BRUDENELL
Brudenell is also a real person. At least
an artillery chaplain of
that name distinguished himself at Saratoga by reading the
burial service over Major Fraser under fire,
and by a quite read-
able adventure, chronicled by Burgoyne,
with Lady Harriet
Ackland. Lady Harriet’s husband achieved the remarkable feat
of killing himself, instead of his adversary, in a duel. He over-
balanced himself in
the heat of his swordsmanship, and fell
with his head against a pebble. Lady Harriet then married the
warrior
chaplain, who, like Anthony Anderson in the play,
seems to have mistaken his natural profession.
The rest of the Devil’s Disciple may have actually occurred,
like most
stories invented by dramatists; but I cannot pro-
duce any documents. Major Swindon’s name is invented;
but the man, of course, is real. There are dozens of him ex-
tant to this day.
To return to the Electronic
Classics Series site, go to
http://www.hn.psu.edu/faculty/jmanis/jimspdf.htm
To return to the
George Bernard Shaw site,
go to
http://www.hn.psu.edu/faculty/jmanis/gbshaw.htm
