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些芯写械薪薪懈泻 锌褨褏芯褌懈薪褑褟 袚邪褉褉褨褋邪
芦些芯写械薪薪懈泻 锌褨褏芯褌懈薪褑褟 袚邪褉褉褨褋邪禄 鈥� 褑械 褨褋褌芯褉褨褟 蟹胁懈褔邪泄薪芯谐芯 褋褨谢褜褋褜泻芯谐芯 褏谢芯锌褑褟, 褖芯 锌芯褌褉邪锌懈胁 褍 胁懈褉 袧邪锌芯谢械芯薪褨胁褋褜泻懈褏 胁褨泄薪. 小芯谢写邪褌褋褜泻邪 锌褉邪胁写邪 锌褉芯 写芯胁谐褨 锌械褉械褏芯写懈, 褨薪芯蟹械屑薪械 胁懈薪芯, 褉褨蟹薪芯斜邪褉胁薪褨 屑褍薪写懈褉懈 褌邪 斜邪谐薪械褌薪褨 邪褌邪泻懈. 效邪褋懈, 泻芯谢懈 薪械 斜褍谢芯 屑械褏邪薪褨蟹芯胁邪薪懈褏 蟹鈥櫻斝葱叫靶窖�, 褉邪写褨芯蟹胁鈥櫻徯沸貉� 褌邪 褕褌褍褉屑芯胁芯褩 邪胁褨邪褑褨褩, 邪 褋芯谢写邪褌懈 褖褨谢褜薪懈屑懈 谢邪胁邪屑懈 泄褕谢懈 胁锌械褉械写 蟹邪 袘芯谐邪 褨 泻芯褉芯谢褟.
144 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1848
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
October 13, 2019
This is one of the best known of the Napoleonic War memoirs and I can see why. As an ordinary soldier, Harris had no knowledge of strategic matters and could only relate what happened around him. There鈥檚 enough though in his account to provide insight into the campaigns in which he was involved. Harris served in The Rifles in Denmark in 1807, Portugal and Spain in 1808-09 and in the ill-fated Walcheren Expedition of 1809. In the latter the British Army had hardly any men killed in combat but lost thousands to disease. Harris himself fell sick but eventually recovered. From his description he may have suffered from malaria.
Probably the most significant part of the account concerns the notorious retreat to Corunna in 1809, which took place across the Galician mountains in the middle of winter. Harris describes how numerous men died of exhaustion and hypothermia. Towards the end he himself became a straggler and only just made it to Corunna in time to be evacuated.
One of the striking things about Harris鈥� account is his descriptions of the soldiers鈥� families who trailed after the British Army. These women and children were given no billets and often had to sleep in the open. One can only imagine their suffering during the retreat to Corunna. Harris tells of one Irishwoman giving birth during the retreat, amidst mountain snows.
It鈥檚 been said that Harris鈥� memoir was the inspiration for Bernard Cornwell鈥檚 鈥淪harpe鈥� novels. I have no idea whether this is true. There are obvious similarities, in that Sharpe was also meant to be a rifleman who fought in the Peninsular War, but it鈥檚 also clear that Harris himself would not have thought much of Richard Sharpe.
鈥淣ay, whatever folks may say upon the matter, I know from experience, that in our army the men like best to be officered by gentlemen, men whose education has rendered them more kind in manners than your coarse officer, sprung from obscure origin, and whose style is brutal and overbearing.鈥�
It鈥檚 also noticeable how Harris quite openly talks about scavenging dead bodies after a battle, to find valuables. This seems to have been tolerated, at least if the dead bodies were those of Frenchmen. He does relate one instance where a soldier was flogged for trying sell a valuable ring he had taken from the body of one of his own officers.
Another book that illustrates the remarkable levels of fortitude possessed by our ancestors.
Probably the most significant part of the account concerns the notorious retreat to Corunna in 1809, which took place across the Galician mountains in the middle of winter. Harris describes how numerous men died of exhaustion and hypothermia. Towards the end he himself became a straggler and only just made it to Corunna in time to be evacuated.
One of the striking things about Harris鈥� account is his descriptions of the soldiers鈥� families who trailed after the British Army. These women and children were given no billets and often had to sleep in the open. One can only imagine their suffering during the retreat to Corunna. Harris tells of one Irishwoman giving birth during the retreat, amidst mountain snows.
It鈥檚 been said that Harris鈥� memoir was the inspiration for Bernard Cornwell鈥檚 鈥淪harpe鈥� novels. I have no idea whether this is true. There are obvious similarities, in that Sharpe was also meant to be a rifleman who fought in the Peninsular War, but it鈥檚 also clear that Harris himself would not have thought much of Richard Sharpe.
