SHARPES SKIRMISH: RICHARD SHARPE AND THE DEFENCE OF THE TORMES, AUGUST 1812 PDF, EPUB, EBOOK

Bernard Cornwell | 64 pages | 03 Sep 2002 | The Sharpe Appreciation Society | 9780972222006 | English | Nottingham, United Kingdom Bernard Cornwellwhere do I start? |

Originally published in Blackwood's magazine. Partially in Spain including the battles of Cuidad Rodrigo and Badajoz. Editions Londdon: S. Brereton, Captn. Brereton was a prolific author of fiction for boys, modeled after G. Brew, Margaret W. Campbell, Dr. Campbell, K. Capes, B. A Castle in Spain : being certain memoirs, thus entitled, of Robin Lois, ex-major of His Majesty's th regiment of foot Capes was a prolific late Victorian author; lately some of his ghost stories have been reprinted. Editions London: Smith, Elder. Martin's Press. Connell, F. Cornwell, Bernard Sharpe's Enemy. Amazon New York: Penguin Books. Cornwell, Bernard Sharpe's company. Cornwell, Bernard Sharpe's eagle. Cornwell, Bernard Sharpe's gold. Cornwell, Bernard Sharpe's havoc. Cornwell, Bernard Sharpe's honor. New York: Penguin Books. Cornwell, Bernard Sharpe's revenge. Cornwell, Bernard Sharpe's rifles. Cornwell, Bernard Sharpe's siege. Cornwell, Bernard Sharpe's skirmish. Revised and extended edition. Cornwell, Bernard Sharpe's sword. Crockett, S. It is included because the book is included in a short listing of fiction of the Peninsular War at Manchester Polytechnic Library. The book itself has very slight reference to the Peninsular War, but is of that time period. Editions London: Ward Lock. Dallas Alexander R. Felix Alvarez, or, Manners in Spain Containing descriptive accounts of some of the prominent events of the late Peninsular War; and authentic anecdotes illustrative of the Spanish character; interspersed with poetry, original and from the Spanish - from the title page. Delderfield, R. New York: Simon and Schuster. Editions London: John Murray. Fenn, G. Manville 'Tention! Finnemore, J. Philadelphia: Lippincott. London: Pearson. Forester, C. First edition. Boston: Little, Brown. Series: Hornblower 7. Series: Hornblower 6. Boston: Little, Brown and Co. American title: Rifleman Dodd. Washington: Infantry Journal Special Edition. London: Michael Joseph. London: Bodley Head. Greenwich edition. Editions London: Hodder and Stoughton. Translated by Kathleen Betterton. Fortescue J. The drummer's coat See also his multi-volume history of the British Army. Editions London: Macmillan and Co.. Translated by Lila Wells Guzman. Galdos, Benito Perez Saragossa. George, S. Gilson, Captain Charles. Glasse, Francis Ned Clinton, or, The commissary : comprising adventures and events during the Peninsular War, with curious and original anecdotes of military and other remarkable characters Editions London: Printed for W. Gleig, George Robert The Subaltern Follows very closely the author's own experiences, and may as well have been classed with memoirs. Glieg was with the 85th foot. Editions Edinburgh: William Blackwood. Third Edition. London: J. London: Leo Cooper. Edited by Ian Robertson. London: Routledge. Complete edition. London: Collins. There are a number of reprints from various publishers around Editions London: Hutchinson. WorldCat Edinburgh: William Blackwood. Before his promotion, Sharpe served in the 33rd Foot and the 74th Foot. Sharpe rose from the rank of a Sergeant to finish his army days as Lieutenant-Colonel in Sharpe's Waterloo. Richard Sharpe is six feet tall with dark hair. He has a scar on his right cheek which gives him a mocking look. On his back he carries the scars of an unjust flogging from his earlier days in the army as a Private. He wears his tattered and patched green jacket - a Rifleman's jacket - with pride, regardless of the colours of the uniform of the Regiment he is in command of. On his feet he wears knee-high French boots, taken from a dead Frenchman after a battle. He arms himself with a Baker Rifle and an officer's sword. Traditionally an officer had a sabre in his scabbard. However, Sharpe, not being a traditional officer, carried a inch heavy cavalry sword, sometimes referred to as a 'butcher's sword' by other officers. Sharpe has a strong dislike for privilege and wealth, and often finds himself under the command of less experienced officers than himself. While commissioned officers could purchase their promotions after a fixed time-period, Sharpe had to earn his, and even then until appropriate personnel at Horse Guards had accepted and confirmed in writing a gazette to a higher officer rank, it could easily be withdrawn, or even purchased by a commissioned officer. Sharpe is seen in many different ways: as an upstart from the ranks, a rogue, brave, a bastard son of a peasant whore, victorious, gallant, but most of all he was seen as being lucky sometimes, even by his enemies, including French officers as well as his own side. To Sharpe, failure was never an acceptable outcome. Some of Sharpe's luck can be accounted for by his wit, resourcefulness, cunning, ruthlessness and trickery as witnessed in Sharpe's Honour. Due to the incompetence of a quartermaster, Major Sharpe's small infantry battalion lost all their muskets' ammunition, with an attack from the French imminent: around fifteen hundred enemy solders, including infantry, cavalry, and guns cannon against only four hundred English infantry and Captain Frederickson's company of 60th Riflemen. Sharpe managed to persuade the French General to surrender, with no deaths or injuries to Sharpe's men and just seven French deaths, with 21 wounded. And that was just in the first chapter. It was not all glory and victory for Sharpe; he had his low times too. It was during one of these low times in Sharpe's Prey , while he was drowning his sorrows in a tavern that a general noted Sharpe's natural talents as a soldier and a leader. General Baird told Lieutenant Sharpe:. Sharpe would go on to become one of the best leaders and most respected officers in Wellington's army. He believed that a soldier was only as good as his last battle, and strived to make every battle the best for himself and the men under his command. Sharpe's rules: The army issued regulations and rules in big thick books but Sharpe imposed three simple, basic rules on the men in his command:. In his 25 years as a professional soldier, Sharpe suffered 11 serious wounds. Despite these, Sharpe always came out on top with 65 confirmed enemy kills and countless injuries with his heavy cavalry sword, a 'brown bess musket' or the state of the art Baker rifle. Sharpe befriended numerous officers, both above and below his rank including the young Lieutenant Harold Price, who can often been found suffering the affects of too much alcohol. Price is from Hampshire; his father had bought his son's commission to enable him to escape gambling debts and unwanted pregnancies among the ladies in his hometown. The character of Sir Arthur Wellesley, later to become Lord Wellington, was based on the real military hero of the era, the Duke of Wellington. He went on to command the British forces in the Peninsular War, and then again at Waterloo, and was never once defeated in his military career. Wellington in the novels is shown to be a ruthless general, not afraid to 'throw men to the wolves' to gain the advantage. He had promoted Sharpe up from the ranks, after Sharpe saved his life and helped him gain the title of Lord Wellington by helping to win the Battle of Talavera, and by capturing a French Eagle 2 the equivalent of the English regimental colours. Despite this, Wellington is not above using Sharpe either as bait or a fall guy in the political world he lives in. This can be witnessed to great effect in Sharpe's Battle and Sharpe's Honour. The Peer, as Lord Wellington was known in the novels, has been described as Britain's greatest ever professional soldier. His reputation, much like Sharpe's, was forged in the heat of India where he became the famous 'Sepoy General'. Although hostile towards Sharpe at first, Harper becomes Sharpe's right-hand man, confidante and best friend. Harper grew up in a small village in Donegal, Ireland, the fourth of eleven children. He left home at the age of 16 to go to Derry to find a better life for himself. However, one morning he found he had joined the army, after a recruiting sergeant had got him drunk. At a towering six feet and four inches, Harper is a full four inches taller than Sharpe; he's muscular too. Harper's regular weapon is a seven-barrelled volley gun; one of Henry Nock's less successful inventions, which Sharpe gave to Harper around Christmastime one year, believing that Harper is the only man strong enough to be able to handle the shoulder-breaking recoil as the seven bullets exploded from its barrels; even Harper was occasionally knocked off his feet by the strength of the recoil. Harper carries a lucky rabbit foot in his pocket, is a keen bird-watcher and has the habit of saying 'God save Ireland' in situations of disbelief. Due to his natural leadership qualities Sharpe makes him a sergeant, the non-commissioned officer NCO in direct line between officers and men in a company, and finally a sergeant major, the most senior NCO rank. Sharpe has the pleasure of numerous women throughout the novels; Harper has just one: Isabella. Harper and Sharpe rescue the young Spanish Isabella from a group of drunken British soldiers in Badajoz, after a hard-fought victory to take the town in Sharpe's Company. Isabella travels with the regiment along with the soldiers' wives and 'hangers on'. A relationship develops between Harper and Isabella and they get married in Sharpe's Enemy. Harper, believing the army was no place for his wife, sends her to stay with relations in London. Isabella appears in the novels from time to time, including in Sharpe's Regiment. The 95th Rifles were based on a real regiment of the era; the 95th Foot. After their heroic actions in The Peninsular Campaign and Waterloo, they were renamed The Rifle Brigade 95th , thus being saved from being dis-banded. The role of the modern infantryman was developed from their tactics in the field. In Cornwell's novels the 95th Rifle Regiment was just one of the Rifle regiments, also known as the 'green jackets' due to the distinguished green jackets they wore. Riflemen are an elite Company of the best sharp-shooters Wellington's army had to offer. Rifle Regiments are a detachment to Infantry Regiments. They are skirmishers who work in front of the infantrymen. The riflemen work in pairs covering for each other as they fire at the enemy. The riflemen's motto is. The Baker Rifles used by both Sharpe and the rifle regiments took longer to load than the muskets used by the infantrymen. However, what the Baker rifles lost in slowness of loading they gained in accuracy of firing. Sharpe's first command is of a small detached group of the 95th Rifles, which includes Rifleman Hagman, an ex-poacher from Cheshire: the oldest of the Rifles, Hagman is believed to be the best sharpshooter in Wellington's army. On the battlefield Sharpe and Harper together were a formidable force to be reckoned with; when a rifle regiment backed them up they were unstoppable. Sharpe is most at home when in command of the 95th Rifles. Captain Frederickson is ironically nicknamed Sweet William by his men for his frightful appearance during battle when he removes his eye patch, revealing an eyeless socket and because he also removes his false teeth, thereby emphasising his facial scars from previous battles. He's a career soldier, a good leader and a good fighter. Sweet William proves to be a good friend and ally to Sharpe using his determination and soldiering skills to defeat the enemy. Hogan is an Engineer when he first meets and befriends Sharpe, who he always addresses by his first name, Richard. The snuff-taking Irishman is promoted to Chief of Intelligence and put on Wellington's staff. Hogan, who is fluent in Spanish, Portuguese and French communicates with Wellington's Exploring Officers spies behind enemy lines and the Guerrilleros who hide in the hills, and ambush the French at every opportunity. Major Hogan dies of fever in Sharpe's Siege. Lawford first meets Sharpe in Sharpe's Tiger while Sharpe is still a private and Lawford is the 33rd's new young Lieutenant. Although Lawford is a rich man from an affluent background, he recognises Sharpe's natural soldiering skills and requests that Sharpe accompanies him on his mission to infiltrate Seringapatam. When the pair are captured, Sharpe tells Lawford that he wishes to become a Sergeant. Lawford, knowing that a good Sergeant must be able to read and write, agrees to teach Sharpe during their incarceration in the Tippo Sultan's dungeons. Lawford is a regular character in the novels, often helping Sharpe while always remaining Sharpe's superior officer. During the attack on Ciudad Rodrigo, a mine explodes and Lawford is caught in the blast. Sharpe, horrified, is forced to cut the remains of Lawford's arm off to enable him to survive. He does survive, but is