in 1840, campbell published the book "a british army, as it was, – is, – and ought to be", which recounts some of his experience in the peninsular war and the battle of plattsburgh (see bibliography below). in volume 1 of "excursions, adventures, and field-sports in ceylon" campbell notes that, from the start of his service in the army, he was in the habit of keeping a journal. however the night before the battle of talavera, thinking that he would be likely to die the next day and not wanting his journal to fall into enemy hands, he burnt it, and thus destroyed the record of events from the previous eight years.