The Thinking Man's Soldier

Sir Henry Brackenbury is a now largely forgotten but extremely important soldier, writer, and administrator of the late Victorian era. To Lord Wolseley Brackenbury he was "not one of but the cleverest man in the army" and "that first-rate man of business"; to the conservative Duke of Cambridge he was "a very dangerous man" whilst King Edward VII remembered him as the man who "pulled the army out of a hole in South Africa". Born to a minor Lincolnshire landowning family of modest but comfortable means, he saw active service during the Indian Mutiny, but after that he settled down into a series of administrative and teaching appointments within the Royal Artillery and as Professor of Military History at the Royal Military Academy Woolwich. Finding he had a considerable amount of spare time on his hands he was encouraged to write a history of the origins of artillery in Europe. With this he started an illustrious literary career which would see him produce five books alongside a large number of journal and newspaper articles. He had a simple narrative style alongside an ability to engage the more technical reader. Being of limited personal means the financial success of his literary work was extremely important.About the AuthorDr Christopher Brice read History and Politics at undergraduate level before embarking on his PhD thesis, initially as part of a joint research agreement between the War Studies Department of the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst and De Montfort University. The thesis was entitled 'The Military Career of General Sir Henry Brackenbury 1856-1904'. Dr Brice has given guest lectures at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst and the National Army Museum, Chelsea, on Henry Brackenbury and elements of his career.