Sharpe's Havoc (Reviews)

BOOKMARKS
Fri 18 Apr 2003
The Wall Street Journal

Richard Sharpe has the most astounding knack for finding himself where the action is, and then adding considerably to it. Sharpe somehow managed to participate in both the battles of Trafalgar and Waterloo. But avid readers of Bernard Cornwell’s engaging series of novels would probably place Sharpe most convincingly on the Iberian Peninsula, where the seeds of the British army’s eventual defeat of Napoleon were first planted. And this is where Sharpe (and his faithful Irish sergeant, Pat Harper) fights in Sharpe’s Havoc. The British cause in Portugal appears doomed when the action first opens, but a new commander is on the way. This would be Sir Arthur Wellesley, whose life Sharpe saved in India. As a result of this earlier action, Sharpe became an officer, if not much of a gentleman. He also received a gift from Sir Arthur – a telescope – which he prizes and which is stolen from him. In the course of retrieving his telescope and rescuing a lovely woman done wrong, Sharpe pulls off the tactical surprise that allows Wellesley to cross the River Douro and chase Napoleon’s troops from Portugal. There is just enough historical verisimilitude in Mr. Cornwell’s account of the campaign to make it plausible. And when it comes to weapons and tactics, he is spot-on. As always. Should you want to understand how early artillerymen adjusted fire or how the British square worked to hold off a cavalry charge, then Sharpe (or Cornwell) is your man.