forced to leave the army and return to England where he receives a knighthood and becomes a politician. Sir William Lawford MP makes a final appearance in the series in Sharpe's Regiment ; his political connections help Sharpe overcome Simmerson's crimping scam and regain control of the new Prince of Wales's Own Volunteers. When Bernard Cornwell was writing the Sharpe novels he soon realised that in order to maintain the excitement, some of Sharpe's adversaries would need to be on his own side, as well as the enemies' side. Hakeswill is a yellow-skinned, lank-haired, twitching psychopath. Obadiah Hakeswill is Sharpe's oldest enemy. Hakeswill suffers from a nervous twitch in his face and hideous scarring on his neck, caused by an event at the age of 12 when he was sentenced to be hanged. After his uncle saved his life by cutting him down, Hakeswill began to believe he was immortal; a man who could not be killed. It was Hakeswill who enlisted 'Sharpie' Hakeswill's taunting nickname for Sharpe into the army. To the officers Hakeswill is punctilious and obsequious, the perfect soldier. However, to the men in his command, Hakeswill is an evil and sadistic tyrant. While in India in Sharpe's Tiger , Hakeswill, along with another sergeant, frames Sharpe for a serious assault, and has him flogged. Years later, Hakeswill joins the South Essex and frames Harper for theft, causing him too to be flogged for a crime he did not commit. Hakeswill's other offences against Sharpe include attempting to rape Teresa, Sharpe's wife, and threatening to kill their baby daughter, Antonia. Hakeswill's final affront to Sharpe is the murder of Teresa while Hakeswill is a deserter in Sharpe's Enemy. When Hakeswill is sentenced to be shot for desertion, Sharpe is given command of the firing squad. The fourteen muskets fire on Sharpe's command, but they do not kill the seemingly immortal Hakeswill. You can't kill me! Sharpe holds his rifle at Hakeswill's head and pulls the trigger; Sharpe kills the man who could not be killed. Simmerson, a wealthy aristocrat, has friends in high places, including at Horse Guards. He purchases his commission and the South Essex Company. Simmerson is indignant at Sharpe's position as an officer raised from the ranks. Privately, Simmerson calls Sharpe 'a bastard son of a peasant whore'. As a Commanding Officer, Simmerson is cowardly, tyrannical and sadistic and has the men in his charge flogged for any minor reason. Planning to become a hero in Spain, he is soon embarrassed by Sharpe's expertise and learns to hate Sharpe even more after Simmerson shamefully runs from a battle taking his Company with him, consequently losing his regimental colours to the French. By the end of Sharpe's Eagle he has returned to England in disgrace. However, that doesn't stop Simmerson taking credit for the capture of an Eagle the French equivalent of the British Regimental Colours even though he ran from the battle before Sharpe and Harper captured the Eagle. In Sharpe's Regiment Simmerson is involved in a scam to sell trained recruits to other regiments for cash, a practice known as crimping. Sharpe exposes the scam with the help of Simmerson's own niece, Jane Gibbons, who later becomes Sharpe's second wife. With the help of his friends, Simmerson manages to escape justice. Ducos, not a real Major in military terms, is a French Intelligence Officer. Ducos is a revolutionary who had his own parents guillotined, which shows just what lengths he would go to for the revolution and the Emperor Napoleon. Ducos is feared and mistrusted by the majority of French officers. Ducos first meets Sharpe at a dinner party hosted by the French during a truce in the Spanish town of Adrados on Christmas Day, Ducos makes an enemy of Sharpe by making disparaging remarks about Teresa, Sharpe's dead wife, who he is still mourning over. Sharpe responds by calmly removing Ducos's spectacles, dropping them on the floor and treading on them, making an enemy of Ducos. They cross paths several times, but it's in Sharpe's Honour that Ducos gets his 'eye for an eye' revenge: when Sharpe is captured by the French, Ducos breaks Sharpe's telescope, his most treasured possession. After the peace of is declared between Britain and France, Ducos steals part of Napoleon's treasure and frames Sharpe for the theft and murder of Xavier Lassan. After hunting Ducos across Italy, to Naples, Sharpe's ally General Calvet charges the increasingly paranoid Ducos with treason and has him executed by a firing squad. Sharpe may not be a gentleman in the eyes of other officers but he is popular with the ladies, who are attracted to the tall, dark-haired, battle-scarred officer. Other officers' wives are not out-of-bounds to Sharpe. It's often the women in Sharpe's life that have the biggest influence on him. Grace travels with her husband and officers in expensive cabins above deck, while Sharpe, who has recently been given the field commission of Ensign, has to sleep in a curtained-off area below decks, due to his lack of money. Sharpe is invited to dine with the other officers, and Grace is present too. Grace, as well as being beautiful, is a highly intelligent woman who reads Greek and Latin; she is largely self-taught but is mocked for this by her husband, who at 20 years her senior views her as a trophy wife. Grace and Sharpe's eyes meet across the table; it is love at first sight for them both and, despite barely exchanging a few words, they fall in love and enjoy many stolen moments together. When Lord William's accompanying secretary discovers their affair he approaches Sharpe and threatens to reveal all to Lord William. Sharpe solves the problem by killing him. However, Lord Hale finds out about the affair. While Sharpe is doing his duty in the Battle of Trafalgar, Lord William reveals his knowledge of their affair to Grace below decks. There is a confrontation, which results in Grace being responsible for her husband's death. Sharpe then helps her to conceal her crime. After returning to England as a widow, Grace sets up home with Sharpe unmarried, which at the time is considered shocking. As a member of the upper classes she is not in a position to insist upon marrying her lover and instead endures the gossip and being shunned by society for the love of Sharpe. In Sharpe's Prey , Grace dies shortly after giving birth to Sharpe's son, who dies within hours of her. This low point in Sharpe's life leads him to attempt to sell his commission and leave the army. However, his field commission turns out to be worthless. The legal wrangling, which results in him losing everything they had built together, is the reason for Sharpe's lifelong distrust and loathing of lawyers, hinted at in several of the novels. Sharpe first encounters Teresa in Sharpe's Gold where she is tied spread-eagled, a prisoner of the French in her father's mansion house. Sharpe and his men rescue her. While Harper is watching over her would-be rapist, Teresa, a partisan, uses the Frenchman's own sword to stab him in the groin. Sharpe has heard of this woman, who apparently fights like a man, and is betrothed to El Catolico leader of the partisans, who stalked the French and killed more of the enemy than Wellington's army. The partisans are normally allies of Wellington's army; Sharpe, however, had made an enemy of El Catolico over the Spanish gold which Sharpe was unofficially sanctioned to steal from the Spanish. Sharpe's Skirmish by Cornwell Bernard - AbeBooks

Accused of stealing Napoleon's personal treasure, Sharpe escapes from a British military court and embarks on the battle of his life--armed only with the unflinching resolve to protect his honor. As Napoleon threatens to crush Britain on the battlefield, Lt. Richard Sharpe leads a ragtag army to exact personal revenge against a French general known for his acts of terror. Sharpe's Battle takes Richard Sharpe and his company back to the spring of and one of the most bitter battles of the Peninsular War, a battle on which all British hopes of victory in Spain will depend. Sharpe is given responsibility to lead an Irish battalion of the king of Spain's household guard, ceremonial troops untrained and unequipped for battle. After the cowardly incompetence of two officers besmirches their name, Captain Richard Sharpe must redeem the regiment by capturing the most valued prize in the French Army—a golden Imperial Eagle, the standard touched by the hand of Napoleon himself. Reports, Documents, and Journals of the U. Senate and House of Representatives. To stem the Napoleonic tide, Sharpe must capture a fortress— where his wife and infant daughter are trapped—while protecting himself from a fellow officer determined to destroy him. Log in or Sign up. Bernard Cornwell Joined: Mar 26, Messages: 7 Likes Received: 0. I've heard a lot about this fellow and I LOVE medieval history, namely it's warfare along with the strategy and tactics. I'm new to this gent's books so I was wondering where I should start. I saw several of his books in at the book store and I would really hate to accidentally run into a love story, lol. I'm a guy after all. Briffault , Apr 12, I would highly recommend one of two series to start. I think in the UK this one was titled "Harlequin". My favorites are the Saxon series which starts with "The Last Kingdom". I've read most of his stuff and these two series really stand out. This series was pretty good too. You get lots of well described war with Cornwell, and a lively story with characters that run the gamut from love- able to I can't wait for someone to cut your head off. Awesome, those are the ones I was looking at. In his 25 years as a professional soldier, Sharpe suffered 11 serious wounds. Despite these, Sharpe always came out on top with 65 confirmed enemy kills and countless injuries with his heavy cavalry sword, a 'brown bess musket' or the state of the art Baker rifle. Sharpe befriended numerous officers, both above and below his rank including the young Lieutenant Harold Price, who can often been found suffering the affects of too much alcohol. Price is from Hampshire; his father had bought his son's commission to enable him to escape gambling debts and unwanted pregnancies among the ladies in his hometown. The character of Sir Arthur Wellesley, later to become Lord Wellington, was based on the real military hero of the era, the Duke of Wellington. He went on to command the British forces in the Peninsular War, and then again at Waterloo, and was never once defeated in his military career. Wellington in the novels is shown to be a ruthless general, not afraid to 'throw men to the wolves' to gain the advantage. He had promoted Sharpe up from the ranks, after Sharpe saved his life and helped him gain the title of Lord Wellington by helping to win the Battle of Talavera, and by capturing a French Eagle 2 the equivalent of the English regimental colours. Despite this, Wellington is not above using Sharpe either as bait or a fall guy in the political world he lives in. This can be witnessed to great effect in Sharpe's Battle and Sharpe's Honour. The Peer, as Lord Wellington was known in the novels, has been described as Britain's greatest ever professional soldier. His reputation, much like Sharpe's, was forged in the heat of India where he became the famous 'Sepoy General'. Although hostile towards Sharpe at first, Harper becomes Sharpe's right- hand man, confidante and best friend. Harper grew up in a small village in Donegal, Ireland, the fourth of eleven children. He left home at the age of 16 to go to Derry to find a better life for himself. However, one morning he found he had joined the army, after a recruiting sergeant had got him drunk. At a towering six feet and four inches, Harper is a full four inches taller than Sharpe; he's muscular too. Harper's regular weapon is a seven-barrelled volley gun; one of Henry Nock's less successful inventions, which Sharpe gave to Harper around Christmastime one year, believing that Harper is the only man strong enough to be able to handle the shoulder-breaking recoil as the seven bullets exploded from its barrels; even Harper was occasionally knocked off his feet by the strength of the recoil. Harper carries a lucky rabbit foot in his pocket, is a keen bird-watcher and has the habit of saying 'God save Ireland' in situations of disbelief. Due to his natural leadership qualities Sharpe makes him a sergeant, the non-commissioned officer NCO in direct line between officers and men in a company, and finally a sergeant major, the most senior NCO rank. Sharpe has the pleasure of numerous women throughout the novels; Harper has just one: Isabella. Harper and Sharpe rescue the young Spanish Isabella from a group of drunken British soldiers in Badajoz, after a hard-fought victory to take the town in Sharpe's Company. Isabella travels with the regiment along with the soldiers' wives and 'hangers on'. A relationship develops between Harper and Isabella and they get married in Sharpe's Enemy. Harper, believing the army was no