Some of you know of Kevin Asplin who does good quality military research at the National Archives. He's just found some wonderful detail for me from the musters, which when added to what I had already discovered:
James Cumming (my gggg-grandfather) enlisted with His Majesty’s 72nd Regiment of Foot on 20 Mar 1801 for unlimited service.He eventually served for nearly twenty years, eventually being discharged because of a severe shoulder injury received at the Cape of Good Hope which meant that he could not fulfil the active duties of a soldier. His general conduct was uniformly good; he received his pension upon returning home.
James spent 5½ years in the East Indies on the Isle of France, now known as Mauritius. He arrived there with the 72nd Regiment of Foot in the latter part of 1810, the French surrendering formally on 3rd December. The first 3½ years of his time there appear to have been fairly uneventful: he spent some time on commando in the district of Flacq and in Port Louis itself.
Towards the end of 1814 James came to be noticed by Lieutenant-Colonel Walter Nathaniel Leitch. He became servant to Leitch and remained in that capacity until around April 1816. It is not clear exactly what James’s rôle was; however, Leitch valued him sufficiently to retain his services when the 72nd Regiment of Foot left Mauritius. James re-joined them at the Cape of Good Hope in mid-1816.
My questions:
1) Do any of you have any idea what 'servant' may mean....personal secretary (he was literate) or chief dish-washer?
2) Is he likely to have been mentioned in any other documents of the time?
3) How would I find out if Leitch left a personal diary that might have more detail? (I've tried googling).
James Cumming (my gggg-grandfather) enlisted with His Majesty’s 72nd Regiment of Foot on 20 Mar 1801 for unlimited service.He eventually served for nearly twenty years, eventually being discharged because of a severe shoulder injury received at the Cape of Good Hope which meant that he could not fulfil the active duties of a soldier. His general conduct was uniformly good; he received his pension upon returning home.
James spent 5½ years in the East Indies on the Isle of France, now known as Mauritius. He arrived there with the 72nd Regiment of Foot in the latter part of 1810, the French surrendering formally on 3rd December. The first 3½ years of his time there appear to have been fairly uneventful: he spent some time on commando in the district of Flacq and in Port Louis itself.
Towards the end of 1814 James came to be noticed by Lieutenant-Colonel Walter Nathaniel Leitch. He became servant to Leitch and remained in that capacity until around April 1816. It is not clear exactly what James’s rôle was; however, Leitch valued him sufficiently to retain his services when the 72nd Regiment of Foot left Mauritius. James re-joined them at the Cape of Good Hope in mid-1816.
My questions:
1) Do any of you have any idea what 'servant' may mean....personal secretary (he was literate) or chief dish-washer?
2) Is he likely to have been mentioned in any other documents of the time?
3) How would I find out if Leitch left a personal diary that might have more detail? (I've tried googling).
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