by John Green
First published 2023
Private John Green of the 68th Durham Regiment begins his military career as an eager young recruit in 1806. The reality strikes hard during the failed Walcheren Expedition, where disease and death replace his dreams of glory. Green's service continues through the grueling Peninsular War campaigns, where he marches through Spanish mud and watches comrades fall in battle after battle. The daily terror of combat slowly strips away his romantic ideas about warfare. Green learns to depend on his fellow soldiers for survival, forming bonds that become his lifeline through years of violence. He struggles to preserve his sense of humanity while witnessing constant death and destruction. The psychological weight of sustained combat threatens to break him, but the loyalty of his regiment keeps him going. Green's account spans nearly a decade of European warfare, documenting his evolution from naive volunteer to hardened veteran who understands the true cost of war.
Genres: historical-fiction, military-fiction, adventure, non-fiction, 19th-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, found-family
Setting: Durham, Peninsular, Walcheren
Period: 1806-1815
192 pages · Paperback · Leonaur Ltd
Content warnings: death, graphic-violence, war