place for his wife, sends her to stay with relations in London. Isabella appears in the novels from time to time, including in Sharpe's Regiment. The 95th Rifles were based on a real regiment of the era; the 95th Foot. After their heroic actions in The Peninsular Campaign and Waterloo, they were renamed The Rifle Brigade 95th , thus being saved from being dis- banded. The role of the modern infantryman was developed from their tactics in the field. In Cornwell's novels the 95th Rifle Regiment was just one of the Rifle regiments, also known as the 'green jackets' due to the distinguished green jackets they wore. Riflemen are an elite Company of the best sharp-shooters Wellington's army had to offer. Rifle Regiments are a detachment to Infantry Regiments. They are skirmishers who work in front of the infantrymen. The riflemen work in pairs covering for each other as they fire at the enemy. The riflemen's motto is. The Baker Rifles used by both Sharpe and the rifle regiments took longer to load than the muskets used by the infantrymen. However, what the Baker rifles lost in slowness of loading they gained in accuracy of firing. Sharpe's first command is of a small detached group of the 95th Rifles, which includes Rifleman Hagman, an ex-poacher from Cheshire: the oldest of the Rifles, Hagman is believed to be the best sharpshooter in Wellington's army. On the battlefield Sharpe and Harper together were a formidable force to be reckoned with; when a rifle regiment backed them up they were unstoppable. Sharpe is most at home when in command of the 95th Rifles. Captain Frederickson is ironically nicknamed Sweet William by his men for his frightful appearance during battle when he removes his eye patch, revealing an eyeless socket and because he also removes his false teeth, thereby emphasising his facial scars from previous battles. He's a career soldier, a good leader and a good fighter. Sweet William proves to be a good friend and ally to Sharpe using his determination and soldiering skills to defeat the enemy. Hogan is an Engineer when he first meets and befriends Sharpe, who he always addresses by his first name, Richard. The snuff-taking Irishman is promoted to Chief of Intelligence and put on Wellington's staff. Hogan, who is fluent in Spanish, Portuguese and French communicates with Wellington's Exploring Officers spies behind enemy lines and the Guerrilleros who hide in the hills, and ambush the French at every opportunity. Major Hogan dies of fever in Sharpe's Siege. Lawford first meets Sharpe in Sharpe's Tiger while Sharpe is still a private and Lawford is the 33rd's new young Lieutenant. Although Lawford is a rich man from an affluent background, he recognises Sharpe's natural soldiering skills and requests that Sharpe accompanies him on his mission to infiltrate Seringapatam. When the pair are captured, Sharpe tells Lawford that he wishes to become a Sergeant. Lawford, knowing that a good Sergeant must be able to read and write, agrees to teach Sharpe during their incarceration in the Tippo Sultan's dungeons. Lawford is a regular character in the novels, often helping Sharpe while always remaining Sharpe's superior officer. During the attack on Ciudad Rodrigo, a mine explodes and Lawford is caught in the blast. Sharpe, horrified, is forced to cut the remains of Lawford's arm off to enable him to survive. He does survive, but is forced to leave the army and return to England where he receives a knighthood and becomes a politician. Sir William Lawford MP makes a final appearance in the series in Sharpe's Regiment ; his political connections help Sharpe overcome Simmerson's crimping scam and regain control of the new Prince of Wales's Own Volunteers. When Bernard Cornwell was writing the Sharpe novels he soon realised that in order to maintain the excitement, some of Sharpe's adversaries would need to be on his own side, as well as the enemies' side. Hakeswill is a yellow-skinned, lank-haired, twitching psychopath. Obadiah Hakeswill is Sharpe's oldest enemy. Hakeswill suffers from a nervous twitch in his face and hideous scarring on his neck, caused by an event at the age of 12 when he was sentenced to be hanged. After his uncle saved his life by cutting him down, Hakeswill began to believe he was immortal; a man who could not be killed. It was Hakeswill who enlisted 'Sharpie' Hakeswill's taunting nickname for Sharpe into the army. To the officers Hakeswill is punctilious and obsequious, the perfect soldier. However, to the men in his command, Hakeswill is an evil and sadistic tyrant. While in India in Sharpe's Tiger , Hakeswill, along with another sergeant, frames Sharpe for a serious assault, and has him flogged. Years later, Hakeswill joins the South Essex and frames Harper for theft, causing him too to be flogged for a crime he did not commit. Hakeswill's other offences against Sharpe include attempting to rape Teresa, Sharpe's wife, and threatening to kill their baby daughter, Antonia. Hakeswill's final affront to Sharpe is the murder of Teresa while Hakeswill is a deserter in Sharpe's Enemy. When Hakeswill is sentenced to be shot for desertion, Sharpe is given command of the firing squad. The fourteen muskets fire on Sharpe's command, but they do not kill the seemingly immortal Hakeswill. You can't kill me! Sharpe holds his rifle at Hakeswill's head and pulls the trigger; Sharpe kills the man who could not be killed. Simmerson, a wealthy aristocrat, has friends in high places, including at Horse Guards. He purchases his commission and the South Essex Company. Simmerson is indignant at Sharpe's position as an officer raised from the ranks. Privately, Simmerson calls Sharpe 'a bastard son of a peasant whore'. As a Commanding Officer, Simmerson is cowardly, tyrannical and sadistic and has the men in his charge flogged for any minor reason. Planning to become a hero in Spain, he is soon embarrassed by Sharpe's expertise and learns to hate Sharpe even more after Simmerson shamefully runs from a battle taking his Company with him, consequently losing his regimental colours to the French. By the end of Sharpe's Eagle he has returned to England in disgrace. However, that doesn't stop Simmerson taking credit for the capture of an Eagle the French equivalent of the British Regimental Colours even though he ran from the battle before Sharpe and Harper captured the Eagle. In Sharpe's Regiment Simmerson is involved in a scam to sell trained recruits to other regiments for cash, a practice known as crimping. Sharpe exposes the scam with the help of Simmerson's own niece, Jane Gibbons, who later becomes Sharpe's second wife. With the help of his friends, Simmerson manages to escape justice. Ducos, not a real Major in military terms, is a French Intelligence Officer. Ducos is a revolutionary who had his own parents guillotined, which shows just what lengths he would go to for the revolution and the Emperor Napoleon. Ducos is feared and mistrusted by the majority of French officers. Ducos first meets Sharpe at a dinner party hosted by the French during a truce in the Spanish town of Adrados on Christmas Day, Ducos makes an enemy of Sharpe by making disparaging remarks about Teresa, Sharpe's dead wife, who he is still mourning over. Sharpe responds by calmly removing Ducos's spectacles, dropping them on the floor and treading on them, making an enemy of Ducos. They cross paths several times, but it's in Sharpe's Honour that Ducos gets his 'eye for an eye' revenge: when Sharpe is captured by the French, Ducos breaks Sharpe's telescope, his most treasured possession. After the peace of is declared between Britain and France, Ducos steals part of Napoleon's treasure and frames Sharpe for the theft and murder of Xavier Lassan. After hunting Ducos across Italy, to Naples, Sharpe's ally General Calvet charges the increasingly paranoid Ducos with treason and has him executed by a firing squad. Sharpe may not be a gentleman in the eyes of other officers but he is popular with the ladies, who are attracted to the tall, dark-haired, battle-scarred officer. Results for: History

Major Tubbs, befitting his name, was a plump man with a cheerful, jowly face who now stood at the ramparts of the small fortress of San Miguel and bounced his hands on the parapet in time to some imaginary music. Tubbs looked southwards, seeing nothing but unharvested fields, groves of olives, vineyards, white farmhouses and bright red poppies. Have you thought of that? Sharpe sighed. Sharpe ordered. Tubbs sighed, but he dared not countermand the order. The Allies were outnumbered by the combined French force, but if they could drive off the French cavalry then the infantry would be vulnerable, especially with Allied infantry not far behind. Despite this, Latour-Maubourg decided to offer battle. He formed his infantry into battalion squares along the roads, with the hussars guarding the flanks and the dragoons draw back to the right ready to attack the Allied cavalry if they attacked the infantry. Long decided to begin by driving off the French dragoons using the 13th Light Dragoons and the Portuguese cavalry. Latour-Maubourg responded by sending his 26th Dragoons to make a pre-emptive attack on the Allied light cavalry. The British 13th Light Dragoons had the best of the resulting melee, driving the French dragoons off the battlefield. Unfortunately for Long, the British cavalry then lived up to its poor reputation, and indulged in a seven mile pursuit of the broken French cavalry, which only ended when the French reached the safety of Badajoz. On their way they chanced across the French artillery convoy, but even that did not stop the headlong charge, and only a couple of the guns were captured. This left Long with the Heavy Brigade and three squadrons from the 1st Portuguese cavalry to face 1, French infantry in squares supported by hussars. His best chance of a decisive victory was gone, but he decided to attack anyway, in the belief that once the French cavalry was driven away, the infantry would surrender. This attack was never launched, for at this point Beresford reached the scene. He was informed that the 13th Light Dragoons were believed to have been lost, and will Wellington's warning not to destroy the cavalry in mind, cancelled the charge of the heavy brigade. Instead, he decided to wait for his nearest infantry column to arrive. Seeing that the British were no longer a direct threat, the French resumed their march towards Badajoz. Beresford trailed behind, waiting for Colborne's brigade to catch up, but by the time the British infantry were coming into range, so were 2, French reinforcements from Badajoz under Mortier. Beresford decided to abandon the chase. The inconclusive results of the combat caused a great deal of controversy in the British army. Beresford and Wellington held that the charge of the 13th Light Dragoons had been wasteful, while Long argued that he had been within a few minutes of winning a conclusive victory when Beresford took command. At the time Beresford and Wellington had the best of the debate - Long was soon removed from command of the Allied cavalry, and Wellington issued a General Order reproving the cavalry for what he saw as a reckless charge. Since then the combat has been seen as a first sign of the indecision that would mark Beresford's time as an independent commander. Casa de Salinas 27 July The combat of Casa de Salinas of 27 July was a preliminary action fought on the day before the main fighting at the battle of Talavera. On the morning of 27 July Sherbrooke's and Mackenzie's divisions of Wellesley's army had been posted on the east bank of the Alberche River, to guard the river crossings and make sure that the Spanish army of General Cuesta would be able to cross in safety. Having missed a chance to attack Marshal Victor's 1st Corps in isolation on 23 July, Cuesta had insisted on chasing the French east across the river, only to discover that Victor had been joined by General Sebastiani's 4th Corps and the Royal Reserve of King Joseph. Cuesta had been forced to retreat in some haste, reaching the Alberche on the evening of 26 July. He had then insisted on camping on the east bank of the river, and had only crossed to the west bank on the morning of 27 July. Once the Spanish were across the river, Wellesley withdrew his two divisions, and ordered them to move into their positions on the battlefield he had selected. Mackenzie's division was ordered to act as a rearguard during this movement. It took up a position around a ruined house, the Casa de Salinas, about a mile west of the Alberche, in an area covered in olive groves. A line of pickets had been placed in front of the division, and Wellesley was using the house as a vantage point, in an attempt to monitor the French progress. Mackenzie's division contained two brigades. Despite these efforts, Lapisse's division of Victor's 1st Corps had managed to cross the Alberche north of the British position without being observed. Having discovered Mackenzie's positions, Lapisse was able