Rifles: Six Years with Wellington's Legendary Sharpshooters
By (Author) Mark Urban
Faber & Faber
Faber & Faber
1st July 2005
2nd September 2004
Main
United Kingdom
General
Non Fiction
Military institutions
940.27
Paperback
384
Width 126mm, Height 200mm, Spine 20mm
260g
As part of the Light Division created to act as the advance guard of Wellington's army, the 95th Rifles are the first into battle and the last out. Fighting, thieving and raping their way across Europe, they are clearly no ordinary troops. The 95th are in fact the first British soldiers to take aim at their targets, to take cover when being shot at, to move tactically by fire and manoeuvre. And by the end of the six-year campaign they have not only proved themselves the toughest fighters in the army, they have also - at huge personal cost - created the modern notion of the infantryman.
'If you like Sharpe, then this book is a must, your Christmas present solved.' Bernard Cornwell, Daily Mail 'A brilliant warts-and-all depiction of Wellington's famous riflemen.' Daily Telegraph
Mark Urban is the Diplomatic Editor of the BBC's Newsnight and was formerly defence correspondent for the Independent. He has covered many wars and is the author of Big Boys' Rules: The SAS and the Secret Struggle against the IRA, UK Eyes Alpha: Inside British Intelligence and, most recently, the bestselling The Man Who Broke Napoleon's Codes, described in the UK's Daily Telegraph as 'a thrilling read.'