17 h 11 minAudiobook8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 17 h 11 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What holds a soldier steady when love calls him home and duty leads him into battle?
In Under the Red Dragon, James Grant brings a love story into the world of the Crimean War. British soldiers travel far from home to a country most have never imagined. Through camp life, long marches and battle, the novel follows the strain between private affection and the flag a soldier has sworn to follow.
The red dragon is the old emblem of Wales, and Grant honors the Welsh soldiers who serve beneath it. His warm, patriotic adventure places honor, loyalty to comrades and love of country beside the hope of a safe return. The campaign tests courage, but the pull of home gives the military story its personal stakes.
What you’ll discover
- Love against duty Follow a romance shaped by the competing claims of the heart and the colors.
- Life on campaign Enter a soldier's world of camp life, long marches and the dangers of battle.
- The Welsh connection Discover how the red dragon points to Welsh soldiers and pride in their service.
- Courage far from home Explore the bond between soldiers, their comrades and the places they leave behind.
- A warm Victorian adventure Experience a military romance where honor and affection matter as much as action.
Who will love it
If you love romance set against real history, soldierly friendship, country-house rivalries and Welsh folklore, or vivid scenes of the Crimean War, this novel offers all of them in one story.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A Welsh invitation tempts a poor lieutenant
- Craigaderyn Court welcomes its guests and its ghosts
- A smooth stranger stands between Harry and Estelle
- A fête, a cliff path and a boat adrift
- A secret engagement meets slander at Walcot Park
- The regiment sails east and meets the siege
- A dispatch, a plunge and a château at Yalta
- Love is measured by rank, money and loyalty
- War strips away glory and tests friendship
- A first-person voice, Welsh lore and a goat as symbol
Who’s who
- Harry HardingeA poor lieutenant of the Royal Welsh Fusileers who tells the story and loves a woman far above his rank.
- Lady Estelle CressinghamA beautiful, proud earl's daughter trained by her mother to marry well, who is drawn to Harry but fears losing her place.
- Winifred LloydSir Madoc's gentle, dark-haired elder daughter, an old friend of Harry's who hides her feelings and gives the regiment a goat.
- Dora LloydWinifred's lively younger sister, whose birthday fête brings the guests together and who loves to tease and to help lovers.
- Sir Madoc LloydA hearty Welsh baronet, proud of his ancestry and fond of hunting, who treats Harry like a son and shelters his friends.
- Hawkesby GuilfoyleA smooth, boastful adventurer with a diamond ring and many tales, who wants wealth and the favor of Lady Naseby's family.
- Phil CaradocA handsome, cheerful brother officer and sportsman who follows Harry to Wales and hopes to win Winifred's love.
- Valerie VolhonskiA fair, clever Russian lady with a brother in the army, who shelters a wounded stranger at Yalta.
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Under the Red Dragon
by James Grant · 1872
A poor lieutenant answers a Welsh invitation that leads him from a country fête to the trenches of Sebastopol.
Challenging10–20 hours to readEnglish
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In short
What would you risk for one more meeting with the woman you love, when she may be out of your reach? Harry Hardinge, a poor lieutenant in the Royal Welsh Fusileers, holds a letter that offers him exactly that chance.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A Welsh invitation tempts a poor lieutenant
The story opens at Winchester in the summer of 1854. Harry Hardinge, a lieutenant of twenty-five, sits in his bare barrack room with two friends, Phil Caradoc and Charley Gwynne. Then his servant brings a letter, and Harry falls silent.
The letter comes from Sir Madoc Lloyd, an old Welsh baronet who has known Harry since he was a boy. He invites him to Craigaderyn Court for a birthday fête. He adds, almost in passing, that Lady Estelle Cressingham is a guest, and that a stranger named Hawkesby Guilfoyle seems far too attentive to her.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 8 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1872
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 11 h 10 min
- Level
- Challenging
Cite this edition
Grant, James. Under the Red Dragon. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/under-the-red-dragon.
Grant, J. (2026). Under the red dragon. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/under-the-red-dragon (Original work published 1872)
Grant, James. Under the Red Dragon. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/under-the-red-dragon.
@book{grant2026under,
author = {Grant, James},
title = {Under the Red Dragon},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/under-the-red-dragon},
note = {First published 1872}
}
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What is Under the Red Dragon about?
It follows Harry Hardinge, a poor lieutenant of the Royal Welsh Fusileers, from a love affair at a Welsh country house to the trenches of the Crimean War, mixing romance, rivalry and battle.
Is Under the Red Dragon a true story?
It is a novel by James Grant, but it follows real events of the Crimean War, such as the Alma, Inkermann and the siege of Sebastopol, with real commanders among its invented characters.
What does the red dragon in the title mean?
The red dragon is the ancient badge of Wales. The Royal Welsh Fusileers carry it on their colors, together with a goat as their mascot, and Harry serves in that regiment.
The author
James Grant
1822–1887 · Scottish historical novelist
James Grant was a Scottish novelist born in Edinburgh in 1822. He wrote historical novels and books about military history. His first novel, The Romance of War, appeared in 1845. His other novels included Jane Seton and Under the Red Dragon. He died in London in 1887.
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