Rifles — Six years with Wellington’s Legendary Sharpshooters
- Author: Mark Urban
- Publisher: Faber and Faber Ltd
- Classification: European History, Napoleonic Period, War
Wellington made good use of his famous 95th, also known as the Rifles Regiment. These are the soldiers that became famous due to the rather excellent series by Bernard Cornwell, Sharpe.
The regiment’s name and the reason they stand out in history are one and the same. In the Napoleonic period (and for many years before) troops were armed with what is known as a smooth bore musket. Essentially the inside of the gun where the bullet came out was completely smooth. The British musket is famous and was called Brown Bess.
The Rifles were different because they used rifles. This essentially means that the inside of the barrel is grooved which causes the bullet to spin. This does two things, firstly it is much more accurate than the smooth bore musket, secondly it’s slower to load. The reason they were slower is because the guns were muzzle loading (if you follow the link you can skip the first minute), and the grooves made it slower to ram the bullet home.
So you can see that they are a rather unique regiment for the period and have gained popular acclaim. However, according to the author a proper history of the regiment has never been written for that most infamous time of 1809-15.
What follows is a surpsingly intimate look at the regiment and the people who donned the green jacket. As you’d expect it starts with their recruitment and departure in 1809, and then goes on to cover all the major battles that they took part. Anyone with an interest in the Napoleonic period will know of Talavera, Ciudad Rodrigo, Badajoz, and of course Waterloo.
Well the Rifles where there for all of them.
Since our advance from Santarem on 6 March, seven of our officers have laid down their lives. And a great number have been wounded. I soon expect to have my lieutenancy. If I live, I shall get a company sooner in this regiment than any other. In six months we see as much as much service as half the army can boast in ten years…
George Simmons, 2nd Lieutenant, in a letter home, June 1811.
Mark Urban’s book is well illustrated, full of interesting facts about the regiment and contains accounts written or passed down by the men who served in green. You’ll read about how they fought, their wounds and care, dessertion and everything else that formed a part of a soldiers life in the 1900′s.
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