Assoc for Scottish Literature

The Battle of Waterloo was fought #OTD, 18 June, 1815. Walter Scott visited the battlefield shortly after; his 1816 book PAUL’S LETTERS TO HIS KINSFOLK contains one of the earliest accounts of the aftermath, & is an important early example of war journalism

https://theconversation.com/walter-scott-war-journalism-from-the-waterloo-battlefield-43304

#Scottish #literature #Waterloo #SirWalterScott #19thcentury

Walter Scott war journalism from the Waterloo battlefield

When word reached the Scottish writer of Napoleon’s famous defeat, he promptly travelled to the continent to bear witness to the carnage first-hand

The Conversation
Jun 18, 2025 at 11:43amWeb
Show threadAssoc for Scottish LiteratureJun 18, 2025

“The field was so much covered with blood, it appeared as if it had been flooded…”

—in 2023, Prof Tony Pollard brought to light an account of the battle’s immediate aftermath. The Scottish merchant Thomas Ker arrived early enough to see the dead & dying still on the battlefield. The Ker collection, made up of letters & a hand-written book, was donated by his family in 2018 to the University of Glasgow.

https://www.gla.ac.uk/news/archiveofnews/2023/june/headline_975292_en.html

#Scottish #literature #Waterloo #19thcentury #eyewittness

First written account by civilian at the Battle of Waterloo unveiled

Over 200 years after the 1815 battle, an account by Thomas Ker, a Scottish merchant living in Brussels at the time, is being published for the first time in honour of his wishes to see his account go into print.