Hailsham Barracks: A Napoleonic Defence 1803-1815

By Stephen Le Vine

Great Britain was at war with France after the breakdown of the Treaty of Amiens in 1803. Napoleon was ravaging Europe, and there was great concern about an invasion across the English Channel. The authorities decided they needed additional defences, and the War Office set up a new department. They considered the south coast the most vulnerable and began a large, expensive program of barracks construction, in addition to the Martello Tower program.

This is a story about one such infantry barracks built in a small town in Sussex. I tell this story of the Barrack Master's Office and the construction of the barracks. The Barrack Master appointed was Philip van Cortland, an American Loyalist officer who relocated to England with his family. There is information about the comings and goings of the many regiments that visited Hailsham while the barracks were in use.

After Napoleon's defeat, authorities shut down many barracks in the southern counties.

This is a record of all the regiments that visited, along with the church burial records that have survived. Soldiers were dying from disease, accidents, fights, and the occasional suicide. Life was very difficult for the regular soldier.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0H21JGSFT
• ISBN13: 9798197087775
• Release Date: May 2019
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 80 Pages
• Weight: 0.24 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.2" x 5.5"