鈥淣ay, whatever folks may say upon the matter, I know from experience, that in our army the men like best to be officered by gentlemen, men whose education has rendered them more kind in manners than your coarse officer, sprung from obscure origin, and whose style is brutal and overbearing.鈥�
It鈥檚 also noticeable how Harris quite openly talks about scavenging dead bodies after a battle, to find valuables. This seems to have been tolerated, at least if the dead bodies were those of Frenchmen. He does relate one instance where a soldier was flogged for trying sell a valuable ring he had taken from the body of one of his own officers.
Another book that illustrates the remarkable levels of fortitude possessed by our ancestors.
January 5, 2021
This is a well written first person account of service in the 95th Rifles. It moves along quite smoothly and the stories of campaign life are very engaging. The descriptions are frankly honest and the casual acceptance of death and hardship is one of the best and most realistic features of this account. The author writes of his initial enlistment, until he was medically discharged in 1814. The book starts off with a bang, quite literally, with the description of his first couple of months in service in England, and never slows down. One of the best first-person accounts of the period that I have ever read.
May 7, 2025
War is logistics, and logistics are hell.
August 20, 2012
Rifleman Harris's autobiographical account of fighting with the Greenjackets in the peninsular campaign provides a brilliant insight into the reality of a soldier's life in this period. Whether describing the horror of battle or his amorous adventures between engagements, his sharp eye and lively style bring his adventures vividly to life. A cobbler by trade, he was responsible for repairing the boots of soldiers whose footwear worn away with marching, but he also saw his share of action on the field. He was there during the successes led to the siege of Lisbon and there for the retreat to Corunna. Back in England, he recounts his adventures out recruiting before he set off on the disastrous expedition to Walcheran, which saw the Rifles overcome not by the enemy, but by disease. He himself fell victim to the illness, which saw him invalided out of the Army.
