The Soldier's Wife

The Soldier's Wife: or, Scenes in Canteen and on the Battle-Field By G. W. M. Reynolds, serialized in penny dreadful format by T. B. Peterson and Brothers of Philadelphia. The narrative opens in the agricultural village of Oakleigh, a midland setting of modest cottages, shops, and public houses. The tale is foundational—establishing key characters including Sir Archibald Redburn, a wealthy landowner of approximately fifty years who controls the village and surrounding estates; his unmarried sister; and his nearly twenty-one-year-old son. Supporting characters include the apothecary Dr. Colycinth and his three daughters, notably Kitty, the attractive second daughter; the barber Obadiah Bates; and the innkeepers Bushell at the Royal Oak. Chapter One, "The Recruiting Sergeant," introduces a recruiting officer's arrival in the village, setting in motion the military and domestic narrative that follows. The story promises to explore the intersection of wartime conscription and domestic life, with specific focus on a soldier's wife navigating scenes of canteen and battlefield.