Arthur Conan Doyle's “Other” Short Stories: The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard

One lesson which I have learned in my roaming life, my friends, is never to call anything a misfortune until you have seen the end of it.  Is not every hour a fresh point of view? (pg 76)

I did not care much for The White Company or Sir Nigel, so as far as I was concerned, Arthur Conan Doyle was wrong when it came to estimating his historical fiction works as better than his adventures with Sherlock Holmes. Then I read The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard. While there is no doubt that history has proved Holmes to be the masterpiece—however begrudging—of Sir Arthur, I must admit I enjoyed these much lesser-known short stories immensely.

These stories, which follow the French brigadier through his missions and misadventures on behalf of France and Emperor Napoleon, are the sort of thing one expects from Victorian action-adventure penny dreadfuls. Swashbuckling, honor, secret missions, patriotism, are all part of the fun.  The heroes are brave and undaunted, the villains are dastardly cowards, and the safety of the nation and the values they uphold hang in the balance.

A recurring theme for each of these stories is Gerard constantly getting into trouble. Many times he charges head-first into the plot, but even when he doesn’t seek out conflict, he finds himself in the thick of it. In the beginning chapters alone he is in the Polish countryside, tagging along with a sub-lieutenant Duroc, as they are both posted there in the war against the Russians. Gerard is scouting the land, unaware that Duroc is in search of a Baron Straubenthal for his own ulterior motives. They come to a dilapidated village, meet a poor farmer driving his cart on the road, and Duroc inquires about the Baron. The farmer points to a castle: “‘Why, it is he who owns the Castle of Gloom,’ said the farmer, pointing to the dark turrets over the distant fir forest.” At this point I not only was sure that they had accidentally stumbled into the movie Nosferatu, I also was hooked into the story.  I’ll leave some of the specifics vague, but needless to say Duroc has a bone to pick with the Baron, and Brigadier Gerard finds himself in the middle of a feud…and for once, he’s upset about being thrown into the violence:

Who was ever to know the heights to which I might have risen if I were knocked on the head in this hole-and-corner business, which had nothing whatever to do with France or the Emperor?  I could not help thinking what a fool I had been, when I had a fine war before me and everything which a man could desire, to go off on a hare-brained expedition of this sort, as if it were not enough to have a quarter of a million Russians to fight against, without plunging into all sorts of private quarrels as well. (pg 15)

Another recurring theme—I consider it a running joke—is that Gerard is constantly being called to see Napoleon and given a top-secret mission. Gerard puffs up with pride and begins to act like he and old Boney are besties. He is such a fanboy that Napoleon usually has to put him in his place.  And it always turns out that Gerard was given a fake secret mission, and unbeknownst to the brigadier he’s the distraction while Napoleon pulls off one of his famous mastermind gambits. 

What is particularly enjoyable about these particular stories compared to other adventure stories of the time is the character of Brigadier Etienne Gerard himself, who seems to be a brilliant soldier…though his narrative style is somewhat biased on that point:

It has sometimes struck me that some of you, when you have heard me tell these little adventures of mine, may have gone away with the impression that I was conceited.  There could not be a greater mistake than this, for I have always observed that really fine soldiers are free form this failing.  It is true that I have had to depict myself as brave, sometimes as full of resource, always as interesting; but, then, it really was so, and I had to take the facts as I found them.  It would be an unworthy affectation if I were to pretend that my career has been anything but a fine one. (pg 108)