I particularly enjoyed his views on the British Army officer class: "I know from experience, that in our army the men like best to be officered by gentlemen, men whose education has rendered them more kind in manners than your coarse officer, sprung from obscure origin, and whose style is brutal and overbearing.
My observation has often led me to remark amongst men, that those whose birth and station might reasonably have made them fastidious under hardship and toil have generally borne their miseries without a murmur; whilst those whose previous life, one would have thought, might have better prepared them for the toils of war have been the first to cry out and complain of their hard fate."
I particularly enjoyed his views on the British Army officer class: "I know from experience, that in our army the men like best to be officered by gentlemen, men whose education has rendered them more kind in manners than your coarse officer, sprung from obscure origin, and whose style is brutal and overbearing.
My observation has often led me to remark amongst men, that those whose birth and station might reasonably have made them fastidious under hardship and toil have generally borne their miseries without a murmur; whilst those whose previous life, one would have thought, might have better prepared them for the toils of war have been the first to cry out and complain of their hard fate."
November 12, 2023
Great book, a must read for anyone interested in the reality of war. The horrors and hardships of a simple private soldier of this time are unbelievable.
I have read many accounts of the retreat of the British in Spain. But reading this book gives you an understanding of their trials, suffering and deaths.
Rifleman Harris is amazing as all around him die, he some how remains untouched. He is so matter of fact about friends deaths. Most of all he seems not bitter about the whole affair.
I have read many accounts of the retreat of the British in Spain. But reading this book gives you an understanding of their trials, suffering and deaths.
Rifleman Harris is amazing as all around him die, he some how remains untouched. He is so matter of fact about friends deaths. Most of all he seems not bitter about the whole affair.
