This chapter considers some of Charlotte Mary Yonge's personal connections with the army: the experience of her father in the Peninsular War; the special nature of the regiments in which he served. The mystery surrounding her brother Julian who joined the Rifle Brigade in the autumn of 1851 but resigned his commission in December 1854. Yonge's account of her life is peppered with references to relations who were naval or army officers. The relevance of such speculation about Yonge's family and her relationship with her brother, provides an extra dimension to the representations of soldierly men that Yonge disseminates through her novels. The fundamental ethos, in contrast to that of traditional regiments, was that soldiers needed to take personal responsibility and initiative. To secure such trust, officers were told to give orders 'in the language of moderation and of regard to the feelings of the individual under his command; abuse, bad language or blows being positively forbid in the Regiment'.