By Jake Weatherill from Lewisham Branch
The Sharp Series
1. Sharpe's Tiger
2. Sharpe's Triumph
3. Sharpe's Fortress
4. Sharpe's Trafalgar
5. Sharpe's Prey
6. Sharpe's Rifles
7. Sharpe's Havoc
8. Sharpe's Eagle
9. Sharpe's Gold
10 Sharpe's Escape
11 Sharpe's Fury
12 Sharpe's Battle
2. Sharpe's Triumph
3. Sharpe's Fortress
4. Sharpe's Trafalgar
5. Sharpe's Prey
6. Sharpe's Rifles
7. Sharpe's Havoc
8. Sharpe's Eagle
9. Sharpe's Gold
10 Sharpe's Escape
11 Sharpe's Fury
12 Sharpe's Battle
13 Sharpe's Company
14 Sharpe's Sword
15 Sharpe's Skirmish
16 Sharpe's Enemy
17 Sharpe's Honour
18 Sharpe's Regiment
19 Sharpe's Christmas
20 Sharpe's Siege
21 Sharpe's Revenge
22 Sharpe's Waterloo
23 Sharpe's Ransom
24 Sharpe's Devil
14 Sharpe's Sword
15 Sharpe's Skirmish
16 Sharpe's Enemy
17 Sharpe's Honour
18 Sharpe's Regiment
19 Sharpe's Christmas
20 Sharpe's Siege
21 Sharpe's Revenge
22 Sharpe's Waterloo
23 Sharpe's Ransom
24 Sharpe's Devil
Library copy of Sharpe's Tiger by Bernard Cornwell
As an avid history fan, I often find myself watching documentaries when I have little else to do. Recently, my particular focus has been videos on the Napoleonic Wars.
Now, if you have read my Five Books You Should Read for Non-Fiction November you might be able to guess where this is going. If you haven’t then bear with me. While I would never say it’s my specialist area of history (but if you want some info on inter-war Europe holla at ya boi), it’s one that I find fascinating.
Partly this is down to the instability of post-French Revolution Europe creating no end of ramifications for historians to dissect. Partly because of the revolution witnessed in military tactics and technology. And Partly because of Bernard Cornwall.
Who’s Bernard Cornwall? Well, he’s the author behind the Sharpe Series of books that I will be looking at today. Cornwall was fascinated by C. S. Forester’s Hornblower novels growing up, which follows the naval conflicts between The Royal Navy and Napoleon’s fleet. Cornwall lamented that there wasn’t an equivalent following The Duke of Wellington’s campaigns, something he would later change. He worked at the BBC for some time before falling in love with an American woman named Judy. After relocating to The States, and desperate to have a job, Cornwall airily proclaimed that he would write a novel (partially because this didn’t require a work visa). So Richard Sharpe would be born.
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| Entry for Royal Navy from Oxford World Encyclopedia in Oxford Reference Online |
Because of the nature of Sharpe being a fictional character in a historical environment Cornwall often publishes books out of chronological order of the wider series. For example the first three Sharpe books chronologically speaking were actually published after Cornwall had completed his initial series. Therefore (to be clear) when I am talking about the series order it will be in reference to the chronological order of the books, rather than the order they were published.
As a series, the Sharpe Novels can be broken into three parts. The first five novels are set during his earliest days as a soldier in the army of 19th century Britain prior to the Peninsular War. These are the earliest days of Richard Sharpe’s career. Starting out as a Private serving in India with the 33rd Foot Regiment.
Not only are we introduced to Sharpe but also his Commanding Office, a man whose rise will mirror Sharpe’s own. That man is Sir Arthur Wellesley, the future Duke of Wellington. Early on a connection appears to be formed between Sharpe and Wellington. Wellington sends Sharpe and a young Lieutenant called William Lawford to rescue an intelligence officer from the enemy.
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| Library copy of Sharpe's Fortess by Bernard Cornwell |
Upon the successful completion of this mission Sharpe is rewarded with a promotion to Sergeant and being attached to the armoury of Srirangapatna. After a few years however Sharpe is dragged into the wars with the Maratha Princes with the forces of Britain.
