Dear Mr Cornwell,
Firstly I should say that over the years I have read most of your books and found them very good - although in the most part fiction, they are backed up by sufficient historic fact to be entirely plausible, which adds to their appeal. Clearly you do a great deal of research so I was wondering if there is any historic background to the plot in Sharpe's Enemy.
I ask this as I have recently read many of the books written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and in "The exploits of Brigadier Gerard" there is a story about a disgraced English officer who adopted the name Marshal Millefleurs and led a band of English, French and Portuguese deserters who captured a Spanish Abbey and kidnapped a Spanish Noblewoman. Gerard is sent with a small force to capture the deserters and free the lady and joins with an English officer and his small force who have been sent to do the same thing. Of course, being Gerard he bungles it unlike Sharpe.
There are clearly parallels with your story so I wondered if both yourself and Doyle were basing the stories on a real event?
Cheers
Peter
Thank you for that . . . I confess (shamefully) that I’ve not read the Brigadier Gerard stories, but I’m not surprised that Conan Doyle was attracted to that tale. Yes, it is based on true events. I wrote the book so long ago that I’ve forgotten my sources and (forgive me) am too lazy to dig out the notes, but there was a band of deserters in the Spanish hills who made a thorough nuisance of themselves. They were led (if I recall rightly) by a Frenchman, Pot-au-Feu (a nickname, obviously) and included British, Spanish and French soldiers.