Rifleman Gabriel Cotton

OOC Info
Username/Nickname: Sharpiefan/Sharpie
How did you find out about StC? I run it
Have you read our rules, and do you agree to abide by them? Yes

Character Info:
Canon/Original: Original
First Name(s): Gabriel
Surname: Cotton
Nicknames: Gabe/Gable
Age: 28
Sex: Male
Place of Birth: Throwley, Kent, England
Occupation: Soldier (Rifleman, 5/60th Rifles) (formerly in the 22nd and before that a farm labourer)
Family: Father (Amos), Mother (Mary, deceased), stepmother (Meg), several brothers and sisters. Recently married to Maggie Cotton (nee Evans).

Description: He is 28 in May 1809, 5'6" with short brown hair and brown eyes. He is generally clean-shaven, though he wears his sideburns long, below his ears. He is very proud of his green Rifleman's jacket with the red facings of the 5/60th. He has keen eyesight and is a good shot; he has recently beaten the best shot of the Chosen Men of the 95th in a straight competition. He is tanned from spending most of his time out of doors, though the tan stops at his wrists and goes no further down than his neck. He takes care of his equipment and is very proud of being batman (soldier-servant) to his company officer, picked out by his sergeant because of his care of his kit and his eye for detail.

He wears, as mentioned, the green jacket of the rifles with the 60th's red facings. He should wear the blue trousers which are the 60th's regimental issue, but he has stowed them away to be worn when he needs to look smart, replacing them with a pair of trousers made from cloth that looks suspiciously like that which the monks' habits are made from. He has the standard issue haversack (breadbag) and canteen (waterbottle, also known as a calabash in the army), but the leatherwork - crossbelt and waistbelt - are black leather. Instead of a standard musket bayonet, he carries a sword bayonet. His main weapon is the Baker rifle, and he takes great care of it and is very proud to be among the elite who carry a rifle instead of a musket.

Strengths and Weaknesses:
~ He is a good friend, loyal to those who are loyal to him.
~ He is unfailingly cheerful and good-tempered.
~ He is generally honest and reliable.
~ He has a position of trust and respect as the officer's batman (soldier-servant).
~ He has a tendency to apologise over-much, which can get wearing.
~ He is illiterate, though not unintelligent.
~ He is shy and ill at ease in the presence of officers he does not know well.

Background:

Cotton is the second son and third child of a farm labourer in Kent. His mother died in childbirth when he was four, as did the baby, so his recollection of her is very hazy. His father remarried not long afterwards, and he regards his stepmother as his mother.

He began his working life at the young age of five, doing simple things like bird-scaring and stone-picking (clearing the fields of stones before the ploughing started), which only earned a few pence that went into the housekeeping.

At the age of twelve, he was goaded into a fight with the Squire's eldest son, who was the local bully and about four years older than him. He ended up on the ground with a penknife held to his throat, though the Squire came past before he could do anything. Because of the dressing-down he received, the Squire's son held a grudge against him, which meant that when he inherited the estate in 1804, he threatened to have Cotton's family turned out. Cotton, knowing the reason for the threat, offered to leave home if it meant his family could stay.

This happened about a week or so before the hiring fair was held in Faversham, the nearest town. Cotton went to the fair to try to obtain a new place, but had no luck till he fell in with a sergeant recruiting for the 22nd Regiment of Foot, the Cheshires. Persuading the Sergeant to let him attempt to find a job doing what he knew he was good at, he eventually found himself in the Wheatsheaf, being plied with ale, and took the shilling.

Training went well and he was placed in the Light Company. When they got a new officer, he was puzzled to be called in a told he had been recommended for a transfer to the 5/60th, a Rifle battalion who were looking for smart young men as recruits.

He made the transfer easily, a little bemused by the rapidity of it, the rifle itself and the fact that the vast majority of the rest of the riflemen spoke German, a language he had never heard in his life before. He sailed to Spain with them, as part of Sir John Moore's army, although he only saw action at Rolica and Vimiero. The 5/60th did not take part in the famous retreat from Salamanca to Corunna, being sent instead to reinforce the garrison at Lisbon.

It was shortly before Christmas 1809, when in Lisbon, that he was called into the Captain's office and told that he had been recommended as batman, despite his illiteracy and inexperience in such a role. The state of his equipment and uniform was enough to convince his Company officer, Captain Vickery, that he could take such a role.

He has recently taken up with Maggie Evans, who came out to Portugal with her sweetheart Jem Balstrode, a Corporal in the 5/60th who was killed at Vimeiro. He initially offered her his protection and friendship. His feelings towards her have grown stronger since the battalion marched from Lisbon. She was attacked and raped by a sergeant from another regiment, but that has not lessened Cotton's feelings towards her and he has recently asked her to marry him, which she agreed to do only when she found she wasn't carrying a baby.

Anything Else: PB: Danny Cunningham.

Writing Sample/Past Roleplay:

The tent could wait a moment, Cotton decided, looking at the heap of canvas, rope and wooden poles.

He'd never seen a woman in this condition before, and wasn't quite sure what to do. He crouched next to Maggie, wondering if her symptoms were caused by the brandy of last night and simple exhaustion, or if they were the sign of something more serious. What he was going to do, he decided, was pack the tent up properly, load it onto the pack saddle of Vickery's mule and get Maggie onto the back of her donkey to take them both to the baggage. He could then deliver Maggie to the surgeon... He wondered if he could get permission from Vickery to stay with her.

Strictly speaking, as Vickery's batman, he was in charge of the officer's baggage at all times, which meant that he should stay with it. He preferred marching with his mates usually, and Jestel said he found it just as easy to look after two mules as one, which allowed Cotton to march with the rest of the Company. Right now, though, Maggie needed him there, especially after what she'd gone through only two days ago.

He pulled her into his arms. "You... you had a bad dream last night, Maggie," he said. "An' that Jenny Ross who's so friendly to you, an' bin lookin' after you for me, she gave you a bit of brandy. I reckon it's just that, an' that you'm so tired after all that catchin' up you had to do yesterday." He stroked her hair. "I're goin' to finish packin' the tent up, an' then I're goin' to take it an' you, down to the baggage. I'll see if I can't find a cart or somewhere you can sit on, an' I'll ask the Captain if I can stay with you today, if you'd like."

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