May 21, 2021
袣薪懈谐邪 芦些芯写械薪薪懈泻 褉褟写芯胁芯谐芯 袚邪褉褉褨褋邪禄 斜邪谐邪褌芯 胁 褔芯屑褍 褍薪褨泻邪谢褜薪懈泄 褌械泻褋褌. 笑械 褋锌芯谐邪写懈 邪薪谐谢褨泄褋褜泻芯谐芯 褋芯谢写邪褌邪, 锌褉芯褋褌芯谐芯 邪薪谐谢褨泄褋褜泻芯谐芯 褋械谢褟薪懈薪邪, 褖芯 胁芯褞胁邪胁 锌褉芯褌懈 袧邪锌芯谢械芯薪邪, 褟泻褨 斜褍谢懈 蟹邪锌懈褋邪薪褨 袚械薪褉褨 袣械褉谢褨薪谐芯屑, 泻芯谢懈 邪胁褌芯褉褍 斜褍谢芯 95 褉芯泻褨胁. 袙褨写写邪谢械薪褨褋褌褜 胁褨写 芯锌懈褋褍胁邪薪懈褏 锌芯写褨泄 胁 屑邪泄卸械 薪褨卸 锌褨胁 褋褌芯谢褨褌褌褟 褋锌褉懈褔懈薪懈谢邪 锌械胁邪薪褍 褋锌械褑懈褎褨褔薪褨褋褌褜 褑褨褦褩 褉芯蟹锌芯胁褨写褨. 携 褔懈褌邪胁 褨 屑械薪褨 锌芯褋褌褨泄薪芯 蟹写邪胁邪谢芯褋褟, 褖芯 褟 褌褉懈屑邪褞 胁 褉褍泻邪褏 褟泻懈泄褋褜 薪械泄屑芯胁褨褉薪懈屑 褔懈薪芯屑 蟹斜械褉械卸械薪懈泄 邪褉褌械褎邪泻褌, 褖芯 褑械泄 褌械泻褋褌 泻褉懈褏泻懈泄 褨 褉芯蟹褋懈锌谢械褌褜褋褟 胁 褉褍泻邪褏 胁褨写 芯写薪芯谐芯 谢懈褕械 薪械芯斜械褉械卸薪芯 锌褉芯褔懈褌邪薪芯谐芯 褋谢芯胁邪. 袧邪褋泻褨谢褜泻懈 褨薪褕懈屑懈 斜褍谢懈 褌芯写褨 锌芯褉褟写泻懈, 薪邪褋泻褨谢褜泻懈 薪械 褋褏芯卸懈屑懈 薪邪 褌械锌械褉褨褕薪褨褏 斜褍谢懈 谢褞写懈. 携 胁褨写褉褨蟹薪褟谢芯褋褟 卸懈褌褌褟 胁褨写 褌芯谐芯, 褖芯 屑懈 蟹邪褉邪蟹 斜邪褔懈屑芯 薪邪胁泻褉褍谐懈! 袙 屑械薪械, 褟泻 胁 谢褞写懈薪懈, 褖芯 屑邪褦 锌械胁薪懈泄 锌褨褦褌械褌 写芯 褋褌邪褉懈褏 褔邪褋褨胁, 胁褨写 褑褜芯谐芯 锌褉芯褋褌芯 锌械褉械褏芯锌谢褞胁邪谢芯 锌芯写懈褏.
袨泻褉械屑芯 褌褉械斜邪 褋泻邪蟹邪褌懈 锌褉芯 褍泻褉邪褩薪褋褜泻懈泄 锌械褉械泻谢邪写, 褑褨褦褩 泻薪懈谐懈, 褟泻褍 胁懈泻芯薪邪谢邪 孝邪屑邪褉邪 袚芯褉褨褏邪 袟械褉薪褟. 笑械 薪邪锌械胁薪芯 褦写懈薪械, 褖芯 屑械薪褨 胁 泻薪懈蟹褨 薪械 褋锌芯写芯斜邪谢芯褋褟. 袩械褉械泻谢邪写邪褔泻邪 胁卸懈胁邪褦 胁 褌械泻褋褌褨 褋锌械褑懈褎褨褔薪芯 褍泻褉邪褩薪褋褜泻褨 胁懈褋谢芯胁懈 褨 写褨邪谢械泻褌懈蟹屑懈 芦薪械薪褜芯禄, 芦薪械 写褍卸械 斜邪薪褍胁邪胁 薪邪写 褋胁芯褦褞 写芯谢械褞禄, 芦褟 褦褋褌懈屑 薪械锌褉懈写邪褌薪懈泄禄 芦褌邪泻懈褏 蟹斜芯泄薪懈泻褨胁 泄芯屑褍 褌褉械禄 褨 褌邪泻 写邪谢褨. 袦械薪褨 蟹褉芯蟹褍屑褨谢芯 薪邪胁褨褖芯 褑械 蟹褉芯斜谢械薪芯, 邪斜懈 薪邪斜谢懈蟹懈褌懈 邪薪谐谢褨泄褋褜泻芯谐芯 褏谢芯锌邪泻褍 袘械薪卸邪屑褨薪邪 写芯 褍泻褉邪褩薪褋褜泻芯谐芯 褔懈褌邪褔邪, 邪斜懈 锌褉芯胁械褋褌懈 锌邪褉邪谢械谢褜 褨 褌褨褋薪褨褕械 蟹胁鈥櫻徯沸把傂� 褌芯泄 褔邪褋 蟹 褑懈屑 褔邪褋芯屑, 褌芯泄 褌械褉械薪 蟹 褑懈屑 褌械褉械薪芯屑. 袟胁褨褋薪芯 锌械褉械泻谢邪写邪褔 屑芯卸械 薪邪斜谢懈卸褍胁邪褌懈 屑芯胁褍 芯锌芯胁褨写邪褔邪 写芯 褉械邪谢褨泄 屑芯胁懈, 薪邪 褟泻褍 蟹写褨泄褋薪褞褦褌褜褋褟 锌械褉械泻谢邪写. 袟胁褨褋薪芯 褟 薪械 褔懈褌邪胁 邪薪谐谢褨泄褋褜泻芯谐芯 芯褉懈谐褨薪邪谢褍 褨 薪械 屑芯卸褍 芯褑褨薪懈褌懈 薪邪褋泻褨谢褜泻懈 褌芯褔薪芯 褨 褟泻褨褋薪芯 胁褨薪 胁懈泻芯薪邪薪懈泄. 袩褉芯褌械 褟 薪械 褉芯蟹褍屑褨褞 褔芯屑褍 薪邪 锌芯褔邪褌泻褍 褌械泻褋褌褍 褌邪泻懈褏 写褨邪谢械泻褌懈蟹屑褨胁 薪邪 泻芯卸薪褨泄 褋褌芯褉褨薪褑褨 锌芯 5 -10 褕褌褍泻, 邪 写邪谢褨 胁芯薪懈 褉褨蟹泻芯 蟹薪懈泻邪褞褌褜 褨 芯锌芯胁褨写褜 锌褉芯写芯胁卸褍褦褌褜褋褟 褋褌邪薪写邪褉褌薪芯褞 褍泻褉邪褩薪褋褜泻芯褞. 孝邪泻 褟 褍褟胁谢褟褞 褟泻械 褑械 褉芯斜芯褌邪 胁 褌邪泻芯屑褍 褋褌懈谢褨 胁懈泻芯薪邪褌懈 锌械褉械泻谢邪写, 锌褉芯褌械, 褟泻 薪邪 屑械薪械, 褌褍褌 邪斜芯 薪械 锌芯褔懈薪邪褌懈 胁蟹邪谐邪谢褨, 邪斜芯 胁懈褌褉懈屑褍胁邪褌懈 褦写懈薪懈泄 褋褌懈谢褜. 笑褟 锌芯屑懈谢泻邪 锌械褉械泻谢邪写邪褔邪 写芯斜褉褟褔械 锌芯锌褋褍胁邪谢邪 屑械薪褨 蟹邪写芯胁芯谢械薪薪褟 胁褨写 褔懈褌邪薪薪褟.
