6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
The same old circle jerk of Sharpe and regimental lore..., January 25, 2005
This review is from: Rifleman: Elite Soldiers of the Napoleonic Wars (Classic Soldiers Series) (Hardcover)
Puh-leeze.
Somebody has got to stop this train, and, to mix metaphors, call a spade a spade.
There is no new research in this book, even though everyone's buying it for the "new, collected" research contained therein.. It's the same old, undocumented Victorian era regimental lore passed off as fact, mixed in with Crimean War equipments passed off as Napoleonic, since there was thought to be none left. It ain't necessarily so, as the old song goes.
My beef is especially with the uniform/ kit info presented. There's no footnoting to speak of, no new sources presented, it's the same old info as seen in Osprey books and Haythornthwaite's Rifleman book. Why can't people actually go to the National Archives (formerly the Public Record Office) and look at things like Inspection Returns, instead of just passing on the same old uncorroborated uniform "info", such as the bogus raincovers on light infantry caps (they didn't have them- they were only made for the "Belgic" cap). The Riflemen in the Peninsula did not wear the wood-sided so-called "Trotter" knapsacks, black (tarred??) (with a green oval with a 95 on it in the case of the 95th Rifles), they wore a small grey painted knapsack from around 1811 and an envelope pack before that. The "Trotter" box pack is a Crimean War item. One from the Guards is in the National Army Museum. Check the REAL records, real artifacts, not totted-up regimental histories like Willoughby Verner and backdated guesses of late 19th century gear. The riflemen also did not wear the so-called "pillbox" forage cap as pictured in the book, that is a later Rifle Brigade item. Look at the picture of the storming of Ciudad Rodrigo or Badajoz in the book- it shows a fellow in such a cap, but the fellow next to him is wearing an Albert shako, from the 1840s....Riflemen did not carry powder horns after 1808 at all. They had a tendency to break and blow up - it's in official records, but the book is full of people and drawings/paintings of horns, etc. It's details like this that ostensibly sell such a book, but when the details are wrong, or incomplete, it removes the raison d'etre for such a book.
Too many errors, too much unquestioned lore, too much connection with good-time Charlie reenactors and with the Sharpe series. The Sharpe series is a fantasy, and, when you think about it, has little to do with the real 95th (Rifles) Regiment of Foot, but at least it's honest, in that it's not touted as fact.
The truth is, there's a lot of new info out there on the Rifles and their deeds, uniforming and equipment, but you won't find it here. It's a book written for fans of the fictional series "Sharpe" as well as for reenactors, most of whom pictured are dressed according to research done in the 1970s and not much updated since. An entertaining read for the younger set, but don't use it as documentation for figure modelling or reconstructed uniforms for reenactors.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
the élite troops of Wellington's army, October 31, 2000
This review is from: Rifleman: Elite Soldiers of the Napoleonic Wars (Classic Soldiers Series) (Hardcover)
Although this new volume in Military Illustrated's "Classic Soldiers" series emphasizes the Napoleonic Wars, the author also covers the precursors of the Rifles and their distinguished service down to the present day. The numerous color illustrations will be a must for artists, wargamers and re-enactors. Every army has among its establishment a unit which is considered its élite. In the British Army under the Duke of Wellington one or two units, such as those of the Light Division, could lay claim to élite status on the basis of their records. But surely the élite troops of Wellington's army were the Rifleman. This volume places much emphasis on examining the lives and experience of the rank-and-file soldiery. Living conditions, training and career patterns in the British Army during this time of reform and re-equipment are examined, as are the recruitment and social backgrounds of the bulk of the force. The book also pays attention to tactics and weaponry, and in combining these two complimentary strands under one title presents an important insight into the reasons for the rise of Britain as a major military power during the Napoleonic period.
150 color and b/w illustrations
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
RIFLEMAN-Elite Soldiers of the Napoleonic Wars, July 2, 2000
This review is from: Rifleman: Elite Soldiers of the Napoleonic Wars (Classic Soldiers Series) (Hardcover)
A very good source book for those wanting information on the regiment made famous by the "Sharpe" series. The book covers the origins of the Rifles, from their Prussian and American counterparts, as well as covering their tactics and involvement in some of the most decisive battles of the Peninsular War. There are numerous prints and photos, both of period soldiers and equipment, as well as some modern shots of today's reenactors. The book contains valuable source references, but still reads easily even for someone with a casual interest in the genre. Well worth a look.
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