Memoirs of Capt. George Carleton, an English Officer; Including Anecdotes of the War in Spain Under the Earl of Peterborough (War of the Spanish Succession) 1701-1714

by Daniel Defoe

First published in 1808 under the editorship of Sir Walter Scott, at the height of another war with France, this is a vivid account of one of the campaigns in the great War of the Spanish Succession that convulsed Europe at the beginning of the 18th century, and saw the great triumphs of the Duke of Marlborough. The author, Captain George Carleton, was serving under another commander - Charles Mordaunt, Earl of Peterborough - whose achievements in Spain and Flanders have been somewhat overshadowed by Marlborough's victories. The book describes how Carleton was one of the handful of men who took the great city of Barcelona and subsequently expelled the Duke of Anjou's French army, 25,000 strong, from Spain with a force of only half that number. Sadly, home politics negated Peterborough's victory, as the great writer Jonathan Swift explained in his famous pamphlet 'The Conduct of the Allies': " The only General who, by a course of conduct and fortune almost miraculous, had nearly put us into possession of the kingdom of Spain, was left wholly unsupported, exposed to the envy of his rivals, disappointed by the caprices of a young inexperienced Prince (Charles of Austria, the Allied candidate for the Spanish throne) under the guidance of a rapacious German ministry, and (was) at last called home in discontent." This book is an unusual and eye-opening account of a victorious campaign whose fruits were thrown away.

490 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1728

About the author

Daniel Defoe was an English novelist, journalist, merchant, pamphleteer and spy. He is most famous for his novel Robinson Crusoe, published in 1719, which is claimed to be second only to the Bible in its number of translations. He has been seen as one of the earliest proponents of the English novel, and helped to popularise the form in Britain with others such as Aphra Behn and Samuel Richardson. Defoe wrote many political tracts, was often in trouble with the authorities, and spent a period in prison. Intellectuals and political leaders paid attention to his fresh ideas and sometimes consulted him.
Defoe was a prolific and versatile writer, producing more than three hundred works—books, pamphlets, and journals—on diverse topics, including politics, crime, religion, marriage, psychology and the supernatural. He was also a pioneer of business journalism and economic journalism.

Reviews

[Jordi Granés]

El llibre és molt fluix, d'estructura erràtica i dispersa, força avorrit i només interessant per la curiositat morbosa de veure el que opina un estranger de nosaltres, però el que fa que escrigui la meva primera ressenya aquí, és el munt de mentides de la contracoberta, imagino que pensada per atraure algun nacionalista incaut. No m'hi vull recrear, només destacaré que el narrador acaba el seu relat el març del 1713, feu comptes...

[Teia Romaguera]

Les suposades memòries del capità Carleton no tenen un interès especial. És més un llibre de viatges que una incursió en els fets de Barcelona del 1714. Tal com he llegit en una altra crítica, el que es publica a la portada ("Un militar anglès a la Catalunya del 1714") i a la contraportada és totalment enganyós.

[Carlos SR]

Review in English

I read a version of this book recently translated into Spanish by the University of Alicante, Spain.

In this work, which at least for the Spanish public was quite forgotten, Defoe plays the role of Captain Carleton, a British military man who participates in the European wars of the late 17th century and, mainly, in the War of the Spanish Succession between 1700 and 1714.
The work has two aspects: on the one hand, it is one of the first travel novels by a foreigner in Spain. This genre was popularised by authors such as Irving some time later. As a Spaniard myself, it is curious how a Briton saw Spanish society in the 18th century, although it is also quite condescending, although the description he gives of society I don't think is very far from reality. And Defoe had actually visited Spain in his youth, although his literary work is already in his 60s.
The other side of the work is Defoe's political and military defence of people like Charles Mordaunt, third Earl of Peterborough, or the 1st Earl of Stanhope, with whom I was politically linked.

In my opinion, the book is not of great quality, although it is relevant for its description of cities, towns, festivals and Spanish society of the time. One of the first accounts by a foreigner that I have read.

Reseña en Español

Leí una versión de este libro traducida al castellano, recientemente, por la Universidad de Alicante, España. Gran parte de la trama se desarrolla en el levante español e, imagino que, sociológicamente ha podido ser interesante su traducción para esta Universidad.

En esta obra, que al menos para el público español estaba bastante olvidada, Defoe se pone en la piel del Capitán Carleton, un militar británico que participa en las guerras europeas de finales del siglo XVII y, principalmente, en la guerra de sucesión española entre 1700 y 1714.
La obra tiene dos vertientes, por un lado es una de las primeras novelas de viajes de un extranjero en tierras de España. Género que popularizaron autores como Irving bastante tiempo después. Como español que soy no deja de resultar curioso cómo veía un británico a la sociedad española del siglo XVIII, aunque también se aprecia bastante condescendencia, aunque la descripción que hace de la sociedad no creo que esté muy lejos de la realidad. Y es que Defoe realmente había visitado España en su juventud, aunque su obra literaria despunta cuando él tiene ya 60 años.
La otra cara de la obra es la defensa política y de su gestión militar que Defoe hace en ella de gente como Charles Mordaunt, tercer Conde of Peterborough, o el I Conde de Stanhope, con los que estuvo vinculados políticamente.

El libro en mi opinión, no es de una gran calidad, aunque sí es relevante por su descripción de ciudades, pueblos, fiestas y sociedad española de la época. Uno de los primeros relatos que he leído sobre la sociedad española bajo la vista de un extranjero.