Saving the life of Sir Arthur on the battlefield sees Sharpe promoted to an officer from the ranks, officially becoming an Ensign. At the end of his time India Sharpe finds himself promoted to Lieutenant and transferred to an experimental regiment of infantry, the 95th Rifles. Sharpe feels that being transferred is a sign of his failure as an officer, especially as he won’t even be a Redcoat anymore, his jacket will be green instead.
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| Entry for Battle Of Traflgar in Encyclopedia Britannica Online |
Sharpe’s journey home to England to join his new regiment takes him past the coast of Spain, giving him his first taste of combat with the forces of Napoleonic France off Cape Trafalgar. After being involved in Horatio Nelson’s last battle Sharpe and his regiment are sent to Denmark to take part in the 1807 Copenhagen expedition. Although Sharpe finds himself engaged in a clandestine mission, he is drawn into the city itself, and its eventual bombardment by the British. These early days as an Officer are difficult for him.
The man born in the gutter doesn’t sit comfortably in The Officer’s Mess. In an age where a full purse is more likely to secure you promotion than merit, Sharpe’s raising from the ranks makes him resent the fact that despite being a better soldier than most of the officers he serves with he is often treated with disdain and contempt by his superiors. Yet by promoting Sharpe, Wellington has made sure that he will never really fit in with those he served with in the ranks again.
The Second part is set during the Peninsular War and encompasses the books from Sharpe’s Rifles up to Sharpe’s Revenge. These are the books on which the ITV Series starring Sean Bean is based upon. Starting with Sharpe’s Rifles, Cornwall chronicles the retreat to La Corunna by a small British Army at risk of encirclement by three French armies. There’s even talk of Bonaparte himself preparing to land the final blow on this bedraggled British force. Sharpe and a small group of Riflemen get cut off from the rest of the army, and get embroiled in the local resistance in Spain. Despite conflict with the soldiers under him, he ultimately comes out the other side of this a better officer while forming two friendships that will have a last impact on his life and career. Captain Michael Hogan, Royal Engineer and head of intelligence for Sir Arthur Wellesley, and Sergeant Patrick Harper.
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| Entry for Peninsular War from Oxford Companion to British History in Oxford Reference Online |
The hills and plains of the Iberian Peninsular are where Sharpe will forge his reputation through a mixture of heroic feats, tactical shrewdness and being a good officer as a result. His men love him. Officers generally have at least a begrudging respect for him. The bond between him and The Duke of Wellington (formerly Sir Arthur Wellesley) grows from a reluctant gratitude to, if not warmth, at least mutual admiration.
The Final two books deal with Sharpe’s life after the Peninsula War. Firstly he has his final confrontation with the forces of Napoleon in the 100 Days Campaign, and the final battle at Waterloo. The final book Sharpe’s Devil sees him and Harper go looking for a friend lost in South America. His journey takes him to Saint Helena, the island prison of Napoleon Bonaparte and leads to a meeting between the two. As finale’s go these aren’t bad books, but Sharpe’s Waterloo is very much the set piece. Sharpe’s Devil is kind of like The Office Christmas Specials, a satisfying answer to the questions left over, but not as impactful as the actual finale so to speak.
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| Military Records in Ancestry-Library Edition |
Besides a well written roguish lead, there are two other key reasons to read the Sharpe. Firstly Cornwall’s books are a labour of love to the history of British involvement in The Napoleonic Wars. As such he goes to great pains to thoroughly research the battles and history that provides the back drop to the series.
This is lovingly underlined by the fact each book is finished with a historical note from Cornwall where he talks about his research and background for the story. Sometimes he will even have to apologise for Sharpe stealing someone else’s thunder, and make sure the necessary correction is there for historical accuracy.
Secondly, Cornwall manages to write compelling battle scenes. There’s a care taken to create the atmosphere before the battle, while the battle itself is a whirlwind of visceral description. You can hear the bang of shots. You can smell the gunpowder in the air. You can taste the tension. As battle writers go I honestly think there’s a strong argument for Cornwall being the best. You’re invested from start to finish. You feel like you’re in the midst of it all as an invisible observer.
Ultimately if you’re looking for a dash of reality in with your fiction, then Sharpe is probably worth checking out. Equal parts escapism and informative, each book has a distinct feel and tone. And you know what? You learn, and learning is always most fun when it doesn’t feel like you’re learning, which is probably the highest praise I can give Cornwall and his series.
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| A view of Wells Park by Jake Weatherill |
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