Christopher emulates Marshal Andre Massena, in having Kate dress in a man's Hussar uniform that shows off her figure. Sharpe and his detachment, orphaned from the 95th Rifles, are trapped when the French seize Oporto, but are unexpectedly saved by a small detachment of Portuguese soldiers led by Lieutenant Jorge Vicente, a law student in civilian life. Despite his hatred of lawyers, Sharpe gradually comes to respect Vincente. It is July 1809. During the Talavera Campaign, Sir Arthur Wellesley's army has entered Spain to confront Marshal Victor. Richard Sharpe and his small group of thirty riflemen, separated from their regiment during the retreat from Corunna, are attached to the newly arrived South Essex Regiment. Commanded by the cowardly and bullying Lieutenant Colonel Sir Henry Simmerson, the South Essex is a raw, inexperienced unit that has been drilled mercilessly with frequent use of the lash. Isaiah Tongue, long and thin and dark and educated, who had joined the army because he was a drunk and thereby lost his respectable job, grinned. “Because he’s a good Protestant, sir.”

About bloody time,” Williamson grumbled. Sharpe pretended not to have heard. He tended to ignore a lot of Williamson’s comments, thinking the man might improve but knowing that the longer he did nothing the more violent would be the solution. He just hoped Williamson knew the same thing. I don't actually know the time period well enough to know if this historical fiction is accurate, but it has the feel of something well researched and the inclusion of well known battles and figures is pretty cool. I'd happily scarf down another of these if I'm in the mood for something light and action-filled. Firing the shot that wounded the Prince of Orange during the Battle of Waterloo, forcing him to retire from the field (in reality, this shot was most likely fired by a French skirmisher);During the earliest (chronological) books Sharpe is a private and later sergeant, and so his uniform and weapons largely are in line with Army regulations. His first sword and officer's sash are taken from the dead in the wake of the Battle of Assaye, although no specifics are given on the weapon. Sharpe's Rifles was to be the final chance I was willing to give the series, and I am glad I did, because this novel made me feel the spirit of Sharpe's Indian adventures again. Not quite as good, but good enough to make my hopes rise again. Grace sets up home with Sharpe at Shorncliffe, but dies giving birth to their child, who survives her by only a few hours. Sharpe's fortune is seized by the lawyers, who believe it to be part of Grace's estate. a b Cornwell, Bernard (1994). Sharpe's Eagle. London: HarperCollins Publishers. pp.327–8. ISBN 978-0-00-780509-9. Her mother thinks she might have gone to Vila Real de Zedes,” Captain Hogan said, “wherever in God’s holy hell that might be. But the family has an estate there. A place where they go to escape the summer heat,” he rolled his eyes in exasperation.

This was a fun popcorn book with an action hero who just happens to live in the age of muskets and the Napoleonic Wars. Now, it's a bit more than that, of course, Bernard Cornwell has an excellent eye for strategy and the technology of the time (especially when it comes to weapons). This knowledge gives Sharpe's Havoc a sense of gravity and weight that I found appealing. But why had Captain Hogan left Sharpe and his Riflemen behind? Sharpe wondered about that as Hagman tidied up his work. And had there been any significance in Hogan’s final injunction to keep a close eye on the Colonel? Sharpe had only met the Colonel once. Hogan had been mapping the upper reaches of the River Cavado and the Colonel and his servant had ridden out of the hills and shared a bivouac with the Riflemen. Sharpe had not liked Christopher who had been supercilious and even scornful of Hogan’s work. “You map the country, Hogan,” the Colonel had said, “but I map their minds. A very complicated thing, the human mind, not simple like hills and rivers and bridges.” Beyond that statement he had not explained his presence, but just ridden on next morning. He had revealed that he was based in Oporto which, presumably, was how he had met Mrs Savage and her daughter, and Sharpe wondered why Colonel Christopher had not persuaded the widow to leave Oporto much sooner. “You’re done, sir,” Hagman said, wrapping his scissors in a piece of calfskin, “and you’ll be feeling the cold wind now, sir, like a newly shorn sheep.” Cornwell keeps the tension on as we skulk, scurry, and fight. I can almost smell the gunpowder and I could swear my ears were ringing from the fury of battle. Cornwell describes the life so well that my feet ache, my body freezes, and I wallow in the comfort of a hot cup of tea.Sharpe is described as "brilliant but wayward" in Sharpe's Sword, and he is portrayed by the author as a "loose cannon". He becomes a highly skilled and experienced leader of light troops. In contrast to the honourable Horatio Hornblower, the inspiration for the series, Sharpe is a rogue, an unabashed thief and murderer who has no qualms about killing a bitter enemy when the opportunity arises. However, he is protective of women in general and has a number of lovers over the course of his life.

Lieutenant Colonel Christopher – Turncoat Foreign Office spy who wants to sell military secrets in return for favours from the conquering French.Those wee children.” Harper said, “God help them.” The orphans, in their dun uniforms were being pushed into the river. “There’s got to be a bloody boat!” Reverted to the rank of lieutenant after his gazetting as Captaincy was refused by Horse Guards and in the absence of a vacant captain's position in the South Essex. Another solid addition to the saga of the soldier turned officer in the time of the Napoleonic wars. Christopher still looked outraged, then Sergeant Harper chimed in. “It’s not a cherry, sir. It’s a Judas tree. The same kind that Iscariot used to hang himself on, sir, after he betrayed our Lord.”