Historical Record of the Eighteenth, or the Royal Irish Regiment of Foot

Cannon, Richard, 1779-1865Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 2.9

Word count: 208K words
Chapters: 21

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Historical Record of the Eighteenth, or the Royal Irish Regiment of Foot by CannonAuthor: Cannon, Richard, 1779-1865,Language: English, Class: UA: Military science: Armies: Organization, distribution, military situation, Release Date: Oct 18, 2016

Editor's review

This is Richard Cannon's historical record of the Eighteenth (Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot, a typical example of nineteenth-century British regimental history. Its value lies not in literary narrative but in its chronicle-like preservation of the regiment's formation, changes of title, postings, and actions in campaigns, making it a primary source for the study of British Army organizational history, the role of Irish soldiers within the imperial military system, and the evolution of modern military institutions. Readers should note that its format emphasizes annals and name lists, that its narrative pace is slow, and that it carries the period's pronounced imperial standpoint. It suits military, colonial, and archival historians as a reference work, as well as advanced readers interested in the details of British regiments during the Napoleonic Wars; it is not intended for continuous reading as a general history.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Military historians studying British regimental history and organizational evolution
Researchers examining the role of Irish soldiers in the British imperial army
Scholars needing nineteenth-century British military primary sources for their writing
Advanced military enthusiasts interested in British regimental details of the Napoleonic era

Not a good fit for

General history readers seeking continuous narrative and human stories
Readers who prefer modern historiographical frameworks and critical perspectives
Beginners with limited English reading stamina who need a quick introduction

Reading tips

Begin with the table of contents and the sections on changes in regimental title to establish a timeline before turning to campaign chronicles.
Read alongside a history of British Army organization or a general history of the Napoleonic Wars to fill in background gaps.
Use the book in a search-oriented manner, locating passages by regimental posting, campaign, or year.
Note changes of regimental number and place names as you read, to facilitate later checking against archives and secondary studies.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this a complete regimental history or a record of a particular period?

Judging from the title and format, it is a historical record of the Eighteenth (Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot, arranged chronologically and covering its formation, titles, and combat experience. The exact span of years should be confirmed from the table of contents; check it first to decide whether to read closely or use the book for reference.

The original English is archaic; is it hard to read?

The text is nineteenth-century English, with long sentences, numerous military terms and place names, and interspersed name lists and establishment information, so the threshold is relatively high. Readers with university-level English and familiarity with British military terminology will find it much easier; beginners should use a glossary of names and background materials.

Is the electronic edition suitable for academic citation?

This electronic edition comes from Project Gutenberg and is a digitized text of a public-domain work; it can be used for general academic reference and citation, but citations should verify the original edition information and page numbers. If strict textual authority is required, consult the original library copy or an authoritative scan.

Does the book show an obvious partisan stance?

As a nineteenth-century British regimental history, it reflects the imperial perspective and military honor culture of its time, and describes warfare largely in the tone of official chronicle. Readers should treat it as a primary source rather than neutral analysis and use it critically alongside modern military history scholarship.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Cannon, Richard, 1779-1865 Author

Richard Cannon (1779–1865) was a British military historian. Public information about him is limited, and few details of his life are systematically recorded. The library holds twenty-eight of his works, almost all of them historical records of British Army regiments, including the Historical Record of the Seventeenth, or the Leicestershire Regiment of Foot; the Historical Record of the Seventh, or the Queen's Own Regiment of Hussars; the Historical Record of the Fourth, or the King's Own Regiment of Foot; the Historical Record of the First, or Royal Regiment of Foot; the Historical Record of the Sixth, or Royal First Warwickshire Regiment of Foot; the Historical Record of the Sixth, or Inniskilling Regiment of Dragoons; the Historical record of the Seventh Regiment, or the Royal Fusiliers; and the Historical Record of the Twelfth, or the Prince of Wales's Royal Regiment. These works trace regimental lineage, campaigns and organizational change in a well-ordered format with substantial documentation, typical of nineteenth-century British military histories, and remain useful references for the study of British Army regimental history.