The Reality of Napoleonic Wars in Sharpe's Regiment by Bernard Cornwell

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Crashing cannon balls, firing muskets, Calvary charging with blades of cold steel. These are the images that are presented to people when contemplating, which many people in our society do very often, the Napoleonic wars. The reality is quite the contrary, to some extent this image is true. The reality is the Napoleonic wars were ones of attrition. The goal of army’s were to have enough troops to sustain the ability to fight in the next battle. The British government had this attrition as one of the principal complications with their army and Navy do to their constant involvement in war no matter where public opinion stood.
The book read is titled Sharpe’s regiment by Bernard Cornwell. The book Sharpe’s regiment follows the path of a British army officer, Major Richard Sharpe and his right hand man sergeant Patrick Harper, as he fights in Spain and then is forced to come back to England on a recruitment trip, in order for him to continue fighting. His recruiting efforts are stopped along the way by various politicians many of which only care about the Navel power of England. One of the politicians that he first confronted was the secretary of war and he told him that he needed to fund the war in Spain more and that he wanted to have reinforcements to his division. The security says no. Then Sharpe makes his first major mistake of the book when he goes to the king and tries to convince him that Spain needs more troops. The king agrees but is shot down by the sectary of war and top level members of parliament. This conversation with the king will make Major Sharpe a not very well like man in London.
While in England Major Sharpe goes back to the place that he grow up: the slums of London otherwise known as the Rockery. Sharpe’s con...

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...hem down to Hyde Park. Once there he sees the other soldiers marching and he has his unit do the same. Sharpe has his unit go right in front of the king and have all of them hold a white feather, the sign of the king. This gets the kings favor and gives Sharpe the swing he needs to receive more troops. Sharpe is able to get these troops back to Spain and the epilog of the book explains the first battle after returning to Spain. The end of the book is the wedding ceremony between Sharpe and the women that helped him escapes earlier in the book. They fell in love while she was helping him
This battle seen takes place in the fields of Spain and France right at the border. Sharpe is able to lead his troops to win the battle and this catapults him into being known as a great commander. Sharpe is promoted to colonel and finally receives his own regiment, Sharps regiment.

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