Rifles: Six Years with Wellington's Legendary Sharpshooters

To write an engaging book about wars fought two hundred years ago is no easy task, but Mark Urban is up to the challenge. Using primary sources, he brings, along with the information, the personalities of the officers and men of the 95th, their virtues and vices, quirks and kindnesses into focus, and even sometimes, into one's heart. Urban brings the time and the place and even this 'new' method of fighting (learned, ahem, from fighting in North America) to life also. It helps that I had first read the less well organized book on the history of the founding of the 95th which begins in Pennsylvania with George Washington and his youthful battles, fighting alongside the British during the French and Indian Wars. He and many other show more Americans tried to convince the British officers to fight differently but they wouldn't. . . . and were, of course, slaughtered. Decades later new ideas have filtered in and become a reality. The military is allowing an experimental unit to prove itself. In this new regiment the men are treated with a little more respect, taught to aim (long story, wasn't worth it with muskets) and given freedom when in battle to make their own decisions about what to do. The 95th even encouraged the common soldiers to learn to read. This was revolutionary! Anyway, the focus here is on the Peninsular Wars and Waterloo and the role the 95th played in both. If you read Georgette Heyer you may know that Napoleon extended himself in many directions including trying to conquer all of the Iberian peninsula, which likely he would have done if he hadn't ALSO tried to conquer Russia. (So so crazy). Many of her male characters have been in the army and therefore were either on the Peninsula and/or at Waterloo. The project I am now focussed on made me want to actually know more so there is a foundation even to a few casual or maybe not so casual references I might make. I have some further reading to do -- some primary sources, memoirs by soldiers who survived (and about whom I already know quite a lot from this book) and I am looking forward to reading them. I felt surges of emotion here and there as I read about these men and their doings. As always mystified and unsettled by this aspect of human beings, but also in awe of acts of courage and determination. This period, one to which we are still closely connected, was one of immense changes, new ideas, new inventions and the military, while often very resistant (disastrously so, once again, in 1914) to change, did change as this regiment proved their value. ****1/2 show less

In view of the prominent Peninsular War book and TV series Sharpe (starring Sean Bean), I resisted reading Mark Urban's account of the 95th Rifles. I feared a further lionization of Wellington's redcoats and greencoats, downplaying the Spanish and Portuguese contribution. In fact, my fears were wrong. Not only does Urban point out that British successes were often due to French voluntary force reductions, he also treats many aspects of war that are often ignored in conventional military history. His discussion of corporal punishment, desertion, drunkenness, promotion and demotion as well as a darker topics such as rape is outstanding. The poor Spanish civilians had to endure the depredations of two foreign armies on overstretched show more logistics.

The 95th Rifles as part of the Light Brigade/Division was fortunate in having both colorful protagonists and writers who captured their adventures. Given their prominent role in Wellington's tactical approach, the Rifles were in the thick of many of the classic battles of the Peninsular War. Skirmishing and aimed fire in the best Jäger tradition, the 95th were both modern and un-British. They remain a greencoated exception to the "their's not to reason why" tradition of the British Army, probably one of the causes why they still are admired. A great read. Highly recommended. show less

This one was enjoyable giving you a gritty realistic view of what life was like for men of the legendary 95th Rifle Regiment during the Peninsula campaign and Waterloo. The reading was engaging and made you forget that you were reading a history book. I was especially interested at the similarities I found between the average soldier in the 1800's and ones I read about in other memoirs, such as E.B. Sledges With the Old Breed. Even though they were a century apart, you find these soldiers had the same problems of being supplied, dealing with abrasive officers, and the bloody business of fighting. You also become engrossed with the main people who are mentioned in the book; I found myself up late into the night wanting to find out what show more happened next to 2nd Lieutenant Simmons, or Privet Ned Costello. I also found it interesting how at this time you start to see the emergence of the modern soldier who was proficient in marksmanship, selected his target, and used cover to fire from instead of forming a line and firing in volley. If there was one problem it was that I wish there were a few more maps to make it easier to see were the names of towns and battles were located. In all a very good, even if you do not usually read history books I would say give this one a read. show less

Georgette Heyer made me buy this book. No, I don't mean she reached and grabbed my arm with her cold, dead hand, like some eldritch reviewer for the Sunday literary supplements, and pointed at the shelf where it sat. But if I hadn't read The Spanish Bride when I was about twelve or so, I wouldn't have known enough to identify the 95th Rifle Regiment, a unit that could well claim to be the fathers or modern infantry warfare. For those who've read Heyer's book, Urban introduces George Simmons and Rifleman Costello in the first few pages, and other characters show up as one goes along. For those who haven't read Heyer, but who are fans of Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe series--these are the real people behind Sharpe and Harper.

I won't say show more Everyone Should Read This Book, because that's like saying everyone should wear this pair of shoes, or eat this recipe. However, if you're interested in military history, the Napoleonic era, or just interesting historical characters, you might want to give it a look. Also, fans of Sharpe will only benefit by having more background for What Really Happened. Fans of Heyer--well, maybe, and then again, maybe not. If her only value to you is as grist for the escapist mill, the details of the Peninsular Campaign and the birth of the modern infantryman may not be what you want.

All connections to modern popular fiction aside, this book is a good short study of one of the crucial steps in the development of modern infantry warfare, as well as a unit that was a crucial part of the campaigns of the Duke of Wellington. show less

The origins of the modern day infantryman as one who aims as well as utilizes cover. Excellent research, illustrations and personal vignettes make this a very readable history book. The perfect companion to the outstanding Sharp Series by Bernard Cornwell.

Mark Urban’s “Rifles” is an excellent foray into the spectacularly harsh and extraordinarily ingenious lives of the 1/95th in the Iberian campaign. Mr. Urban’s prose is quick and to the point whereas other historical accounts tend to be dry and pedantic. One sour note, the inclusion of geographical maps although helpful were too small and of not enough contrast to be clearly seen. Since this is a history book, the editors should have included larger maps with bold colors to more properly visualize where these men fought and died. In any case, the tales are rousing and the actual historical accounts heart-stopping.

The drawback of the book is that it is centred far too much on the first battalion of the 95th foot, and many interesting anecdotes are missing. I'm sure more about the light battalions of the King's German Legion would have drawn sales just as well.