A bit of history

If you're a fan of Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe novels then Mark Urban's Rifles is for you. Instead of being fiction, Urban follows the 95th through six years of war, and puts you in the shoes of these legendary fighters.

The book mainly focuses on the campaign in Spain, and finishes with the battle of Waterloo. Using the letters, diaries and other writings of the soldiers themselves, Urban does a good job of showing the reader what it would have been like to fight with these men. The book also shows just how hard life in the ranks was, were casual brutality and a lack of proper provisions was the least of your worries.

Well worth picking up if you are interested in the Napoleonic Wars or want to know more about the inspiration for Sharpe.