to launch a surprise attack on Donkin's Brigade and the left flank of Mackenzie's. The 87th, 88th and 31st Foot were all broken in the first attack, and for a moment the French had punched a hole in the British line. Luckily for Wellesley, the 45th Foot on the right and the 60th on the left had held their ground, and Wellesley was able to rally the retreating regiments. The British infantry were then able to retreat under fire, until they reached open fields, where Anson's light cavalry were able to come to their aid. Although the French brought up some horse artillery, they were unable to further disrupt Mackenzie's movements, and his division soon took its place in the line. The fighting around Casa de Salinas was surprisingly costly. The British lost 70 dead, wounded and 93 missing in the skirmish, a total of casualties. Both brigades would be involved in the fighting at Talavera on the following day, with Mackenzie's brigade suffering casualties, second only to Langwerth's brigade. After two days of fighting, the brigade had suffered casualties, losing one third of its strength. Having been forced out of his position at Condeixa on 13 March, Ney had taken up a new defensive position at Casal Novo. Marchand's division had a strong position on rising ground, protected by stone walls. When Erskine's men reached Casal Novo on the morning of 14 March the French position was hidden by fog. Erskine himself refused to believe the French were still in the village, and ordered three companies from the 52nd foot to clear away what he believed to be a thin line of French pickets. When the fog lifted it became clear that the five battalions of the Light Division were facing eleven French divisions, and a period of hard fighting followed, in which the British suffered 90 casualties. The Light Division was saved by the arrival of the 3rd Division. When they began to move around the French left, Marchand pulled back towards Mermet's division, two miles to the east, and the two French divisions formed up on a new line. This time the British carried out a more skilful outflanking manoeuvre, and the French were forced to retreat with little loss. This ended the fighting for the day, although the same units would clash again on the following day at Foz do Arouce in the last significant clash between the French rearguard and the British vanguard of this stage of the campaign. The British suffered casualties, nearly two thirds of them in the first combat of the day. After this Erskine began to lose Wellington's confidence, completing that process at Sabugal on 3 April. Having successfully watched the French on the Portuguese frontier since the start of the year, the fall of Ciudad Rodrigo had forced Craufurd to retreat back to Almeida, with orders to pull back west across the Coa if the French approached in strength. Craufurd's position at Almeida was well suited to the sort of small scale action he had been fighting all year. His left flank was protected by the guns of the town, and his line of retreat back to the Coa offered a series of positions for rearguard actions, but it was also dangerously exposed if the French attacked in strength, for it was two miles from the river, and the final part of the journey was well out of range of the guns of Almeida. The river itself runs through a steep sided valley, while the road reaches the river to the left of the bridge and then runs along the river for a short distance. Ney used Loison's division and Treillard's cavalry brigade to perform this task, and Craufurd promptly retreated from the Turones River to Almeida. Wellington had informed him that he did not want to fight east of the Coa, but had not actually ordered Craufurd to retreat west of that river. Despite this, Craufurd decided to remain at Almeida for two days, in the expectation that the first French attack would not be in any great strength. This rather underestimated Ney. Once he discovered that Craufurd was exposed outside Almeida with the river to his back, Ney decided to attack with his entire 24, strong corps. On the morning of 24 July the French advanced in four lines. Two cavalry brigades formed the first line, followed by a second line of thirteen infantry battalions, a third line of eleven battalions and a reserve of three regiments. When the French cavalry drove in the British pickets, Craufurd still had time to escape, but he did not realise how large the oncoming French column was, and held his ground for an hour while the French infantry advanced towards him. The first French attack was made by the thirteen battalions of the French second line. Despite their superior numbers, this attack was held off, but then the French 3rd Hussars managed to get between Craufurd's left and the walls of Almeida. They attacked one company of the Rifles from the flanks and almost wiped it out, causing twelve casualties and capturing 45 men out of an original force only 67 strong. The French cavalry was then held up by some stone walls, but it was clear that Craufurd's line was in danger, and he ordered a retreat. The cavalry and the guns were sent off at the gallop, followed by the Portuguese, with the three British battalions forming a rearguard. At first all went well, but the kink in the road delayed the artillery, and the infantry arrived before the guns had crossed the river. Craufurd was forced to form up most of his British infantry on the east bank of the river to cover the retreat. Just as the main force of the infantry was about to cross the bridge, an isolated detachment of the 52nd came into sight, in imminent danger of being cut off. Only the quick thinking of Colonel Beckwith of the Rifles and Major McLeod of the 43rd saved them from being overwhelmed. Together they organised a counterattack, which forced the French back for long enough for the 52nd to reach safety. Despite this close call, the Light Division had still suffered unnecessary casualties. Ney had won an easy if limited victory, but he was not happy with this. Instead he decided to attempt to cross the narrow bridge over the Coa, in the face of almost the entire Light Division, which was now in place on the far bank. The first attempt, by the French 66th Line, got half way across before it was repulsed. This battalion contained of the best marksmen in the 6th Corps, and should not have been wasted in this way. In a ten minute long attempt to cross the bridge, this unit lost 90 dead and wounded, leaving only 70 survivors. Despite this disaster, Ney was still determined to force his way across the river, but a second attack by the 66th was beaten off easily. Ney finally gave up, and the two sides remaining in their position on the opposite sides of the river for the rest of the day. Craufurd had been doubly lucky on 24 July. First he had escaped from a potentially devastating trap with the lose of only men 36 dead, wounded and 83 missing , when if the French had managed to block his route to the bridge he might have lost most of his division or have been forced to take refuge inside Almeida. Second, Ney's foolhardy attacks across the bridge had cost the French casualties dead and wounded. What might have been seen as a costly and unnecessary defeat became a minor victory although Wellington himself was not fooled. Constantino 5 January The skirmish at Constantino of 5 January was a rear-guard action during Sir John Moore's retreat to Corunna in the winter of It was fought to prevent the French from crossing over the bridge at Constantino after the British engineers were unable to blow up its central arch. General Paget, commanding the British rearguard, placed his artillery in a position where they could command the passage of the bridge, with the 28th and 95th Regiments defending the near bank of the river. The French vanguard was made up of General Lahoussaye's division of dragoons, and General Merle's division of infanty. Merle formed his infantry into a dense column, and attempted to force his way across the bridge, but this just exposed them to the British cannons and the attempt failed. Paget and the rearguard held out until dark, and then withdrew to Lugo, where they found the main army formed up ready to offer battle. Captain Riou was to lead a squadron of smaller ships and attack the Trekroner Citadel which was to be stormed by marines and soldiers at a suitable moment after it had been reduced by bombardment. The following ships, Isis, Glatton and Ardent, made the turn and anchoring engaged the Danish vessels they had been allocated. Attempting to pass these ships Bellona grounded on the Middle Ground shoal, as did the following Russell. Stuck fast these ships fired on the Danes as best they could, but several of the guns on Bellona burst killing their crews, due to the age or the miscasting of the barrels or overcharging in an effort to achieve greater range. The grounding of Agamemnon, Bellona and Russell caused the Trekroner Citadel to be left unmarked, requiring Captain Riou to carry out the bombardment with his squadron of smaller vessels, the billowing smoke concealing his ships and protecting them initially from excessive damage. Nelson in Elephant took the anchorage allocated to Bellona, with Ganges and Monarch anchoring immediately in front of Elephant. With the line in place the battle fell to a slogging gunnery match between the British ships and the Danish ships and batteries, floating and land, which lasted some two hours. To the North the commander in chief listened with increasing anxiety as the large ships of the line in his squadron beat slowly down the channel, the wind fair for Nelson but contrary for them. Seeing the intensity of the battle, Sir Hyde Parker concluded that he should take the opportunity to break off the action and hoisted the signal to disengage, giving the battle its most famed episode. Riou, expecting that Nelson would call off the assault, turned his ship to begin the withdrawal. Number 39, to leave off action! Leave off action! Now damn me if I do. I have a right to be blind sometimes. Captain Thesiger, a British officer with extensive experience of the Baltic after service in the Russian navy, went ashore with correspondence from Nelson to the Danish Crown Prince inviting an armistice. During the negotiations only the batteries on Amag Island, at the southern end of the Danish line, the Trekoner fortress and a few ships continued to fire. A senior Danish officer, Adjutant General Lindholm, went on board Elephant to negotiate, directing the Trekroner to cease firing on his way. The British ships also ceased fire and the battle effectively ended. Defiance and Elephant went aground and the Danish Flagship, Dannebroge, grounded and blew up, with considerable casualties. The next morning Nelson went aboard the Danish ship Syaelland, anchored under the guns of the Trekroner, and took the surrender of her captain Stein Bille, who refused to strike to any officer other than Nelson himself. British gunboats took the Danish vessel in tow to add to the clutch of Danish ships that had been taken in the battle. Just before the battle, on 24th March , the Tsar of Russia, Paul I, was murdered by members of the St Petersburg court and replaced by his anti-French son. British casualties were killed wounded. No British ship was lost. The Danes lost killed, wounded and 2, made prisoner. Cuidad Rodrigo 8 January, Sharpe's Company The start of one of the British army's most difficult clashes began at the border fortress of Ciudad Rodrigo on 8 January, The bastion covered the northern gateway from Portugal to Spain and was crucial to both sides' plans for upcoming operations. For the French it was to delay the Anglo-Portuguese, while for the Duke of Wellington it was necessary to remove it as a challenge to his supply lines. After capturing a hill at the northern part of the town the British pounded away with cannon until two breaches had been created. On the 19th, Wellington ordered an assault that eventually succeeded, albeit at great cost. Corunna 16 January At the end of October the Emperor Napoleon, at the head of a large French army assembled in the northern Spanish city of Vitoria, prepared to place his brother Joseph on the throne of Spain by force. Several Spanish armies gathered to resist him and the British corps in Portugal was ordered to advance to Burgos and assist the Spanish. Moore commanded 23, troops in Lisbon and expected 10, reinforcements to arrive at Corunna under Sir David Baird. As Moore proudly declared, "No British general had commanded so many soldiers since the time of Marlborough". Moore sent his infantry by the northern route through Coimbra, Celerico and Badajoz to Salamanca in Spain. Late anxieties about the state of that road caused him to divert his artillery and cavalry by the southern Ciudad Rodrigo road. Arriving at Salamanca, Moore learned that Napoleon had defeated the Spanish armies and was already in Burgos, Moore's intended destination. Soon afterwards the French entered Madrid. The British army, outnumbered