Benjamin Harris was a young shepherd from Dorset who joined the army in 1802 and later joined the dashing 95th Rifles. His battalion was ordered to Portugal, where he marched away under the burning sun, weighed down by his kit and great-coat, plus all the tools and leather he had to carry as the battalion's cobbler - 'the lapstone I took the liberty of flinging to the Devil'. Rifleman Harris was a natural story-teller with a remarkable tale to unfold, and his Recollections have become one of the most popular military books of all time.
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About the Author
BENJAMIN HARRIS was a young shepherd from Dorset who joined the army in 1802 and later joined the 95th Rifles. He told his story to Henry Curling, an officer on the half-pay of the Oxfordshire Light Infantry, who came across him long after the war was over when Harris, discharged through ill health in 1814, was working as a cobbler in Soho. CHRISTOPHER HIBBERT served as an infantry officer during the war, was twice wounded and was awarded the Military Cross in 1945. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and an Hon. D. Litt of Leicester University.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Harris is the inspiration for Sharpe,
By
This review is from: The Recollections of Rifleman Harris: As Told to Henry Curling (Paperback)
This book is one of the classic Peninsular War recollections of the period. Harris was a devil-me-care lad of the English shires, who was first chosen by lot to join the English militia in 1806. Once in Ireland he becomes enamored of the green-jacketed 95th Rifles, Britian's new experimental Rifle corps, and decides to join them as a volunteer. The memoirs of Harris and many others like him were no doubt the inspiration for Bernard Cornwall's now famous "Sharpe" series. But Harris's work is certainly worth reading for its own merit, as it provides a vivid impression of what it was like to be a British soldier in the Napoleanic period. Unlike many of the memoirs of his compatriots, Harris only served for a brief time. He experinced Britian's initial efforts to support Spain in her rebellion against napolanic France's domination. As part of that early expedition, harris sees action at Rolica and Vimero (1808), and partakes in the grim retreat to Coruna (1809). He is thus privy only to the initial stages of what would become the Peninsular War in Spain (1808-1814) Harris's recolllections are vivid, but at times confused and lack chronology. This is reflective of the fact that he was a common ranker, and his level of education was somewhat less than many officiers. This does not detract from the value of his work; for Harris is in fact an amusing writer with an adroit sense of humor. He recollects his experinces as they come to mind, and the reader often feels as though he is seated right next to him relaying his stories as they come to mind. At times this can be confusing, and some knowledge of the period certainly helps in understanding the merits of this work. Christopher Hibbert has provided some valuable notes both in the introduction and within the body of the work, which adds greatly to it. Modern readers will certainly find Harris worthwhile, and with the recent interest sparked by the "Sharpe series", will see how the real thing compares to the fictionalized character. Sharpe is most certainly part Harris, and the reader also gets an understaning of the 95th regiment as well. Worth having.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
a few more notes,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Recollections of Rifleman Harris: As Told to Henry Curling (Paperback)
I agree almost entirely with the fine review written by Roger Kennedy. Just a few more points to add: (1) I think what sticks in my mind more than anything else are the horrific marches and the lack of medical care - the authors descriptions are all the more memorable for their off-handed understatement. (2) It's also an interesting recording of the social mores of the time - the author feels that the Lash is a necessity, and deplores the idea of having promotions done by merit rather than by noble birth. Not what you might expect to hear from a commoner serving in the ranks!
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