In 1751, aged 22 and then a law student, Horace St. Paul had a "difference" with an older man over the favour of a lady who had asked him to take care of her snuff box (probably not a euphemism). His jealous rival insisted on fighting and died of wounds sustained in that conflict. There being no witnesses to the duel, the Coroner directed that St Paul stand trial for murder. Not wishing to submit himself to the hazards of such a trial, and possibly wishing to avoid compromising the reputation of the lady in the case, St Paul went into exile on the continent, where such matters were regarded less severely.

Financially supported by his father, the young St Paul gravitated to the Court of Prince Charles of Lorraine, Governor of the Austrian Netherlands, in Brussels. When war broke out in 1756, Prince Charles offered St Paul a post as Aide-de-Camp whenever he took the field as Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial and Royal forces.

Anxious to learn his new trade, St Paul proceeded at once to Bohemia to serve as a volunteer with Marshal Browne during the Lobositz campaign. The following year, attached to the suite of Prince Charles of Lorraine, he served with the Austrian army throughout the campaign.

In 1758 and 1759, he acted as a staff officer for Marshal -Daun, was present at all the major engagements. In recognition for his services, he was promoted to Colonel-of-Horse and appointed Cunt of the Holy Roman Empire. The following year, the Austrian high command, having regularized its staff corps, dispensed with the services of volunteers. Despite this, St. Paul continued with the Austrian Army up until the endof 1762. In 1762, he was at Wurzburg taking an interest in operations in Westphalia.

The journals of Horace St. Paul were written as the events unfolded, sometimes his view of events conflicts with the perceived wisdom of hindsight; he also makes extensive use of journals of his brother officers where he missed out on a major event--such as the Battle of Kolin. When times are busy, the entries are sketchy at best -- his description of Leuthen (he preferred to call it the Affair at Lissa) may seem disappointingly short. By contrast, when time hangs heavy on his hands - such as during the siege of Prague - St Paul looks into the minutia of garrison life, providing insights that are not usually thought worthy of record.

As his original editor, George Grey Butler, remarked: "This is not history, but it is the stuff from which history is written."

At the conclusion of the war, and on the intervention of several prominent persons, St Paul received a pardon and returned to England and a distinguished diplomatic career. During the French Revolutionary Wars he raised the Cheviot Legion. St Paul died in 18 12; he is buried at Doddington Church in Northumberland.

"A Journal of the First Two Campaigns of the Seven Years War" edited by George Grey Butler was first published, in French, by Cambridge University Press in 1914. 1 hope, not only to present an English language edition of that work, but also to cover the later journals and extracts from his other papers and correspondence.

Four volumes are already available from Gralene Books:

1756: The War in Bohemia (ISBN 1901162 04 4)
1757: Rechenberg and Malleschitz (ISBN 1901162 02 8)
1757: The Defence of Prague (ISBN 1901162 03 6)
1757-1759: My Dear St Paul (ISBN 1901162 01 X)

All are paperback bound (21cm x 15cm). The recommended retail prices are $20, $30, $40, and $10, respectively. For more details contact your favorite bookseller, or write directly to me - Neil Cogswell, 10 Latimer Lane, Guisborough, Cleveland TS14 8DD, United Kingdom, to become a "friend of Horace St Paul.

Editor: readers in North America can also purchase any of these books from the following sources:

Old Battlefields Press
On Military Matters
Articles of War bookstore
Emperors Headquarters

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