Books like Sharpe's Rifles

Sharpe knew himself to be a tough man, but he had always thought of himself as a reasonable one, yet now, in the mirror of William’s nervousness, he saw himself as something far worse: a bullying man who would use the small authority of his rank to frighten men…In February 1809 the British army under Sir John Moore is routed by Napoleon’s forces and is in retreat to the port of La Coruna in North-west Spain’s Galicia region, hoping to escape in Dunkirk-fashion back to England. Lieutenant Richard Sharpe and the men of the 95th Rifles under his command become separated from the bulk of the troops, and are trapped at a river crossing, saved by Spanish Cazadores, led by the charismatic aristocrat Don Blas Vivar. Sharpe wants to head south to the border with Portugal to join the British garrison at Lisbon, a decision at odds with his men who distrust an officer risen from the ranks, and he is equally despised by officers of allied armies and the enemy alike. Vivar enlists them to first head west to accompany his men carrying a strongbox which, the Riflemen believe, contains gold and jewels to prevent it falling into the hands of the enemy. Progress is slow and arduous, avoiding the roads, and they encounter a gutted village where they see at first hand the savagery of the French against the peasants.They journeyed through the night, climbing ever higher and always into the teeth of a wind that brought the chill from the snow which lay in the gullies of the upper slopes. Past midnight, from a wooded spur, Sharpe saw the far off gleam of the western sea. Much closer, and beneath him in the dark tangle of the lowlands, a smear of camp fires betrayed where men were bivouacked. ‘The French,’ Vivar said softly.Vivar, a passionately religious man, rails against Sharpe (an agnostic), but then they are side-tracked by an English couple and their niece, dour Methodist missionaries, there to convert the Spanish away from Papism, with little success.The French are persistent and Sharpe realises that they are after the coveted strongbox they have been duped to protect. Finally, in a high country fortress disused for centuries, Vivar reveals its contents and their destination as the city of Santiago (St James – the patron saint of Spain) de Compostello (field of stars), which he is to use as a rallying point, invoking the spirit of St James to help the Spanish rid the country of the French, as he had nine centuries earlier against the Moors. Naturally, some Spaniards disagree, seeing the French as “enlightened and progressive”.This is a novel on many levels, binding history with fiction. At its centre, a brilliant soldier and tactician, leadership thrust upon him yet with barely the skills to lead, who needs to gain the respect of his men. The reader follows his progress, from self-doubt to victory in battle (and there are several of those). Secondly, there is the attention to detail, of weaponry and uniform - the Riflesmen’s tattered rags and boot soles wound with twine, contrasting with the finery of the enemy. We learn what they eat (bare rations supplemented from what they glean from the land or are given by villagers). Then there are the smells of warfare: blood, vomit, horses chaffed and ridden almost to death and taking the brunt of the attack (not recommended for animal lovers). Finally there is the location itself, Santiago de Compostello, the destination of pilgrim tracks from across Europe for 1200 years, now UNESCO-listed and visited by millions. Verdict: a read to be savoured, not rushed.