by some two to one, was now heavily threatened. Nevertheless Moore felt reluctant to abandon the Spanish and advanced on Soult's corps in Valladolid. But Moore had lingered within striking distance of the large French forces for too long. Napoleon was coming after him and it was imperative that the British army retreat with all speed to Corunna in the North West Galician corner of Spain for evacuation by the fleet. It was late in the year and the retreat was one of great hardship. From Astorgas, Napoleon left Marshal Soult to conduct the pursuit. The British rearguard comprising General Paget's reserve brigade, Colonel Craufurd's brigade and the Cavalry seized every opportunity to hold off the French. A skilful holding action was conducted by the cavalry at Benevente and by the whole army at Lugo. Other than for the rearguard the discipline of many of the British regiments of foot disintegrated and the troops ravaged the countryside and villages through which they passed. A notorious incident took place at Bembibre where British soldiers became so drunk in a cellar that they had to be left for the French. The army marched into the port of Corunna on the night of 11th January , many of the troops in a state of exhaustion. The French were some distance behind but the fleet was not in harbour. The transports did not reach Corunna from Vigo until 15th January Moore formed his army south of Corunna between the village of Elvina and the sea. Soult's corps carried out a frontal attack on the British line with the emphasis on the British right flank at Elvina. The French took Elvina but were driven out by the 42nd Highlanders and the 50th Foot. They counter-attacked and recaptured the village. Short of ammunition, the two regiments returned to the assault led by Moore and the French were driven out again at the point of the bayonet. At the moment of victory Sir John Moore was struck by a round shot and fatally injured. Lying stricken, Sir John enquired as to the state of the battle and was reassured that the French had been beaten back. The French attack along the British line faded away, Paget's reserve division driving back a late incursion around the open right flank. The next day the army was embarked on the transports. One of the last duties of the 9th Foot was to bury Sir John Moore on the city ramparts. Wellington had been blockading Ciudad Rodrigo since August, but he was not strong enough to risk besieging the place, in the knowledge that if pushed the French could raise a much larger army to raise the siege. Even the blockade would eventually provoke a French response, and so Wellington picked out a strong position to fight a defensive position, at Fuento Guinaldo, fourteen miles to the south west of Ciudad Rodrigo. The French response came at the end of September. Marshal Marmont, command of the Army of Portugal, and General Dorsenne, commander of the Army of the North, combined their forces to produce a field army around 58, strong with 52, infantry and 4, cavalry. At this point Wellington had 46, men including 41, infantry and 3, cavalry facing Ciudad Rodrigo. His army was spread out in an arc to the west and south of Ciudad Rodrigo. At the left of the line were the 1st and 6th Divisions, under the command of General Graham, west of the town, on the River Azava or Azaba. Wellington and the 4th Division were at Fuento Guinaldo, ten miles to the south, at the south western tip of the line. Next in line was the 3rd Division, at El Bodon, six miles north of Wellington, and almost half way to Ciudad. Finally the Light Division was posted at Martiago, another three miles to the east and almost due south of the town. This deployment exposed each fragment of Wellington's army to the risk of a crushing defeat before reinforcements could reach them. It also made it almost impossible for Wellington to concentrate his army at Fuente Guinaldo without interference, for the French could easily thrust into the gap between the widely separated left and right wings. Wellington left his troops in this dangerous position because he did not believe that the French intended to advance beyond Ciudad Rodrigo. The French cavalry established contact with the blockaded town on 23 September, and on the next day half of the French infantry appeared on the plains outside the town. On 25 September Marmont decided to try and discover if Wellington was preparing for a regular siege. He sent out two large cavalry forces to investigate the areas west and south of the town. Both ran into Wellington's men. The western thrust was repulsed at Carpio, without serious fighting, but the southern thrust came close to causing a major disaster. The force sent south consisted of two brigades of dragoons and two brigades of light horse, under the command of General Montbrun. Montbrun's cavalry easily broke through Wellington's cavalry screen here made up of Alton's brigade , and then found itself in the middle of Picton's 3rd Division. Picton had not had time to concentrate his divison, and so his infantry was stretched out along a six mile front, in four separate clusters, each two or three battalions strong. The nearest support was the 4th Division, a further six miles to the south west. Marmont had no way to know how vulnerable the 3rd Division was at this point, and assumed that Wellington would have reserves close by. He ordered Montbrun to pick one of the isolated parts of the 3rd Division and force his way past it in an attempt to discover the main force he believed must be close by. Montbrun decided to attack along the road from Ciudad Rodrigo to Fuente Guinaldo this road does not appear on modern maps, which show a road that runs from Ciudad to El Boden, and then on to Fuento Guinaldo, presumably to avoid the high ground involved in this fight. Montbrun had 2, cavalry to attack a British force of 1, infantry, cavalry and two batteries of field artillery, although the British did have the advantage of defending the high ground. Montbrun decided to attack in three columns. Both of these attacks failed. Despite being outnumbered by around two-to-one, Alten's cavalry were able to use the slope to their advantage to prevent the French from reaching the plateau, launched a series of charges against the most advanced French troops, forcing them to retreat, before themselves withdrawing back up the slope. The colonel of the Hussars of the King's German Legion involved in this fight reported that the French made forty separate attacks, while each of the British and German regiments involved made eight or nine charges. The column attacking the guns met with more initial success. Despite coming under heavy fire from the Portuguese guns, the dragoons managed to reach their position, capturing four guns. The dragoons faced three volleys of musketry before fleeing back down the hill. After the repulse of this frontal assault, Montbrun decided to send one his brigades around the right of the allied position, into the gap between the road and El Boden. This move forced the British to retreat, but it came too late, for the troops at El Boden and Pastores had already escaped. Montbrun continued to attack the small British force throughout the retreat. They were retreating with the artillery at the head of their column, followed by the 21st Portuguese, marching a square, then the 5th and 77th Foot in a single square, and with the remaining cavalry in the rear. The French cavalry soon drove off the cavalry rearguard, leaving the square of the 5th and 77th vulnerable to attack. Montbrun's men attacked it from three sides at once, but without success. The British cavalry then charged the disordered French horse, and forced them to retreat, winning half-an-hour of peace for the retreating infantry. By now the troops retreating from the fight on the hill had caught up with Picton and the troops from El Bodon and the three battalions from the west. For the rest of the march the 21st Portuguese and 5th and 77th formed a rearguard, still marching in their two squares, while the rest of Picton's men remained in their columns. The French harassed the retreating columns, but Montbrun was no longer willing to risk further cavalry charges. Instead he attempted to bring his horse artillery into use, and on several occasions managed to fire on the British column. The French were eventually forced to retire when the 3rd Division came close to the fortified camp at Fuente Guinaldo and Wellington sent out more cavalry to support the retreating column. The combat of El Boden cost the British and Portuguese casualties, 68 of them in the cavalry 13 dead, 50 wounded and 5 missing. The total French losses were not reported, but 13 officers were killed or wounded, suggesting a total lose of around men. The danger was not yet over. By the end of the day Marmont had 20, men over the Aqueda, with the rest of his army close behind. Wellington only had the 3rd and 4th Divisions, Pack's Portuguese brigade and part of his cavalry at Fuente Guinaldo, a total of around 15, men. It would take most of the next day for the Light Division to arrive, while the 13, men from the British left never reached the camp, but despite this Marmont refused to attack. On the night of 26 September Wellington evacuated Fuente Guinaldo, well aware that his position was not as strong as the French believed, and made for his second defensive position, inside Portugal. By the end of 27 September Wellington's army was concentrated around Alfayates, although only after having fought a rear-guard action at Aldea de Ponte. After a night march on March most of the French army had crossed the Ceira River at Foz de Arouce, and had camped on the heights above the village. This deployment risked disaster, for the Ceira was in flood and the only possible escape route for Ney's men was across the damaged bridge of Foz de Arouce. Wellington's pursuit on 15 March was delayed by a combination of a heavy fog and fires that the French had set in the town of Miranda de Corvo. The 3rd and Light Divisions did not reach the French positions on the Ceira until four in the afternoon, and seeing the French arrayed in some strength decided to camp and wait for the rest of army to catch up with them on the next day. Wellington himself arrived just before dusk, and decided to attempt to surprise the French. Ney's men were clearly not expecting an attack that late in the day, and were caught by surprise. The Light Division attacked the French right and the 3rd Division their left. The greatest success was achieved by some companies from the 95th Rifles, who managed to reach the centre of Foz de Arouce, and threatened to capture the bridge. Hearing gunfire in their rear, the French 39th Ligne broke, and attempted to cross the bridge. Their route was blocked by some French cavalry, attempting to re-cross the river to take part in the fight, and the infantry were forced to try and use a ford. The river was too high for this, and a significant number of the French were swept away and drowned. Perhaps even worse for their morale, the regiment's eagle was lost, swept away by the waters it was later recovered by the allies and sent to London. Ney managed to retrieve the situation, charging the 95th Rifles with the third battalion of the 69th Ligne, and forcing them to retreat. With the passage of the bridge secured, the French were able to retreat to the north bank of the river, although they came under artillery fire from both sides as they crossed the bridge! The British suffered 71 casualties during the fighting at Foz de Arouce. French losses were much heavier, somewhere between and Only the lateness of the day and the fading light prevented the British from inflicting much heavier casualties on the retreating French. The combat at Foz de Arouce effectively ended the close pursuit of the French. The French would briefly attempt to hold a position on the Alva River, but without success. Fuentes d'Onoro 3 and 5 May, Sharpe's Battle Desperate to relieve the besieged fortress of Almeida, Marshal Massena moved with almost 50, men towards his target, but found himself up against some 36, troops under the Duke of Wellington. The first clash came on the 3rd, when five French battalions were sent against just over British light infantrymen. After heavy fighting the defenders were ejected from the village, but a counterattack by three regiments retook it. The British suffered casualties to more than by the French. Skirmishing on the 4th was replaced by a serious attempt by Massena to gain the village. An early assault by infantry and cavalry routed Spanish cavalry units and the British horsemen, under General Sir Stapleton Cotton. The push against the right was only just held off by Wellington's men, but they managed to conduct a textbook withdrawal in the face of the enemy. Halting at prepared defensive lines, the British kept the attackers at bay on the right while the village of Fuentes was bitterly defended. A steady stream of reinforcements allowed Wellington to hold the