FREE SHARPES SKIRMISH: RICHARD SHARPE AND THE DEFENCE OF THE TORMES, AUGUST 1812 PDF Bernard Cornwell | 64 pages | 03 Sep 2002 | The Sharpe Appreciation Society | 9780972222006 | English | Nottingham, United Kingdom Sharpe (novel series) - Wikipedia The first entry to the series, Sharpe's Eaglewas published in with the last, Sharpe's Furyreleased in As historical fiction, many of the events depicted in the novels were based on true historical events. In the ensuing years, Cornwell has filled out Sharpe's history, August 1812 novels covering his time from the beginning of his career in the ranks and as an ensign. The publication chronology has little to do with Sharpe's timeline. Cornwell also wrote two short stories - Sharpe's Skirmish and Sharpe's Christmas - for publication in the British newspaper, Daily Mail. This wiki. This wiki Sharpes Skirmish: Richard Sharpe and the Defence of the Tormes wikis. Sign In Don't have an account? Start a Wiki. Categories :. Cancel Save. Universal Conquest Wiki. Sharpe's Tiger. Richard Sharpe and the Siege of Seringapatam Sharpe's Triumph. Richard Sharpe and the Battle of AssayeSeptember Sharpe's Fortress. Richard Sharpe and the Siege of GawilghurDecember Sharpe's Trafalgar. Richard Sharpe and the Battle of Trafalgar, October Sharpe's Prey. Richard Sharpe and the Siege of Copenhagen Sharpe's Rifles. Sharpe's Havoc. Sharpe's Eagle. Richard Sharpe and the Talavera Campaign, July Sharpe's Gold. Richard Sharpe and the Destruction of AlmeidaAugust Sharpe's Escape. Richard Sharpe and the Battle of BussacoSeptember Sharpe's Fury. Sharpe's Battle. Sharpe's Company. Sharpe's Sword. Sharpe's Skirmish. Sharpe's Enemy. Sharpe's Honour. Sharpe's Regiment. Sharpe's Christmas. Sharpe's Siege. Sharpe's Revenge. Sharpe's Waterloo. Sharpe's Ransom. Sharpe's Devil. Sharpe (novel series) | Sharpe | Fandom Sharpe is a series of historical fiction stories by Bernard Cornwell centered on the character of Richard Sharpe. Cornwell's series is composed of many novels and several short stories, and charts Sharpe's progress in the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars. He begins in Sharpe's Tiger as a private in the 33rd Regiment of Foot who becomes a sergeant by the end of the book; he is an ensign in the 74th Regiment during Sharpe's Trafalgar who is transferred to the newly formed 95th Rifles as a second lieutenant. He is gradually promoted through the ranks, finally becoming a lieutenant colonel in Sharpe's Waterloo. Sharpe is born to a whore in the rookeries of London, and the stories dramatize his struggle for acceptance and respect from his fellow officers and from the men whom he commands. He is made an officeran ensignwhen he saves the life of his commanding officer, Arthur Wellesley the future Duke of Wellingtonduring the Battle of Assaye in India. It is a mixed blessing, as he constantly has to fight class prejudice in an army where an officer's rank is often Sharpes Skirmish: Richard Sharpe and the Defence of the Tormes without regard to qualification. He is an experienced soldier, unlike many of Sharpes Skirmish: Richard Sharpe and the Defence of the Tormes officers with Sharpes Skirmish: Richard Sharpe and the Defence of the Tormes he serves. His adventures result in his improbable presence at nearly every important battle of the British Empire at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries. Sharpe is described as "brilliant but wayward" in Sharpe's Swordand he is portrayed by the author as a "loose cannon". He is a highly skilled leader of light troops who takes part in a range of historical events during the Napoleonic Wars and other conflicts, including the Battle of Waterloo. He is considered dangerous to have as an enemy; he is a skilled marksman and grows to be a good swordsman. The books were published in non-chronological order, but in most of them he is a rifle officer armed with a Heavy Cavalry Sword and a Baker riflealthough he has also acquired a pistol August 1812 Sharpe's Waterloo. He is described as being six feet tall with an angular, tanned face, long black hair, and blue eyes. His most obvious physical characteristic is a deep scar on his right cheek which pulls at his right eye, giving his face a mocking expression when relaxed; this disappears when he smiles, which is not too frequently. By the end of the series, he has had two wives and three children. Cornwell enjoyed C. Forester 's Horatio Hornblower novels, which depict a Royal Navy officer's career. When he could not find a similar series for the British Armyhe decided to write it himself. While he struggled to come up with a name as distinctive as Horatio Hornblower, he used a placeholder