Robert MacDonald was born in Perthshire, Scotland in 1804. At a young age he aspired to be a soldier and dreamed of glory on the battlefield. Mr. MacDonald doesn’t speak much about his early childhood and teenage years throughout his account, titled a Personal Narrative of Military Travel and Adventure. The focus of his book isn’t as much about himself as much as it is about his adventures and the people who accompanied him.

Mr. MacDonald recalls an event of his youth which furthered his desire to serve. One afternoon he went to town to retrieve some goods for his family. In town, a British soldier was rallying the masses against the French- as at this time Napoleon was tearing across Europe. At ten years of age, the frenzied Robert wanted to enlist in the British military and fight the French. The soldier denied his request which made Robert argue more. Eventually, Robert’s mother came to town looking for her son and brought him back to their home.

Throughout his teenage years and into adult hood, Robert lived and worked on a farm in Scotland. He noticed his life wasn’t going as he desired, so at age twenty-five he joined the British East India Company. The first adventure of Robert’s life began with a trip to China. He was gone for two years. Upon returning to Britain, the captain who hired him fell on troubled times. Robert left the ‘Company’ and returned to the farm.

At age twenty-seven he recalls being out late one night. He was staring at the sky and was lost in the stars. He had an epiphany of sorts and decided to enlist in service to the crown. In April of 1831, Robert MacDonald joined the British military. He was sent to the 1stRifle Brigade, where he would rise through the ranks, eventually reaching that of sergeant, throughout his service.

Eventually retiring from the military due to severe rheumatism, a reference he makes throughout his work, he decided to write his adventures. During his voyage, he kept notes and was able to compile them for his manuscript. He wrote the final copy of his work in his home town of Perth, in Scotland, at the age of 55. (Biography written by Tom Bucco, December 2013).

 

Robert MacDonald’s book, Personal Narrative of Military Travel and Adventure in Turkey and Persia, is available online through Google books. Click here to read.

 

 

Access MacDonald’s itinerary here.

 

 

To read more about Robert MacDonald, please read Tom Bucco’s essay, which can be found here.