"The Bivouac after the Battle" — Phiz's twenty-fourth engraving for Volume One of Charles Lever's "Tom Burke of 'Ours'" (issued December 1843)

The Bivouac after the Battle (facing p. 361 in vol. 2 of the 1844 edition, p. 27 in vol. 2 of the 1865 edition), horizontally-mounted, 9.2 cm high by 13.5 cm wide, (3 ⅝ by 5 ⅜ inches), vignetted steel engraving for Charles Lever's Tom Burke of "Ours," Chapter LXLIX, "The Field at Midnight" (December 1843), in the William Curry, Jun. two-volume edition (Dublin, 1844); Chapter V in the second volume of the Chapman and Hall edition (London, 1865; rpt., 1869). [Click on the image to enlarge it; mouse over links.]

Passage Complemented: Tom supports the Emperor's raising morale the morning after

The Emperor himself . . . ordered large fires to be lighted throughout the field, and where medical assistance could not be procured, the officers of the staff might be seen covering the wounded with greatcoats and cloaks, and rendering them such aid as lay in their power. Dreadful as the picture was, — fearful reverse to the gorgeous splendour of the vast army the morning sun had shone upon, and in the pride of strength and spirit, — yet even here was there much to make one feel that war is not bereft of its humanizing influences. How many a soldier did I see that night, blackened with powder, his clothes torn and ragged with shot, sitting beside a wounded comrade — now wetting his lips with a cool draught, now cheering his heart with words of comfort! Many, though wounded, were tending others less able to assist themselves. Acts of kindness and self-devotion — not less in number than those of heroism and courage — were met with at every step; while among the sufferers there lived a spirit of enthusiasm that seemed to lighten the worst pang of their agony. Many would cry out, as I passed, to know the fate of the day, and what became of this regiment or of that battalion. Others could but articulate a faint “Vive l'Empereur!” which in the intervals of pain they kept repeating, as though it were a charm against suffering; while one question met me every instant, — “What says the Petit Caporal? Is he content with us?” None were insensible to the glorious issue of that day; nor amid all the agony of death, dealt out in every shape of horror and misery, did I hear one word of anger or rebuke to him for whose ambition they had shed their heart's blood. [Chapter LV, "The Field at Midnight," 361 in vol. 1 of the 1844 edition; Chapter V, pp. 27-28 in vol. 2 of the 1865 and 1869 editions]

Commentary: Tom Savours the Spoils of Napoleon's Greatest Victory (1805)

At the beginning of Chapter LV, "The Field at Midnight, Tom is present at the field of Austerlitz on the morning of 2 December 1805 (11 Frimaire An XIV FRC). The stunning victory of the French over the combined forces of Austria and Russia at the so-called "Battle of Three Emperors" (that is, the Emperor Francis of Austria, the Emperor Alexander of Russia, and the Emperor of France) was Napoleon's tactical masterpiece, following up his successes at Ulm and Vienna. Lever's narrator sums up the victory thus: "a hundred cannons, forty-three thousand prisoners, and thirty-two colours, being the spoils" (Vol. 2, Chapter IV, "Austerlitz," 27).

What matters is that Tom has returned to active duty, and, as the illustration suggests, has been in the thick of battle in the Austrian Campaign of 1805-6. Phiz signifies his central role and narrative perspective by placing him in the centre of the composition, between the roaring campfire (left) and billowing smoke (right), and conversing animatedly with three veterans whom Phiz distinguishes by their postures, faces, and uniforms, whereas Lever merely describes "many a soldier" (27), and distinguishes them only by their dialogue. The convivial mood of the bivouac is utterly at odds with Tom's distress at the dreadful carnage he has recently witnessed.

Further Information

Scanned image and text by Philip V. Allingham. [You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned the image and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]

Bibliography

Buchanan-Brown, John. Phiz! Illustrator of Dickens' World. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1978.

Lester, Valerie Browne Lester. Chapter 11: "'Give Me Back the Freshness of the Morning!'" Phiz! The Man Who Drew Dickens. London: Chatto and Windus, 2004. Pp. 108-127.

Lever, Charles. Tom Burke of "Ours." Dublin: William Curry, Jun., 1844. Illustrated by H. K. Browne. London: Chapman and Hall, 1865; rpt. 1869. Serialised February 1843 through September 1844. 2 vols.

Lever, Charles. Tom Burke of "Ours." Illustrated by Phiz [Hablột Knight Browne]. Vol. I and II. In two volumes. Project Gutenberg. Last Updated: 24 February 2021.

Steig, Michael. Chapter Four: "Dombey and Son: Iconography of Social and Sexual Satire." Dickens and Phiz. Bloomington: Indiana U. P., 1978. Pp. 86-112.

Stevenson, Lionel. Dr. Quicksilver: The Life of Charles Lever. London: Chapman and Hall, 1939.

_______. "The Domestic Scene." The English Novel: A Panorama. Cambridge, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin and Riverside, 1960.

Created 10 November 2023