position against up to 28 enemy battalions thrown at it. Massena withdrew leaving men behind as opposed to Wellington's Garcia Hernandez 23 July, Sharpe's Sword This action is known for being one of the few times that cavalry has managed to break a formed infantry square. The honour goes to the King's German Legion's General Bock, who set his men on to three battalions of French infantry retreating after the battle of Salamanca. The four KGL squadrons charged uphill, broke the square and then proceeded to rout a column. Bock's men suffered casualties while General Foy's shocked defenders lost men. Gawilghur 15 December Gawilghur was the well-fortified mountain stronghold of the Maratha Empire north of the Deccan Plateau, in Maharashtra. It was popularly considered impregnable, but was successfully assaulted by an Anglo-Indian force commanded by Arthur Wellesley on the 15 December, during the Second Anglo-Maratha War. Scindia's forces had retreated to the mountain stronghold after their stunning defeat at Assaye. A practiacable breach was made on the outer walls but the inner fort was unscathed. After many casualties and two failed attempts at the main gate from British and Sepoy companies, Captain Campbell led the 94th Scottish Brigade light company on a daring assault, up the ravine dividing the inner and outer forts and into the inner fort by escalade, the Scots then forced the northern gatehouse and opened the many gates allowing the remaining British force entry. The fortress was returned to the Marathas' after making peace with the British but they abandoned it, leaving unrepaired breaches made by British guns, which remain to this day. The target of the campaign was Marshal Soult's army at Oporto, which had fallen to the French on 29 March. After failing to capture Soult's advance guard at Albergaria Nova on 10 May, Wellesley now faced the first serious test of his army. The French had 4, infantry and 1, cavalry, under Generals Mermot and Franceschi in a strong position on a ridge Wellesley had Edward Paget's division the brigades of Murray and Richard Stewart , Hill's brigade and Cotton's cavalry, a total of 7, infantry and 1, cavalry, with Hill's men some way to the west of the battlefield. Wellesley's first move was designed to find out if the French intended to stand and fight. Click here. Log in or Sign up. Bernard Cornwell Joined: Mar 26, Messages: 7 Likes Received: 0. I've heard a lot about this fellow and I LOVE medieval history, namely it's warfare along with the strategy and tactics. I'm new to this gent's books so I was wondering where I should start. I saw several of his books in at the book store and I would really hate to accidentally run into a love story, lol. I'm a guy after all. Briffault , Apr 12, I would highly recommend one of two series to start. I think in the UK this one was titled "Harlequin". My favorites are the Saxon series which starts with "The Last Kingdom". I've read most of his stuff and these two series really stand out. This series was pretty good too. You get lots of well described war with Cornwell, and a lively story with characters that run the gamut from love-able to I can't wait for someone to cut your head off. h2g2 - The Sharpe Novels by Bernard Cornwell - Edited Entry

Having occupied Oporto on 29 March , Soult had posted Franceschi's cavalry division and Mermet's infantry divison between Oporto and the River Vouga thirty miles to the south. By early May those forces were strung out along the main road from Oporto to Coimbra. An advance guard of 1, cavalry, infantry and one light gun battery was placed at Albergaria Nova, three miles north of the Vouga. Wellesley hoped to surprise Franceschi's advanced guard and trap them between two forces. The main British force, five infantry brigades and the cavalry, would make a frontal assault on the French position, while Hill's and Cameron's brigades were to sail up the coast to Ovar, and then march inland to block Franceschi's retreat. The plan failed for two reasons. For it to success, Wellesley had to attack the French before they realised he was close, but Soult had been received advance warning of the British attack from a very unexpected source on 8 May. Napoleon was not universally popular in the French Army, for a small core of officers believed that he had betrayed the revolution. When Wellesley arrived in Portugal he found that negotiations had been going on between his predecessor and a Captain Argenton. Wellesley met the French plotter, but was not impressed and had no interest in supporting his plans. Argenton returned to his lines, where he was arrested. On 8 May he was interrogated by Soult, and in an attempt to convince him to chance sides warned him that Wellesley was on his way. As a result of this when the British advance guard found Franceschi's force on 10 May there was no longer any chance of surprising them. The second reason for the failure of Wellesley's plan was that it required a night march across unfamiliar country. The plan was for five squadrons of cavalry under General Cotton and the infantry brigades of Murray and Richard Stewart to attack together, drive in the French pickets and attack Franceschi's main force before they could prepare for battle. If they tried to retreat, Hill and Cameron would be blocking the road north. Cotton, Murray and Richard Stewart all found that the night march took longer than expected. Cotton's cavalry finally attacked the French pickets at 5 am, but then discovered the rest of Franceschi's force drawn up in line of battle behind Albergaria Nova. Cotton was outnumbered nearly two-to-one, and decided not to risk a clash with the French until the infantry arrived. That wasted much of the morning, for the first three battalions of infantry were some hours behind Cotton's infantry. When they did finally arrive, Franceschi abandoned his position and retreated back to Grijon to join with Mermet. The only real fighting of the entire day followed, as the British 16th Light Dragoons attacked the French 1st Hussars, who had been left as a rearguard, and forced them to retreat. If things had gone to plan, the retreating French should have run into Hill's infantry blocking the road north, but their amphibious flanking manoeuvre had fizzled out during the morning. They had reached Ovar according to plan, but then had discovered that there was a force of French infantry close by at Feire, and no sign of the British advancing from the south. Hill decided to wait in Ovar while Cameron's men were shipped up the coast. At noon, three battalions of French infantry arrived from Feire. Hill himself only had three battalions and a company of the rifles, and so was unable to make any progress. The situation only changed when Franceschi's men began to stream past, with the British cavalry in pursuit. At that point Hill attacked the skirmishes facing him at Ovar and forced them into a retreat. At the end of the day the French advance guard had taken up a new position at Grijon, where on 11 May they would fight a more serious rearguard action. Albuera 16 May In a brutal, in-your-face battle where pure courage won the day for the British, a force under Marshal Beresford had moved south away from Badajoz to fend off Marshal Soult's attempt to relieve the first siege of that frontier fortress. Taking up positions at Albuera with some 35, men, made up of British, Portuguese and Spanish troops, Beresford readied himself for Soult's 24, troops. In a superb flanking manouevre, the French marshal attacked the Allies right wing, brushing aside Spanish units and got ready to roll up the defenders' line. Many of General Joachim Blake's Spaniards fought bravely against great odds and a British counterattack failed with massive casualties - the result of a blinding downpour that hid the proximity of Polish lancers until it was too late. A second French attack almost succeeded, due to General d'Espana's refusal to reinforce the line and poor communication high in the British command. A decision by General Lowry Cole to hit the French column on its flank turned the battle, but it was still desperate times. For much of the firefight British and French troops were within 20 paces of each other. After four hours of bitter fighting the French broke before a British charge and the day was won. Marshal Beresford was severely criticised for his leadership during the battle, but was backed up by the Duke of Wellington. In August-September Wellington had been blockading Ciudad Rodrigo, but in late September Marshal Marmont had raised the blockade at the head of an army 58, strong. Most unusually Wellington had left his army rather dangerously stretched to the south and west of Ciudad Rodrigo while Marmont approached, and on 25 September had nearly paid for that mistake when a strong French cavalry force had come close to cutting Wellington's 3rd Division in half close to El Boden. After some hard fighting the 3rd Division had escaped, but Wellington was still not out of danger. He had prepared two strong positions where he would have been willing to fight a defensive battle, one at Fuente Guinaldo, south of Ciudad Rodrigo, and one at Alfayates or Alfaiates , thirteen miles to the west, just across the Portuguese border. At the end of 25 September Wellington had the 3rd and 4th Divisions with him at Fuente Guinaldo, along with Pack's Portuguese brigade and part of his cavalry, giving him a total of 15, men. The Light Division was close by to the east, although would not reach the camp until the afternoon of 26 September, but the 1st and 6th Divisions had been posted along the Azava or Azaba river, to the west of Ciudad Rodrigo, and it soon became clear that they would not be able to reach Fuente Guinaldo. Although Marmont had made no use of his infantry on 25 September, by the end of the day he had 20, infantry facing Wellington, and by noon on 26 September the entire French army was concentrated to the north of Fuente Guinaldo. If Wellington had been able to concentrate his entire army at that position, then he would have been willing to risk a battle, but throughout 26 September he was in a very vulnerable position. Luckily for Wellington, Marmont decided not to attack. His reasoning was entirely logical - the French believed that in the past Wellington had not been willing to risk a battle unless he had a strong army in a strong position they habitually overestimated the amount of men Wellington had at his disposal during his battles - and so if Wellington was happy to spend all day in his position at Fuente Guinaldo then he must have enough men to defend it. That night both armies began to retreat, Wellington west to his next position at Alfayates, and Marmont back to Ciudad Rodrigo. When Marmont's rearguard reported that the British were on the move, he ordered his army to turn around and follow Wellington. The French pursuit was too distant and too weak to worry Wellington, and by the end of 27 September he was secure in his new position. The only fighting came at Aldea da Ponte, a village to the north east of Alfayates where several roads met. This position was defended by the pickets of the 4th Division and Slade's dragoons. Although it was not part of his main position, Wellington decided to defend Aldea da Ponte against any minor attack, and only abandon it if the French attacked in force. The first French troops to reach Aldea da Ponte were Wathier's cavalry. At this point the village was defended by the light companies of the Fusilier brigade. One battalion attacked the village, while the other two outflanked the position, and the light companies were forced to retreat. Wellington responded by sending the entire Fusilier brigade, supported by a Portuguese regiment, to recapture the village. The French battalion in the village was forced to retreat, and fusiliers took possession of the village. This position lasted only lasted until dusk. This time it was Souham who attacked the village, and once again the British were forced to retreat. With darkness approaching, and aware that the village was not part of his main defensive position, Wellington decided not to attempt to take it back. The British and Portuguese suffered casualties during this combat 71 in the Fusiliers, 13 in the Portuguese regiment and 10 in Slade's cavalry , while the French lost around men. Wellington was now in a very strong position, with both of his flanks protected by the River Coa and a front line said to be as strong as that defended at Bussaco. After examining this position on 28 September Marmont rather sensibly decided not to attack, and pulled back to Ciudad Rodrigo. On 1 October the French army was broken up and sent into its winter cantonments, and the danger to Wellington's army was over. Almeida was the main Portuguese fortress on the northern invasion route from Spain, matching the Spanish fortress of Ciudad Rodrigo. In it was a well designed modern fortress, almost perfectly circular and protected by six bastions, a dry ditch and bombproof