袘械薪写卸邪屑褨薪 袚邪褉褉褨褋 胁 褋胁芯褩褏 褋锌芯谐邪写邪褏 薪械 褉芯蟹泻邪蟹褍褦 薪褨褔芯谐芯 薪芯胁芯谐芯, 薪械 锌褉芯谢懈胁邪褦 褋胁褨褌谢芯 薪邪 褌邪褦屑薪懈褑褨 屑懈薪褍谢芯谐芯, 薪械 胁懈泻褉懈胁邪褦 薪褨泻芯谐芯 褨 薪械 蟹胁械谢懈褔褍褦. 袧邪泄斜褨谢褜褕邪 褑褨薪薪褨褋褌褜 褑褨褦褩 泻薪懈谐懈 胁 褌芯屑褍, 褖芯 褑械 褋邪屑械 褋锌芯谐邪写懈 胁 褎芯褉屑邪褌褨 芦褟泻 锌邪屑鈥櫻徰傂把� 鈥� 褌邪泻 褨 泻邪卸褍禄. 携 褌械卸 蟹邪锌懈褋褍胁邪胁 泻褨谢褜泻邪 褌邪泻懈褏 褋锌芯谐邪写褨胁 写械褟泻懈褏 褋褌邪褉懈褏 谢褞写械泄 褨 褟 胁褨写褔褍胁邪胁 写褍卸械 褋褏芯卸褨 胁褨斜褉邪褑褨褩 胁褨写 褑褜芯谐芯 褌械泻褋褌褍. 袥褞写懈薪邪 锌邪屑鈥櫻徰傂把� 褟泻褍褋褜 锌芯写褨褞, 芯锌懈褋褍褦 褩褩 褔褨褌泻芯, 薪邪褋泻褨谢褜泻懈 斜邪褔懈褌褜, 邪 褋褍褋褨写薪褨 锌芯写褨褩 褏芯胁邪褞褌褜褋褟 胁 薪械褌褉褟褏, 锌械褉械泻褉懈褌褨 褍卸械 褟泻懈屑懈褋褜 褨薪褕懈屑懈 写褍屑泻邪屑懈, 褖芯 褩褏 褨 薪械 胁懈写薪芯. 袦芯卸械 蟹写邪褌懈褋褟, 褖芯 褌械泻褋褌 褋锌芯谐邪写褨胁 胁 写械褔芯屑褍 褍褉懈胁褔邪褋褌懈泄, 褖芯 薪械屑邪褦 薪械锌械褉械褉胁薪芯褩 芯锌芯胁褨写褨, 锌褉芯褌械 褋邪屑械 胁 褑褜芯屑褍 褨 褦 褋褍褌褜 褑褜芯谐芯 褌械泻褋褌褍. 笑械 薪邪褔械 芯泻褉械屑褨 械锌褨蟹芯写懈 薪邪 褕谢褟褏褍 邪胁褌芯褉邪, 褖芯 芯褋胁褨褌谢械薪褨 谢褨褏褌邪褉褟屑懈 锌邪屑鈥櫻徰傃�, 泻芯谢懈 胁械褋褜 褕谢褟褏 褌芯薪械 胁 屑芯褉芯泻褍 蟹邪斜褍褌褌褟. 效懈褌邪褞褔懈 褌懈 薪褨斜懈 褉褍褏邪褦褕褋褟 屑褨卸 褑懈屑懈 芯褋胁褨褌谢械薪懈屑懈 芯褋褌褉褨胁褑褟屑懈, 锌械褉械褋褌褉懈斜褍褦褕 屑褨卸 薪懈屑懈 褨 褉芯蟹谐谢褟写邪褦褕 褋褑械薪懈, 褖芯 薪邪胁褨褔薪芯 蟹邪褋褌懈谐k懈 斜械蟹 褉褍褏褍. 袛械褖芯 谢褟褔薪芯 褋褌邪褦 泻芯谢懈 褍褋胁褨写芯屑谢褞褦褕, 褖芯 褑械 泄 褍褋械, 褖芯 蟹邪谢懈褕懈谢芯褋褟 胁褨写 谢褞写懈薪懈, 褟泻邪 锌褉芯卸懈谢邪 褌邪泻械 褑褨泻邪胁械 卸懈褌褌褟. 校卸械 薪械 褌褨谢褜泻懈 泄芯谐芯 褌褨谢芯 蟹芯褌谢褨谢芯, 邪 褨 褌褨谢芯 褌芯谐芯, 褏褌芯 蟹邪锌懈褋邪胁 褨 锌褨写谐芯褌褍胁邪胁 褑褨 褋锌芯谐邪写懈鈥� 袗 胁芯薪懈 褨 写芯褋褨 卸懈胁褍褌褜. 携泻褖芯 褑械 薪械 胁褨褔薪褨褋褌褜, 褌芯 褟 薪械 蟹薪邪褞, 褖芯 褌邪泻械 胁褨褔薪褨褋褌褜!
袨泻褉械屑芯 褌褉械斜邪 褋泻邪蟹邪褌懈 锌褉芯 褍泻褉邪褩薪褋褜泻懈泄 锌械褉械泻谢邪写, 褑褨褦褩 泻薪懈谐懈, 褟泻褍 胁懈泻芯薪邪谢邪 孝邪屑邪褉邪 袚芯褉褨褏邪 袟械褉薪褟. 笑械 薪邪锌械胁薪芯 褦写懈薪械, 褖芯 屑械薪褨 胁 泻薪懈蟹褨 薪械 褋锌芯写芯斜邪谢芯褋褟. 袩械褉械泻谢邪写邪褔泻邪 胁卸懈胁邪褦 胁 褌械泻褋褌褨 褋锌械褑懈褎褨褔薪芯 褍泻褉邪褩薪褋褜泻褨 胁懈褋谢芯胁懈 褨 写褨邪谢械泻褌懈蟹屑懈 芦薪械薪褜芯禄, 芦薪械 写褍卸械 斜邪薪褍胁邪胁 薪邪写 褋胁芯褦褞 写芯谢械褞禄, 芦褟 褦褋褌懈屑 薪械锌褉懈写邪褌薪懈泄禄 芦褌邪泻懈褏 蟹斜芯泄薪懈泻褨胁 泄芯屑褍 褌褉械禄 褨 褌邪泻 写邪谢褨. 袦械薪褨 蟹褉芯蟹褍屑褨谢芯 薪邪胁褨褖芯 褑械 蟹褉芯斜谢械薪芯, 邪斜懈 薪邪斜谢懈蟹懈褌懈 邪薪谐谢褨泄褋褜泻芯谐芯 褏谢芯锌邪泻褍 袘械薪卸邪屑褨薪邪 写芯 褍泻褉邪褩薪褋褜泻芯谐芯 褔懈褌邪褔邪, 邪斜懈 锌褉芯胁械褋褌懈 锌邪褉邪谢械谢褜 褨 褌褨褋薪褨褕械 蟹胁鈥櫻徯沸把傂� 褌芯泄 褔邪褋 蟹 褑懈屑 褔邪褋芯屑, 褌芯泄 褌械褉械薪 蟹 褑懈屑 褌械褉械薪芯屑. 袟胁褨褋薪芯 锌械褉械泻谢邪写邪褔 屑芯卸械 薪邪斜谢懈卸褍胁邪褌懈 屑芯胁褍 芯锌芯胁褨写邪褔邪 写芯 褉械邪谢褨泄 屑芯胁懈, 薪邪 褟泻褍 蟹写褨泄褋薪褞褦褌褜褋褟 锌械褉械泻谢邪写. 袟胁褨褋薪芯 褟 薪械 褔懈褌邪胁 邪薪谐谢褨泄褋褜泻芯谐芯 芯褉懈谐褨薪邪谢褍 褨 薪械 屑芯卸褍 芯褑褨薪懈褌懈 薪邪褋泻褨谢褜泻懈 褌芯褔薪芯 褨 褟泻褨褋薪芯 胁褨薪 胁懈泻芯薪邪薪懈泄. 袩褉芯褌械 褟 薪械 褉芯蟹褍屑褨褞 褔芯屑褍 薪邪 锌芯褔邪褌泻褍 褌械泻褋褌褍 褌邪泻懈褏 写褨邪谢械泻褌懈蟹屑褨胁 薪邪 泻芯卸薪褨泄 褋褌芯褉褨薪褑褨 锌芯 5 -10 褕褌褍泻, 邪 写邪谢褨 胁芯薪懈 褉褨蟹泻芯 蟹薪懈泻邪褞褌褜 褨 芯锌芯胁褨写褜 锌褉芯写芯胁卸褍褦褌褜褋褟 褋褌邪薪写邪褉褌薪芯褞 褍泻褉邪褩薪褋褜泻芯褞. 孝邪泻 褟 褍褟胁谢褟褞 褟泻械 褑械 褉芯斜芯褌邪 胁 褌邪泻芯屑褍 褋褌懈谢褨 胁懈泻芯薪邪褌懈 锌械褉械泻谢邪写, 锌褉芯褌械, 褟泻 薪邪 屑械薪械, 褌褍褌 邪斜芯 薪械 锌芯褔懈薪邪褌懈 胁蟹邪谐邪谢褨, 邪斜芯 胁懈褌褉懈屑褍胁邪褌懈 褦写懈薪懈泄 褋褌懈谢褜. 笑褟 锌芯屑懈谢泻邪 锌械褉械泻谢邪写邪褔邪 写芯斜褉褟褔械 锌芯锌褋褍胁邪谢邪 屑械薪褨 蟹邪写芯胁芯谢械薪薪褟 胁褨写 褔懈褌邪薪薪褟.
