Talk:Duncan MacDougall (British Army officer)

This review is transcluded from Talk:Duncan MacDougall (British Army officer)/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Nominator: Pickersgill-Cunliffe (talk · contribs) 19:30, 20 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Reviewer: Hog Farm (talk · contribs) 18:26, 2 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I'll try to review this over the coming week. Hog Farm _Talk 18:26, 2 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

• Was the British Auxillary Legion a formal British military force intervening in the Carlist War, or was this some sort of thing like the Abraham Lincoln Battalion during the Spanish Civil War?

• Akin to the latter I think; Britain wanted to assist but would not do so formally, so allowed this unit of British volunteers to be created and then sent to Spain under the command and pay of the Liberals

• Why the [sic] on Armadillo? That's the correct spelling, at least in American English

• It's not a [sic], it's a word added to the quote to have it make sense in the context of the sentence, that was not present in the original source

• I'm not sure why I read that as [sic]; I'm clearly slipping. Hog Farm _Talk 23:40, 13 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

• "He volunteered for service in the Crimean War in December the following year," - some of the context also implies that either he volunteered his militia unit for service or that part or all of his militia unit volunteered for service independently (not sure how that worked with 19th century British militias). Could this be briefly clarified upon?

• Clarified; he volunteered his regiment, not just himself! The army declined his offer of foreign service but said that his men could join the regular army if they wanted to participate in that way - the regiment was later embodied but only served in home territory

• Is it known if his first marriage ended with divorce or with the death of his spouse?

• I think it more likely to have been death but don't have an RS to say either way. Interestingly he remarried in the same year his son also married - must have been interesting for the family!

I'll do some sort of spot-check once the above are resolved. Hog Farm _Talk 01:56, 9 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

@Hog Farm: Hi, thanks for reviewing this. I've responded above. Pickersgill-Cunliffe (talk) 23:18, 12 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Spot checks:

• "His request was declined and a suggestion made that any of his artillerymen who wanted to serve could instead transfer into the Royal Artillery" - OK
• "It is located in the crypt vestibule of St Faith under St Paul's" - OK
• "MacDougall resigned his command of the 79th on 13 March 1835, choosing to go on half pay so that he could instead join the British Auxiliary Legion that was forming to serve in Spain as a voluntary formation under Spanish command and pay" - source does not mention going on half pay

• Have removed mention as it doesn't change the narrative - I expect I have the source somewhere though!

And how about the quotes for the following passages:

• "By June discontent in the Legion was mounting again; pay was in short supply and the officers were frustrated with an order from Evans that made the Royal Marines they were fighting alongside outrank them."

• "6 June...Evans responded to this resentment by issuing an order giving officers of the Royal Marines a superior local rank over those of the Legion...The order was bitterly disliked by the officers of the Legion...Dissatisfaction persisted over the conditions of service, the arrears of pay, the lack of action, and the status of Legion"

• "MacDougall fought at the Battle of Bladensburg on 24 August and was with the force that advanced afterwards to capture Washington"

• "...he was present at the battle of Bladensburg on 24 August, the capture of Washington..."

• "He first saw action at the Siege of Badajoz from March and on 6 April was part of the force that stormed and captured the city. "

• (having removed "from March") "He took part in the third siege and in the capture by storm of Badajoz on 6 April 1812"

@Hog Farm: Thanks, responses above. Pickersgill-Cunliffe (talk) 00:07, 14 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Since there were a couple minor issues above, how about three more:

• "MacDougall was one of a group of officers who campaigned for Evans to move on and attack Hernani, a previous war goal, but Evans stayed put."

• "Some of his officers, particularly General Duncan MacDougall, the quarter-master-general, urged him to press on and capture Hernani, which had been his first objective in the previous summer. But Evans declined to take the risk...he contented himself with occupying the heights overlooking San Sebastian."

• "MacDougall's old comrade Evans was an opponent of the practice, and in May 1856 he brought forward MacDougall as a sympathetic witness."

• "26 May 1856...Evans...closely identified with the abolition of purchase...he sought to maximise the testimony from sympathetic witnesses, like Sir Duncan MacDougall..." Bit awkward to quote this one, it's quite spread out!

• "After around six years of service at the Cape he transferred to the 53rd Regiment of Foot on 6 February 1812"

• "Capt Cape Regiment 19 Jun 1806. Capt 53rd Foot 6 Feb 1812."

@Hog Farm: And some more! Pickersgill-Cunliffe (talk) 09:30, 14 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]