casements, was armed with guns and was garrisoned by 4, infantry, gunners and one squadron of cavalry, all under the command of William Cox, a colonel in the British army and a brigadier in the Portuguese. Wellington had made sure that the place was well stocked with food and ammunition. The hope was that Almeida would hold out for long enough to prevent the French from advancing into Portugal during the summer of Despite its dramatic ending the siege actually satisfied this expectation. The siege itself did not begin for two more weeks, as it took some time for the heavy siege train to travel from Ciudad Rodrigo, and work did not start on the siege works until 15 August. By the morning of 26 August the French had completed eleven batteries, and at six in the morning they opened fire. The town was soon on fire, and in three of the bastions the Portuguese gunners were pinned down, unable to return fire, but the walls were still intact. That evening a chance event ended any realistic prospects of prolonging the siege. The main powder magazine was in the elderly castle of Almeida. At about seven in the evening the main door to the magazine was open and a powder convoy was leaving to resupply the guns on the southern walls. According to the only survivor of the disaster, a French shell landed in the castle courtyard and ignited a trail of powder that led from a leaking barrel back into the magazine. A second barrel, just inside the door exploded, and this blast ignited the main powder store. The massive explosion destroyed the castle, the cathedral and removed the roofs from all but five houses in the town. Over members of the garrison were killed, amongst them half of the gunners. Some of the stones were flown so far that they killed men in the French trenches. The defence was effectively over. The only way to move around the town was on the ramparts, for the interior was completely blocked with ruins. Only 39 barrels of powder and a few hundred rounds that had already been moved to the walls survived the explosion, just enough for one day's fighting but no more. Cox was determined to fight on, at least for long enough to give Wellington a chance to rescue the garrison. Unsurprisingly the explosion had totally demoralised the Portuguese garrison of the town, especially some of the officers. Although Cox attempted to bluff the French, holding a conference with French officers in a closed casement to hide the damage, some of the Portuguese officers told the French exactly what had happened. A delegation of Portuguese officers then informed Cox that if he did not surrender, they would open the gates. Cox had no choice but to capitulate. On the next morning the 4, survivors of the garrison marched out of the town. Most of the surviving regulars and of the militia immediately enlisted with the French, giving Wellington a real scare. If he could not rely on the Portuguese, then his entire plan of campaign was in danger. He need not have worried. Not knowing this, on 7 April Wellington sent Trant's militia and Slade's cavalry brigade towards Almeida, in an attempt to force Drouet to retreat. Wellington did not have a siege train with his army, and so he had to settle down to starve out the small French garrison of Almeida. Most of his army was posted between Almeida and Ciudad Rodrigo, while the 6th Division and Pack's Portuguese brigade carried out the actual blockade. The French garrison was tiny - General Brennier had just over 1, men in the town, formed from one battalion of the 82nd Line and a provisional battalion of artillery and sappers. At first Wellington dismissed this possibility, believing that the French Army of Portugal had been too badly disordered during its retreat to make any serious move forwards, but he was mistaken. Three volunteers attempted to take this order into the town, and although two were caught and executed as spies, the third managed to get into the town. Brennier was ordered to break out to the north, where the Allied lines appeared to be thinnest. If these men had been keeping a close watch on the town then the breakout would have been impossible, but General Campbell posted his men too far from the walls, and then failed to post pickets close to the walls. During May Brennier planted mines in the defences of Almeida, and spiked his guns. At Forming his men into two columns, Brennier struck the Allied lines at the junction between the 1st Portuguese Regiment of Pack's Brigade and the 2nd Queen's Regiment of Burne's division, and easily broke through the Allied cordon. Five minutes later the mines in Almeida exploded, destroying much of the eastern and northern fortifications, and rendering the town useless to Wellington for some time. While the Allied troops outside Almeida attempted to discover what was going on, Brennier's men made their way towards the crucial bridge at Barba del Puerco. Earlier in the day Wellington had decided to extend his lines to include this bridge, and had ordered General Erskine to move the 4th Regiment of the 4th Division to guard the bridge. It appears that Erskine failed to pass on this order until late in the day, and so the bridge was unguarded. The 4th Regiment did eventually catch up with Brennier while the French were crossing the bridge, as did the 36th Regiment, and the French suffered heavy casualties attempting to reach the bridge, but of Brennier's 1, men made it to safety. Brennier himself was promoted to general of division for his achievement. On the British side Colonal Bevan of the 4th Regiment was blamed for the failure to block the bridge, and committed suicide rather than face a court of inquiry. Almeida itself was now useless to the Allies, although it was also denied to the French, who now had nothing to show for their massive invasion of Portugal in Passage of the Alva River March The passage of the Alva River of March was a nearly bloodless success for Wellington's army during the French retreat from Portugal in the spring of Once there they discovered that the bridge at Ponte de Murcella had been destroyed by the Portuguese and were forced to spend the rest of the day repairing it, all the time expecting Wellington's advance guards to appear. In fact Wellington had chosen to spend 16 March resting, partly in order to give a supply convoy time to reach his army. The 2nd Corps was sent east, to defend the ford at Sarzedo, placing a detachment at Arganil on the south bank of the river. The 6th and 8th Corps remained around Ponte de Murcella, guarding the fords across the river. The line of the Alva was a strong defensive position. Now he was faced with the same defensive position, Wellington had no intention of launching a frontal assault against the strong French positions. Instead, the 1st, 3rd and 5th Divisions and the Portuguese brigades were all sent along the mountain road from Furcado to Arganil, while only two divisions were sent towards Ponte de Murcella. These last two divisions remained hidden from Ney, who could only see cavalry on the southern bank of the Alva. During the afternoon of 17 March the main British column reached Arganil, driving out the detachment from Reynier's 2nd Corps. Accordingly he ordered Junot's 8th Corps to leave its camps on the French right and move to Galiges, to the east of Sarzedo, to extend the French left. On the morning of 18 March the Guard's Brigade of the 1st Division left the road from Furcado to Arganil, and forced their way across the Alva at Pombeiro, between Ney's position at Ponte de Murcella and the rest of the French army. Realizing that he was in real danger of being trapped between the two wings of Wellington's army, Ney abandoned his position with great speed, and managed to elude Wellington's trap. Despite this, the British and Portuguese had forced the French out of a potentially very strong position with very little lose. The French were forced into a lengthy night march which saw the British capture prisoners. Three of Wellesley's battalions, which had previously fought well, on this occasion broke and fled, and the situation was at one time very serious. Wellesley, however, succeeded in rallying them, and in the end defeated the Marathas, with the loss of all their guns and baggage. The British lost killed or wounded. Arzobispo 8 August The combat of Arzobispo of 8 August was a minor French victory late in the Talavera campaign, which saw them force their way across the River Tagus. After their success at Talavera, the British and Spanish had been forced to retreat by the unexpected arrival of three French corps from the north west of Spain under Marshal Soult. The British slipped across the Tagus at Arzobispo on 4 August, and despite some delays the Spanish followed on the night of August. The Allied armies then moved west along the south bank of the Tagus, heading for the main road into Estremadura, leaving a strong rearguard to protect the river crossing. In total the Spanish left 8, men to guard the bridge 5, infantry and 3, cavalry , under the overall command of the Duke of Albuquerque. They had two crossing to protect - the bridge at Arzobispo and a nearby ford at Azutan. The bridge itself was strongly held, with a detachment of infantry defending the medieval towers in the middle of the bridge and gun emplacements covering the approaches to the bridge, but the Spanish somewhat overestimated the difficult of the ford. After spending 7 August investing the river, Soult's men discovered that the deep channel in the river was close to the north bank, and after that the river was only two or three feet deep. Once the French cavalry was past this deep channel, it could fan out to attack any part of the opposite bank. Their chance of success was greatly increased by Albuquerque's deployment - most of his men were held back from the river, with only one cavalry regiment watching the ford, and two infantry battalions at the bridge. Soult launched his attack at 1. He sent his entire force of 4, cavalry to attack across the ford, supported by one brigade of infantry. A second infantry brigade was to watch the bridge, but was only to attack once the French had crossed the ford. Caulaincourt's brigade of dragoons, strong, led the attack, and quickly swept away the Spanish cavalry. The Spanish responded by sending one battalion of infantry from the bridge, but it failed to form square in time and was cut up by the French cavalry. Over the next half hour the French were able to pass the rest of their cavalry across the ford. This was the signal for the start of the attack on the bridge. Despite their strong position, the Spanish defenders of the bridge could see that their line of retreat was about to be blocked, and so after firing a couple of volleys fled east, away from the rest of Albuquerque's force. Only now did the rest of the Spanish force come into action. While the remaining infantry formed up on a hill above the bridge, Albuquerque led his 2, cavalry in a desperate charge against the leading French cavalry. Having wasted a crucial half an hour while the French were crossing the ford, the Spanish attack was carried out before the cavalry had a chance to form up properly, and was quickly repulsed by the more organised French. Seeing the cavalry defeated, the infantry abandoned their position, and retreated across the hills to safety. The Spanish cavalry suffered heavily in the battle at the ford, losing killed and wounded and prisoners, leaving only 1, of the original 2, men still with the colours. The French captured 16 Spanish guns at the bridge, and fourteen of the guns they had lost at Talavera. Despite their success, the French crossed the Tagus too late to have any chance of catching the main Allied army. An attempt to cross the river further west, at Almaraz, failed after Ney's men could not find the fords they had been sent to cross. The British and Spanish took up a strong defensive position around Almaraz. Even Soult realised that this position was too strong to be assaulted, and proposed invading Portugal from Ciudad Rodrigo, but King Joseph opposed this plan. Instead the armies that had threatened Wellington were dispersed to deal with other threats. Assaye 23 September In charge of a British and sepoy army of some 13, men, General Arthur Wellesley took on a major Indian force at least three times the size of his own at Assaye. The army of the princes of Scindia and Berar was drawn up between the Kaitna and Juah rivers - a position the leaders thought would force the British to attack them across the Kaitna. Wellesley, however, found a nearby ford and crossed the river near the village of Assaye and moved against the enemy's left flank. The move was not without its dangers and only a strong counterattack by the British cavalry forced the elite Mahratta cavalry away. The well-trained Scindian infantry repositioned themselves quickly to cover the new threat and expert handling by a German soldier of fortune called Pohlman allowed the artillery to do likewise. Against fierce resistance and with