based on the rugby union player Richard Sharp ; eventually, he kept it, just adding an "e". Sean Bean played Sharpe in the British television series Sharpe. Cornwell was so impressed with Bean's portrayal that he expanded Sharpe's backstory to have him growing up in Yorkshire to account for Bean's accent. The author also avoided further mention of Sharpe's black hair Bean's hair being light brown. Richard Sharpe is born in London circa 26 June he believes that he may be 22 during the early months of to a prostitute residing in "Cat Lane", and a French smuggler. When Sharpe is three, his mother is killed in the Gordon Riotsleaving him an orphan. With no other known relatives to claim him, Sharpe is deposited in Jem Hocking's foundling home at Brewhouse Lane, Wappingwhere he spends his days picking his assigned quota of oakum. He is malnourished and regularly beaten, resulting in his being undersized for his age. Because of this, he is eventually sold to a master chimney sweep to train as an apprentice at the relatively late age of Fearing the high mortality rate among apprentice sweeps who are forced to climb inside chimneys and remove the soot by handSharpe flees to the Rookery slum of St Gilesand is taken in by August 1812 and later bar owner Maggie Joyce. He stays under Maggie's protection for three years, learning various forms of thieving. After killing a gang leader during a fight over Maggie, he escapes from London to Yorkshire at the age of fifteen by creating this back story, Bernard Cornwell made the actor Sean Bean's Yorkshire accent part of the canon of the series. It is possible that Sharpe learned to play cricket in Yorkshire, as in Sharpe's Waterloo the Duke of Wellington attests that "Sharpe bowls fiendish". Within six months of his arrival in Yorkshire, Sharpe kills a second man, the landlord of the tavern where he is working, in a fight over a local girl. To avoid arrest, Sharpe takes the " King's shilling ", joining the 33rd Footas a result of the blandishments of recruiting sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill. The regiment popularly known as "The Havercakes", due to the oatcake the recruiting sergeants display on their bayonets to attract hungry potential recruits is first sent to Flanders inwhere Sharpe fights in his first battle, at Boxtel. The next year, he and his regiment are posted to India under the August 1812 of the British East India Company. InSharpe is sentenced to 2, lashes effectively a death sentence for striking a sergeant, with the connivance of his company commander, Captain Charles Morrisbut is released after only by executive order Sharpe's Tiger. They join the Tippoo Sultan 's army, posing as British deserters, but are later exposed and imprisoned. Lawford teaches Sharpe to read and write whilst they languish in the Tippoo's dungeon. Sharpe escapes during the Siege of Seringapatam and destroys a mine meant to devastate the British army. He then kills the Tippoo Sultan unobserved and steals a fortune of jewels from the corpse. He is promoted to sergeant for August 1812 efforts. Sharpe serves four uneventful years as a sergeant. Inhe is the sole survivor of a massacre of the garrison of a small fort carried out by a turncoat Company officer, William Dodd Sharpe's Triumph. As a result, he is taken by McCandless on a mission to identify and capture Dodd. Their search takes them first to the siege of Ahmednuggur and then the Battle of Assaye. When Wellesley's orderly is killed in the early stages of the battle, Sharpe takes his place, and so is at hand August 1812 Wellesley is unhorsed alone and among the enemy. Sharpe single-handedly saves the general's life, killing numerous enemy soldiers and holding the rest at bay until help finally arrives. He is rewarded with a battlefield Sharpes Skirmish: Richard Sharpe and the Defence of the Tormes for this act of bravery and joins the 74th Regiment as an ensign. Both Sharpe and his new colleagues find it difficult to adjust to Sharpe's new status and role, and his superiors in the 74th arrange for him to be transferred to the newly formed 95th Rifles Regiment. Before leaving India, he takes part in the assault on Gawilghurcommanding troops in action for the first time. Once inside the fortress, Sharpe finally confronts Dodd and kills him, receiving a scar on his right cheek Sharpe's Fortress. While travelling from India to England to take up his post in the 95th Rifles, inSharpe is caught up in the Battle of Trafalgarhis first direct encounter with France and its European allies as an Infantry officer. On the journey he also meets and falls in love with Lady Grace Hale, the wife of a politician Sharpe's Trafalgar.