袘械薪写卸邪屑褨薪 袚邪褉褉褨褋 胁 褋胁芯褩褏 褋锌芯谐邪写邪褏 薪械 褉芯蟹泻邪蟹褍褦 薪褨褔芯谐芯 薪芯胁芯谐芯, 薪械 锌褉芯谢懈胁邪褦 褋胁褨褌谢芯 薪邪 褌邪褦屑薪懈褑褨 屑懈薪褍谢芯谐芯, 薪械 胁懈泻褉懈胁邪褦 薪褨泻芯谐芯 褨 薪械 蟹胁械谢懈褔褍褦. 袧邪泄斜褨谢褜褕邪 褑褨薪薪褨褋褌褜 褑褨褦褩 泻薪懈谐懈 胁 褌芯屑褍, 褖芯 褑械 褋邪屑械 褋锌芯谐邪写懈 胁 褎芯褉屑邪褌褨 芦褟泻 锌邪屑鈥櫻徰傂把� 鈥� 褌邪泻 褨 泻邪卸褍禄. 携 褌械卸 蟹邪锌懈褋褍胁邪胁 泻褨谢褜泻邪 褌邪泻懈褏 褋锌芯谐邪写褨胁 写械褟泻懈褏 褋褌邪褉懈褏 谢褞写械泄 褨 褟 胁褨写褔褍胁邪胁 写褍卸械 褋褏芯卸褨 胁褨斜褉邪褑褨褩 胁褨写 褑褜芯谐芯 褌械泻褋褌褍. 袥褞写懈薪邪 锌邪屑鈥櫻徰傂把� 褟泻褍褋褜 锌芯写褨褞, 芯锌懈褋褍褦 褩褩 褔褨褌泻芯, 薪邪褋泻褨谢褜泻懈 斜邪褔懈褌褜, 邪 褋褍褋褨写薪褨 锌芯写褨褩 褏芯胁邪褞褌褜褋褟 胁 薪械褌褉褟褏, 锌械褉械泻褉懈褌褨 褍卸械 褟泻懈屑懈褋褜 褨薪褕懈屑懈 写褍屑泻邪屑懈, 褖芯 褩褏 褨 薪械 胁懈写薪芯. 袦芯卸械 蟹写邪褌懈褋褟, 褖芯 褌械泻褋褌 褋锌芯谐邪写褨胁 胁 写械褔芯屑褍 褍褉懈胁褔邪褋褌懈泄, 褖芯 薪械屑邪褦 薪械锌械褉械褉胁薪芯褩 芯锌芯胁褨写褨, 锌褉芯褌械 褋邪屑械 胁 褑褜芯屑褍 褨 褦 褋褍褌褜 褑褜芯谐芯 褌械泻褋褌褍. 笑械 薪邪褔械 芯泻褉械屑褨 械锌褨蟹芯写懈 薪邪 褕谢褟褏褍 邪胁褌芯褉邪, 褖芯 芯褋胁褨褌谢械薪褨 谢褨褏褌邪褉褟屑懈 锌邪屑鈥櫻徰傃�, 泻芯谢懈 胁械褋褜 褕谢褟褏 褌芯薪械 胁 屑芯褉芯泻褍 蟹邪斜褍褌褌褟. 效懈褌邪褞褔懈 褌懈 薪褨斜懈 褉褍褏邪褦褕褋褟 屑褨卸 褑懈屑懈 芯褋胁褨褌谢械薪懈屑懈 芯褋褌褉褨胁褑褟屑懈, 锌械褉械褋褌褉懈斜褍褦褕 屑褨卸 薪懈屑懈 褨 褉芯蟹谐谢褟写邪褦褕 褋褑械薪懈, 褖芯 薪邪胁褨褔薪芯 蟹邪褋褌懈谐k懈 斜械蟹 褉褍褏褍. 袛械褖芯 谢褟褔薪芯 褋褌邪褦 泻芯谢懈 褍褋胁褨写芯屑谢褞褦褕, 褖芯 褑械 泄 褍褋械, 褖芯 蟹邪谢懈褕懈谢芯褋褟 胁褨写 谢褞写懈薪懈, 褟泻邪 锌褉芯卸懈谢邪 褌邪泻械 褑褨泻邪胁械 卸懈褌褌褟. 校卸械 薪械 褌褨谢褜泻懈 泄芯谐芯 褌褨谢芯 蟹芯褌谢褨谢芯, 邪 褨 褌褨谢芯 褌芯谐芯, 褏褌芯 蟹邪锌懈褋邪胁 褨 锌褨写谐芯褌褍胁邪胁 褑褨 褋锌芯谐邪写懈鈥� 袗 胁芯薪懈 褨 写芯褋褨 卸懈胁褍褌褜. 携泻褖芯 褑械 薪械 胁褨褔薪褨褋褌褜, 褌芯 褟 薪械 蟹薪邪褞, 褖芯 褌邪泻械 胁褨褔薪褨褋褌褜!
October 1, 2020
A fascinating view from the field. I had no idea so many wives and children accompanied the riflemen in those days and their stories during the retreat was not happy reading. This is better written than many other memoirs I've read. Some poignant moments and a great depiction of the hardships faced. Scarcely any mention of Napoleon so it's not recommended for anyone trying to learn about the larger conflict but for the experiences from this one soldier's perspective it delivers admirably and is well worth reading.
June 15, 2022
Picked it up expecting a somewhat dry but interesting account of life as a rifleman during the Peninsula Campaign. Instead read like anecdotal fiction. Incredibly tragic to read first-hand what those experiences must have been like, but at the same time the narrator calls the experience the best time of his life, and as a reader you can鈥檛 help but get swept along. A quick read too, felt like I was sitting in a tavern with a master storyteller regaling me their exploits in the war.
July 25, 2017
These memoirs give a rare view into the daily life of a private solder in the British army during the Napoleonic wars. Harris, drafted into the 66th Regiment of Foot from his quiet life as a shepherd's son, shares his adventures, war stories, and privations over several years of active service during a very busy time for the Army. In a short while he sees the riflemen as the most dashing and exciting of the units he had seen, with the smartest uniform, and volunteers into an Irish battalion of the 95th Rifles, where he spent most of his career.