growing numbers of casualties, Wellesley led his men on, captured the enemy cannons and pushed the Scindian troops backwards. The village of Assaye itself was a tough defensive nut to crack and, adding to Wellesley's difficulties, another Mahratta cavalry attack had to be seen off by the British cavalry. With the enemy horse dealt with, the British then turned their attention to the infantry and scattered several columns. Wellesley now launched a major assault and broke the Scindians, who found themselves with their backs to the Juah river. By early evening, the princes were in retreat and left behind some casualties. The British had suffered killed and wounded. Badajoz 16 March, Sharpe's Company More than 30, British troops blockaded the fortress at Badajoz, which commanded the southern route between Spain and Portugal. The siege commenced and by 6 April the defenders were steeling themselves to be attacked through three breaches. The night assaults began bloodily against the formidable defences and more than 40 times did the redcoats throw themselves into attack. By midnight, two entries to the city had been forced and an hour later the defenders under General Phillipon holed up in Fort San Christobal and accepted terms later that day. The city was sacked furiously by the hard-pressed British troops. French losses were almost men, while some British troops became casualties. Bailen 19 July By , thousands of French troops were present in Spain in support of Napoleon's invasion of Portugal. The Spanish army and people revolted the Dos de Mayo Uprising against the imposition of foreign rule. Dupont's corps numbered 15, inexperienced and largely new recruits, grouped in three infantry divisions under Vedel, Barbour, and Gobert, and a cavalry division under General Fresii. Dupont approached Cordoba in early June, forcing the Alcolea bridge, where Spanish militia under Colonel Echeveria attempted a stand on 6 June. The French entered Cordoba the next day and ransacked the town for four days. However, in the face of increasingly menacing mass uprisings across Andalusia, Dupont decided to withdraw to Sierra Morena, hoping for help from Madrid. General Gobert's division set out from Madrid with General Savary on 2 July, aiming to succour Dupont's beleaguered forces. However, only one brigade of his division ultimately reached Dupont, the rest being needed to hold the road north against the guerrillas. The French retreated fitfully in the sweltering heat, impeded by wagons of loot and 1, sick. General Vedel, likewise, withdrew from Toledo on 15 July, bringing 5, infantry, cavalry and 10 cannons. On 18 July Dupont unwisely opted to linger at Andujar, setting up camp on the plains while Spanish troops marched to bar the road to the mountains. Garrisoning the pass with a battalion of infantry, Vedel turned to rejoin Dupont with the rest of his forces. He had under his command some regular regiments from Seville also one from Switzerland and formations of provincial militia and peasants. During the attempt to recapture the town, General Corbert was killed and his brigade withdrew to La Carolina. Reding overtook the French along the banks of the Rumbla and crashed his division against the French rearguard, inflicting serious losses. The Swiss soldiers in Spanish employ advanced. After learning this, Vedel withdrew to the mountains. Spanish commanders threatened to massacre the French soldiers if they didn't surrender. Dupont and his soldiers were transported on English ships to Rochefort harbour because the Spanish junta in Seville didn't recognise the pact under which they were sent to Cadiz. Except for Dupont and his staff officers, they were placed on prison-ships converted for the purpose. Only a small number of the French soldiers survived to Following their defeat, the remainder of the French army left Madrid under the command of Marshals Bessieres and Moncey. When they reached the Ebro river they set up new defensive positions. Barba del Puerco March The skirmish of Barba del Puerco of March was a minor clash between part of Craufurd's line of outposts on the Portuguese border and part of the French army gathering in preparation for Massena's invasion of Portugal. Most of his infantry was pulled back from the river, but four companies of Beckwith's 95th Rifles were close to the river, watching the bridge of Barba del Puerco north west of Ciudad Rodrigo. This was a strong position in a difficult pass, and Craufurd felt that the rifles would be able to hold off any force small enough to surprise them. This was put to the test on the night of March. Loison's division had taken up a position facing the northern stretch of the Agueda, with Ferey's brigade at San Felices. Ferey decided to make an attempt to capture the pass of Barba del Puerco by surprise. He gathered the six voltigeur companies of his brigade, and before dawn on 20 March surprised the sentries of the bridge, who were bayoneted before they could raise the alarm. The French then began to climb up out of the river valley towards the village, but not without being detected. Craufurd's men took pride in the speed with which they could come to arms, and within ten minutes of the alarm being raised three companies of the 95th Rifles were in place to attack the French. Ferey's men were driven back across the bridge, losing two officers and forty five men during the fighting. Beckwith's rifles suffered four dead and ten wounded during the clash. For the next few days Craufurd was on alert, expecting a general French advance, but nothing happened until later April, when the French finally moved up towards Ciudad Rodrigo. Since the start of Craufurd had been watching the French along the line of the Agueda River. During the French siege of Ciudad Rodrigo 5 June July he had been pushed back to Fort Concepcion, close to Almeida, but was still keeping an active watch on the French. On 10 July Craufurd decided to attack some of the French foragers who were attempting to find food between the Azava and Dos Casas Rivers. This French force was very badly outnumbered, and consisted of two troops of cavalry and men from the 22nd Regiment of Junot's corps. As the British approached, the French began to retreat back towards their main lines. Craufurd ordered one squadron from the German Hussars and one from the 16th to attack the retreating French infantry. The French responded by forming a small square. As nearly always happened, the cavalry were unable to break into this square, despite its small size. The first two squadrons failed to even attack the square, instead charging around its sides before heading off the chase the French cavalry. Craufurd then sent a squadron from the 14th Light Dragoons to attack the French square. This time the British cavalry closed with the French, but were repulsed by close-range musket fire. The colonel of the 14th and seven of his men were killed. Before Craufurd could bring up his next squadron, the French managed to escape into the next village. By now the first two cavalry squadrons were returning from their charge, and it is said that the British mistakenly believed them to be French cavalry. Although Craufurd's men took 31 prisoners, they lost nine dead and twenty three wounded. Craufurd was much criticized for failing to bring his infantry up in time, and for allowing a smaller French force to escape from him, while the commander of the French square Captain Gouache was promoted and decorated for his skilful handling of affair. Barrosa 5 March, Sharpe's Fury During his blockade of the southern port of Cadiz, Marshal Victor heard of a combined British and Spanish force moving to attack him in the rear. Splitting his force, he moved the bulk - some men - against the enemy moving from the direction of their landing point at Tarifa, between Cape Trafalgar and Gibraltar. While they outnumbered Victor's troops by three-to-one, the Anglo-Spanish force only had just over British troops under the command of Sir Thomas Graham. The Spanish were led by the Count de la Pena and cooperation between the two allies was poor to say the least. Their objective was actually to relieve the seige of Cadiz. Despite having just completed 14 hours of marching, La Pena moved forward with the Spanish contingent on the 5th and successfully broke the French siege lines at Bermeja, forcing a French division under Gen. Villate back across the Almazna creek. At mid-day, the British contingent stationed on Barrosa Hill marched off to join La Pena, leaving behind several Spanish regiments and none other than Browne's Flank Battalion, containing the 2 companies of the 82nd. Half and hour later, with their artillery stuck in boggy ground, the French launched an infantry assault and began a bloody exchange with Graham's men, a small blocking detachment, which was attacked by a good part of an entire French Division under Gen. The Spanish soldiers flew in a panic, making away with the baggage, while Browne's Battalion hastily beat to arms and retired in better order. Graham, now notified, ordered Brown to stand fast and fight, while the main British force marched to join them. This the battalion did, against fearful odds. An account of the battle describes the action: "Against the slender force Marshal Victor directed an overwhelming attack, and Browne retreated in good order. Then he sent for orders from Graham, who was then near Bermeja. The British met with the French on the top of the hill and after a further bloody exchange of gunfire, the French broke and fled. Graham meanwhile was able to fight off an attack on the British left by Gen. Leval's division. The British then marched after the retreating French, who made haste back to the nearby town of Chiclana and so the battle ended. Soon after, Graham ordered his British contingent into Cadiz, the action having died down at sunset and Graham, fearing French reinforcements arriving, withdrew. The first printing of a Special Limited Edition numbering only 1, copies published for W H Smith to be given away by them as a promotional initiative with each copy of Sharpe s Fortress. Plot: "Wellington's armies had won their victories, defeated the French at Salamanca and begun their push north. But Sharpe and his Light Company had been detailed to guard a Major Tubbs investigating a hoard of captured muskets in a quiet backwater fort by a river crossing. It all appeared beautiful and peaceful in the Spanish sun, but that was before Sergeant Harper discovered the wine, old enemies appeared on the hills and Sharpe found himself on the wrong side of the bridge. Sharpe's skill and ingenuity are truly tested in this new adventure. A scarce edition. Special Limited Edition, first issue in this format. Binding is tight, covers and spine fully intact. White titles spine. Quantity Available: 1. Shipped Weight: Under grams. Pictures of this item not already displayed here available upon request. Inventory No: This book is very light, and may be shipped for less than the standard book cost quoted at this site. Condition: Brand New. In Stock. Seller Inventory zk Published by West Chatham. Sharpe Appreciation Society. About this Item: West Chatham. Two Paperbacks. Revised and extended editions of the Harper Collins publication. Books are in Fine condition. Securely packaged. Condition: Near fine. Revised Extended edtion. Printed and bound in Canada by Webcom. Spine straight, binding tight, pages clean and with slight tone. Not ex-library, no markings. Richard Sharpe and the defence of the Tormes, August "It is the summer of and Richard Sharpe, newly recovered from the wound he received in the fighting at Salamanca, is given an easy duty; to guard a Commissary Officer posted to an obscure Spanish fort where there are some captured French muskets to repair. But unknown to the British, the French are planning a lightning raid across the River Tormes, and they reckon the obscure Spanish fort, which guards an ancient bridge across the river, will be lightly guarded. Sharpe is in for a fight. Published by Sharpe Appreciation Society September Trade Paperback. Slight slant to spine. Minor edge wear. Tiny bumps on spine ends. Overall, pages are tight, bright, and clean. Published by The Sharpe Appreciation Society First Edition thus. Near Fine Softback signed by the author to the title page. Published by The Sharpe Appreciation Society. Condition: new. Book is in NEW condition. Satisfaction Guaranteed! Fast Customer Service!!. Condition: good. Book shows some signs of wear from use, but is a good readable copy. Cover in excellent condition. Binding tight. Pages in great shape, no tears. Item added to your basket View basket. Proceed to Basket. View basket. Continue shopping. We will send you an email with instructions on how to reset your password. We also noticed that you have previously shopped at Bookworld. Would you like us to keep your Bookworld order history? We also noticed that you have an account on Bookworld. 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