Your Questions

Q

HAPPY NEW YEAR BERNARD ¬ And Judy

 

as expected i greatly enjoyed Sharpe's Assassin!

Crikey! Fighting in a house!  you've never  done that before!

it must  have been enjoyable to bring back people like Price and Lucille after  20 years!

i like the idea of the Sharpe that comes after , which is the one you wont be writing, because there wont be much action. Sharpe's Reward - Richard Sharpe and Peace `1815 to....He's earned that Reward `10 times over!

 

Anyway, i've had an idea! i'm not sure if you are the right person to suggest this to, but thought  i'd put  it out there...

i've been reading a Regimental History of the Border Regiment, since i've moved back up to Cumbria, and am enjoying the parallel  narrative of the old 34th and the old 55th. i also love Mark Adkin's Sharpe Companions, so...maybe someone could  write a Fictional Military History of the South Essex? That   would be really interesting!  We could raad about things that you  haven't put in the books like Simmerson raising the Battalion and the Enquiry into the loss of the Colours, then tracing all those years in Spain and Portugal....maybe the Writer could "find! the Secret Papers relating to the Crimping Scandal  of `1813? the book could trace the officers and the fates of the Colonels...(the Colonelcy of the South Essex  did seem to be the unluckiest in the Army...Disgraced, Lost an Arm, Killed, Killed, Went Mad,  Lost his Nerve, Gammy Leg....)And finally the Disbanding of this great Regiment!

how about it?

i'd read it!

 

Yours as ever

Matt in Cumbriaa AKA Lord Grumpy Grumpyson

 

Submitted February 16, 2022

A

I’m delighted you’ll read it, but I’m fairly sure I won’t write it, though it is a nice idea. So perhaps I’ll change my mind? The idea does intrigue me, so thank you!

 

Q

Dear Bernard,

Have you considered writing about Obadiah Hakeswill before he recruited Richard Sharpe?  You’ve already told that after his uncle saved him from the gallows, he joined a regiment as a drummer.  Then he contracted Yellow Fever in the West Indies.  From drummer boy he rose to be a recruiting sergeant.   for the 33rd. .  How?

If he joined the 14th circa 1773, then he could have contracted fever.  By August 1776, the regiment was so depleted that the officers were sent back to England to recruit.  The survivors were sent to New York to be distributed to regiments with General Howe’s campaign.  The 33rd served there as well as the Philadelphia campaign (overlap potential with Rebel) and Cornwallis’ Southern campaign  By Yorktown, Obadiah could have worked his worst to rise to being a sergeant before returning to England via Canada.  With ‘No Flint Gray’, Patrick Ferguson, Banastre Tarleton, Benedict Arnold and  others, there are multiple opportunities to tell Obadiah’s tale around the history of the American Revolution.  Besides, if you haven’t already visited the sites of the New York, Philadelphia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia battles, the trips are worth making a visit (I recommend from personal experience).

So, something to consider.  Maybe after you write the next Sharpe book you could tell us how Obadiah became the loathsome character that you gave us with Sharpe’s Company.

As always, I wish your family and you well.  Happy New Year!

Regards,

Paul

Submitted February 16, 2022

A

I’ve never considered a book about Obadiah and I’m fairly sure I never will. He served his purpose and died too soon (my fault). I have visited many of the places you recommend and, as ever, am impressed by the care taken over those battlefields. How did Obadiah rise to be a recruiting sergeant? He must have been in the 33rd’s second battalion and that would have been part of his normal duty – and one that gave him huge chances of peculation. He was a great villain, but not great enough for his own book!

 

Q

Dear Bernard

I wondered if you had read the recent Peter Cozzens biography of Tecumseh ? . I wondered what your own opinion of Tecumseh was.  He seems a remarkable individual and I think he and Sharpe would have got on well, what say you ?

Conversely I find his opponent William Henry Harrison a nasty piece of work and sadly the good guy was killed and the bad guy became President albeit briefly.

Regards

Geraint

Submitted February 16, 2022

A

I confess I know nothing about Tecumseh and less than nothing about William Henry Harrison. Sorry – but your message piqued my interest so I’ll try to repair my ignorance. Thank you!

 

Q

Hi,

have just finished reading 'Sharpe's Assassin' and will add it to my collection which I regularly re-read every couple of years in chronological order. After reading Assassin i decided to re-read 'Sharpe's Ransom' as it is the next in chronological order. in doing so i think I found what is now a small error resulting from the new novel.

In the conclusion of Assassin Wellington advises Sharpe he has confirmed his rank to which Richard comments to himself 'which meant his official rank was probably still a Captain, but the half-pay of a Lieutenant-Colonel would go along way to .....".

In Ransom however Lucille refers to Richard as follows "But worry not  ..... Major Sharpe will come back".

In Assassin Lucille regularly refers to Richard as the Colonel and would be aware of Wellington's confirmation of Richards rank.

Understanding Ransom was written in the 90's and a short novel  you however may wish to amend 'Major' to 'Colonel' should it ever be re-published in the future.

