Our Soldier Boy | George Manville Fenn

The date is the Peninsular War, in Portugal. A British family of merchants in Portugal are unaware of the intensity of the nearby fighting in the vicinity. They are at their country home, and go out for a few minutes, leaving their eight-year old son with the servants. The French attack, slay the servants, and leave the child with a severe injury to the head. Later the 200th Fusiliers come by, and the corporal sees the villa, and goes up there to see if he can get anything useful for his men to eat. He sees the slain servants, and comes across the little boy, whom he carries back to his wife, to see if she can bring him round. The boy does recover, becomes the mascot of the regiment, and eventually after a battle with the French, heroically rescues the Colonel himself.

The boy comes to believe that the corporal and his wife are his real parents.