George Gleig British Description of the hardships of the New Orleans campaign

George Gleig (b. 1796) arrived in Canada at eighteen; a soldier in the light brigade of the British 85th under the command of Colonel William Thornton. Gleig had already seen much action in the Napoleonic wars on the European continent as one of the Duke of Wellington's Invincibles. Gleig was present at the August 24, 1814, burning of the American Capitol, as well as at the Battle of New Orleans. An avid writer, he left behind vivid accounts of these events. After the war he saw action again under Wellington at Waterloo. He went on to study at Oxford, and soon after took religious orders. He became chaplain of the British forces in 1844. Gleig developed into a prolific writer and produced many biographies, including one of his old commander, Wellington. He died in 1888.