The Thin Red Line: An eyewitness history of the Crimean War

(Paperback)

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Description

The Crimean War was the first 'modern' war for the British forces: journalists reported home via the telegraph, a device that also tempted the government to micro-manage the war from the comfort of Whitehall. It is most famous for the charge of the Light Brigade, celebrated in poetry and film as a classic British military disaster. It also gave us 'The Thin Red Line', when a handful of British infantry saw off a horde of Russian cavalry. It was the first war in which ordinary British soldiers recorded their experiences - and Julian Spilsbury brings their story to life, together with the very different world of their officers and assorted mistresses. The army in the Crimea was a microcosm of Victorian society with all its strengths and weaknesses.

Reviews

'His skill lies in knitting together many disparate reports so that a clear picture of the action emerges from the smoke, confusion - and gore - of battle.' BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE (May 2006)

Author Bio

Julian Spilsbury is the military obituarist for the Daily Telegraph and a script writer for The Bill, Taggart and Casualty. He is the author of several thrillers including Night of the Bear and Vision of the Hunter.