Since the writer is a shepherd and part time shoemaker, his writing is rather straightforward than eloquent, and he recalls events in no particular order, so it is not a linear history, but it gives a good feel of the daily life on campaign of the regular foot soldiers, a picture we seldom see.
As a Rifleman, Harris was frequently, as he states it, it the van of the vanguard on advance, and the tail of the rearguard on retreat, which neither he nor his General liked to do. He was heavily involved in the Penninsular Campaign against Napoleon, and describes action in the battles of Roli莽a, Vimeiro, and the march from Portugal into Spain. He loved the glorious appearance presented by the advancing Army, colours flying, appearing invincible, but also describes the desperate fatigue and debilitating hunger of the long retreat to Corunna and their pathetic arrival at the coast, where the sailors had to push the weakened survivors and their wives and children up the rope ladders onto the troopships to take them home to England.
Harris' recollections include several interesting vignettes of life on campaign. He met Wellington before he was made a Duke, and describes General Craufurd creeping among his weary troops as they lay hidden in the grass to refresh and inspire them with a canteen full of rum during a long battle watch. He also describes the severe discipline on campaign, but maintains that only by dint of that strict control did so many of them as did survive a grueling retreat to return home. He also describes several instances where, given a few minutes or hours to rest, he took out the cobbling tools he carried in his pack to repair shoes and boots for the men and officers who still had any.
Overall, Harris gives his reader an invaluable glimpse into the life of a foot soldier of 200 years ago. We see accounts by and about officers with much greater frequency, which is what makes Rifleman Harris' recollections so valuable. Through his eyes we experience the excitement, thrills, chills, and hardships of the common soldier.
