MEDLEY, Julius George.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

A Year's Campaigning In India, from March, 1857, to March 1858. First edition, commercially scarce. Presentation copy, inscribed on the front free endpaper, "Annie Steel, from the Author, Brighton, Jany. 15th '61". The recipient is almost certainly a relative of Medley's wife, Adelaide Charlotte Steel (1841-1923), whom he married at Simla in 1858. Her father, Colonel James Steel (1792-1859), a veteran of the Burma and Sikh wars, died at Brighton.Medley (1829-1884), a captain in the Bengal Engineers, was garrison engineer at Lucknow. His narrative comprises an account of the little-known Bozdar Expedition (March 1857), conducted by Neville Chamberlain's irregulars in the Derajat, the sieges of Delhi and Lucknow, and Colonel Thomas Seaton's skilful campaign in the Doab (December 1857). Riddick is full of praise for Medley's book: "With an economy of words and preciseness of expression, this military engineer's account offers unique descriptions of fortifications, artillery positions, reconnoitring and surveying, and the building of gabions and fascines. With measured modesty, his recollections indicate the importance of his role in laying positions for the siege guns at Delhi … [and] avoids the hysteria of the mutiny for a clear, concise portrayal of his activities and of the general scene around him".

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