A Must for Peninsular War enthusiasts and all those interested in the famous green Riflemen Captain Leach brings his military experiences during the Napoleonic Wars into sharp relief. We share the rigours of campaigning and dangers of the battlefield, but his descriptions of the events in the broader military scene and his description of the country through which he journeys assist in bringing the era to life for everyone interested in the adventures of this famous regiment and its men.
Unabridged and Unedited-Kincaid's experiences with the famous Rifles John Kincaid's recollections of his time soldiering under Wellington with the famous green coated riflemen of the 95th are perhaps the most famous accounts by an officer of this corps d'elite on campaign against Napoleon's French Army during the Peninsular War and in the Campaign of 1815 as the Emperor was finally brought to account at Waterloo. His first book, Adventures was well received in his own time which led him-by public demand as it were-to produce a sequel, Random Shots. Both are included in this special Leonaur edition in their full original texts-unlike some editions of Kincaid's works. Kincaid was a personable character, full of fun and well liked by his brother officers of the 95th. Predictably his likeable personality shines through his recollections providing a clear justification for their appeal and popularity. For the historian, Kincaid was, of course the consummate rifleman and his soldiering took him on campaign and onto many of the battlefields of the Peninsular War, over the Pyrenees and into Southern France. His descriptions of the 95th in action are invaluable as his Waterloo memoir. This is a bumper helping of 'Rifleman Green' for every enthusiast to enjoy.
Sharpe and his adventures has made the 95th Foot renowned again and the discovery of an unpublished diary by an American from Charleston South Carolina who served, despite his father’s objections, as an officer in this elite regiment has caused great excitement. James Penman Gairdner was born in Charleston, South Carolina, but he was sent back to the ‘Old Country’ for his education, receiving his schooling at Harrow. After school, rather than joining his father’s merchant business he decided to become a soldier, receiving a commission in the famous 95th Rifles. He subsequently served, without a break, from the siege of Ciudad Rodrigo in January 1812 until the end of the war in 1814. He then fought in the Waterloo campaign and formed part of the Army of Occupation. He was wounded on three occasions. Throughout his service he kept a journal, which he managed to maintain on almost a daily basis. This journal, along with a number of letters that he wrote to his family, have been edited by renowned historian Gareth Glover and are presented here to the public for the first time. Readers will not find dramatic stories of great battles or adventurous escapades. Instead, Gairdner, details the everyday life of one of Wellington’s soldiers; one of marches and billets, of the weather, the places and the people of the Iberian Peninsula and of Paris and Occupied France – the real nature of soldering. His diaries also highlight the very strange relationship between these newly independent Americans and the ‘Old Country’ they had so recently fought with; which even allowed for a true American boy to fight in the British Army, but not in America!
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 and thieving 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.In an exhilarating work of narrative military history, Mark Urban traces the story of the 95th Rifles, the toughest and deadliest sharpshooters of Wellington's Army.'If you like Sharpe, then this book is a must, your Christmas present solved.' Bernard Cornwell, Daily Mail'Urban writes history the way it should be written, alive and exciting.' Andy McNab