Kind regards

Derek Stone

Denmark

(on the south coast of)

Western Australia

Submitted February 10, 2022

A

Sharpe is also confused about his real rank – meaning I am, but thank you!

 

Q

I'm re-reading the Sharpe series and am struck again by the many references to French atrocities in the Peninsular War.  Were they really so bad?  Can you recommend an historical reference where I can learn more?

 

Best Regards,

Joe

Submitted February 10, 2022

A

Almost any decent history of the war will remark on the hatred that existed between the Spanish and the French. Ghastly cruelties were common by both sides. You might look for War in the Peninsula, by Jan Read, and look at Chapter 16 which is a good summary of the Guerilla war.

Q

Hi Bernard.

I’m thoroughly enjoying your Last Kingdom series but having difficulty finding many of the locations despite obtaining 9th century maps of England online. For instance, I’m unable to locate the marsh where King Alfred hid out with it’s connecting tributaries, river, and sea inlet. I cannot locate a topographical map of England naming rivers, bays, inlets etc. If you are able to provide me any assistance, I would greatly appreciate it. Are such maps available and where?

Many thanks,

Ron Rennick

Submitted February 10, 2022

A

Alfred concealed himself in the marshes north of Glastonbury – an area since drained and dyked and so much changed – but on a map of Britain look for a large flat area sometimes labelled Sedgemoor – south of Weston Super Mare and north of Taunton and that’s the place.  The River Brue runs through it.  In Alfred’s time the area was a marshy wilderness and a great place to hide.  I placed the battle of Cynuit at a hillfort near Cannington in Somerset, but that was my choice because the exact site of the battle has never been firmly established.

 

Q

Dear Mr. Cornwell,

I had a question regarding the use of a tactic in one of your Arthur books. When Arthur was leading an attack against the Saxons, Merlin once had an idea to burn the food, which they did not have that much of in the first place, to bring on the attack (much more complex than that, and the plan did not actually cause them to attack). I was recently reading about the Arab siege of Constantinople, and there was mention of something similar. The story goes that the emperor tricked the besieger to burn all of his food freshly arrived from the Egyptian grain ships as a show that they would be attacking soon (that way the emperor could convince his population it was time to surrender). Obviously that probably never happened, but it was recorded as such by the Byzantines. I was wondering if this played any role in your idea? Or if it was just one of many things that happen to come to the minds of different people at different times.

Best regards,

Camden

Submitted February 10, 2022

A

I suspect it’s a common idea – certainly more than one siege was raised when the defenders persuaded the attackers that they had plenty of supplies and could therefore hold out for a long time. I certainly came across that ruse somewhere and used it.

Q

Dear Mr. Cornwell,

My name is Will England and I am a junior in high school. I was curious if you had done any reading about the historical Robin Hood and had any thoughts as to who he might be? I have been working on several alternate history novels about the historical Robin Hood over the last year and a half and would love to get your perspective on the legendary outlaw.

I have greatly enjoyed your Last Kingdom books and I am looking forward to reading your novels about King Arthur.

Thank You!

Will England

Submitted February 10, 2022

A

I haven’t, though I should. I’m often tempted by the Robin Hood tales which obviously have a firm basis somewhere in history, but whether I’ll ever yield to the temptation? I don’t know.

 

Q

Greetings from Portugal,

My name is Daniel and I have always been a big fan of your books, specially the warlord chronicles. Your version of the Arthurian legend was something that I have had the greatest pleasure of reading and at the same time you managed to break my heart a couple of times by killing my favourite characters haha.

I specially loved how you handled the Tristan and Iseult plot, but I have one question regarding to it. From what I understood in the books, all characters went a little overboard and "crazy" when they were in Love, Arthur, Derfel and Tristan. But when Tristan was madly in love in Iseult it felt very differently than Arthur or Derfel. It felt as if he was far more crazy as if he was suffering from some sort of spell. In one part you even wrote that when Derfel met with Tristan after long time no see, he showed little interest in Derfel and his news regarding his deceased daughter, he kept talking about Iseult.

My question is if in this plot, he was actually suffering from some sort of spell or love potion as we hear in other versions of Arthurian lore, or was he simply madly in love that nothing else mattered?

Daniel

Submitted February 10, 2022

A

Oh, the latter!  May it happen to all of us!

Q

Dear Mr. Cornwell,

I'm still a huge fan of your books, and just now got to finishing the Saxon series. In War Lord, Uhtred counts Egil as his only ally and not even once mentions Sithric and all of Dunholm's might. So I'm just wondering what happened to Sithric?

Kind regards

jonas

Submitted February 10, 2022

A

I mentioned Sihtric in War Lord!  It’s true that he rather fades from the series, which is my fault, but he is there even if Uhtred rather rudely ignores him much of the time. And Sihtric is still Uhtred’s man, sworn to him by oath, so he’s not an independent figure like Egil, so not so much an ally as a follower.