Our Soldiers

British army campaigns under Queen Victoria unfold through accounts of marches, sieges and individual acts of courage. William Henry Giles Kingston begins with the struggle over Afghanistan, tracing rival claims to power before following British troops through mountain passes toward Candahar and Ghuznee. Short supplies, difficult transport and decisions made under pressure give the military narrative its practical detail.

The account also records the defence of Lucknow, where exhausted gunners, soldiers and civilian volunteers work to hold threatened positions. Named officers and ordinary ranks receive attention for rescues and dangerous tasks. Kingston writes with strong admiration for the army, yet openly condemns the policy behind the first Afghan campaign as aggression. For readers interested in nineteenth-century military history, that mixture of patriotic storytelling and criticism offers a revealing view of how British campaigns were remembered and explained.