly exhausted, we had very great difficulty in passing over it. There were the sounds of Prussians fighting our common enemy in the distance, becoming increasingly fainted as they moved further from us. 

This morning we were aroused by the accidental discharge of a musket, and in a sitting posture I contemplated for some minutes on the scene before me. Being on a hill, we had extensive view of the field of action, of which the Chateaux of Hougoumont was a complete picture of destruction, the fire having continued its ravages during the night.