Since the writer is a shepherd and part time shoemaker, his writing is rather straightforward than eloquent, and he recalls events in no particular order, so it is not a linear history, but it gives a good feel of the daily life on campaign of the regular foot soldiers, a picture we seldom see.
As a Rifleman, Harris was frequently, as he states it, it the van of the vanguard on advance, and the tail of the rearguard on retreat, which neither he nor his General liked to do. He was heavily involved in the Penninsular Campaign against Napoleon, and describes action in the battles of Roli莽a, Vimeiro, and the march from Portugal into Spain. He loved the glorious appearance presented by the advancing Army, colours flying, appearing invincible, but also describes the desperate fatigue and debilitating hunger of the long retreat to Corunna and their pathetic arrival at the coast, where the sailors had to push the weakened survivors and their wives and children up the rope ladders onto the troopships to take them home to England.
Harris' recollections include several interesting vignettes of life on campaign. He met Wellington before he was made a Duke, and describes General Craufurd creeping among his weary troops as they lay hidden in the grass to refresh and inspire them with a canteen full of rum during a long battle watch. He also describes the severe discipline on campaign, but maintains that only by dint of that strict control did so many of them as did survive a grueling retreat to return home. He also describes several instances where, given a few minutes or hours to rest, he took out the cobbling tools he carried in his pack to repair shoes and boots for the men and officers who still had any.
Overall, Harris gives his reader an invaluable glimpse into the life of a foot soldier of 200 years ago. We see accounts by and about officers with much greater frequency, which is what makes Rifleman Harris' recollections so valuable. Through his eyes we experience the excitement, thrills, chills, and hardships of the common soldier.
February 8, 2018
Really gives a great insight in to the life of a rifleman in the Peninsular War. I was surprised by the respect he had for his officers, how well some of the officers interacted positively with the men, and how well he was cared for after he became ill. I would have loved to read a little more about his life after he was discharged, but all in all I have total respect for this man. No complaints, no "ooooh I'm so stressed out", or "I can't cope", he just got on with it in far more difficult circumstances than those we enjoy now.
October 15, 2019
This is an interesting account of just how hard army life was at the beginning of the the 19th Century. Although it seems the book wasn't written by Harris, but recounted to one of his officers years after Harris' service, it is remarkably lucid and full of details. Harris comes across as a cool customer in the face of the enemy and takes the horrors of war in his stride. The style isn't too florid considering the time of publication and, unlike the denseness of many Regency and Victorian authors, Harris' narrative is easy to read.
August 19, 2019
An interesting read giving the life experiences of a soldier in Napoleonic times
I recommend reading this as it gives a realistic expectancy of surviving the life of rifleman or skirmisher in Napoleonic times
I recommend reading this as it gives a realistic expectancy of surviving the life of rifleman or skirmisher in Napoleonic times
March 23, 2022
This is such a well-known primary source that I kept having d茅j脿 lu all through it. And, indeed, I had already read these instances in secondary works.
There is a bit of haziness about the text itself, which is not uncommon in memoirs from the time. Benjamin Harris was a real rifleman, and the published text is based on his recollections, but he did not write the book himself. Henry Curling, who was an officer of the same regiment but more recently than the events described, became a prolific popular writer. He met Harris and got him to tell his story, then Curling wrote it up and saw it published. We have no way of knowing how much of this is Harris and how much is Curling; and certainly the choice of material is mostly Curling.
But, in any case, there is a strong feeling of authenticity to this document. Harris tells things about himself that many would hide, and he makes observations about how battle feels (especially the dissociation from death) that are rather "ahead of their time" in war memoirs.
Harris was conscripted to fight Napoleon, in a regular unit, the 66th Regiment of Foot. While in Ireland with the 66th he saw a group from the 95th Rifles (an elite unit) and loved their uniforms and their attitude, so he got permission to join them. He was also a cobbler, and so he had to carry his shoemaker's gear with him at all times, and was often kept up the night before a battle repairing shoes (even when he himself was barefoot) and boots. He did get some extra money for this, as well as from picking over dead bodies on the battlefield, which served him in the end.
He campaigned in Denmark and then in the Peninsular War, serving under He-Who-Would-Be-Wellington, as well as Moore and Craufurd. He was part of the reinforcement that arrived at the front after a long march, just before Moore began the disastrous Retreat to Corunna, though his group diverged, retreating to Vigo under Craufurd. Napoleon had arrived personally in Spain after Moore had surprised and defeated Soult, and Napoleon had a very large, fresh army with him. Moore fled, moving too fast to bring up stragglers, abandoning equipment and damaged wagons, as they crossed the Galician mountains in the dead of winter. It all seems like a prelude to the Retreat from Moscow. Moore's group basically dissolved into a rabble along the way -- though it did partially reform for a final battle, when they got to Corunna and found no transports.
Craufurd's army suffered horribly, too, but Craufurd kept his folks together as a functioning unit. Yes, they had to leave the sick, exhausted and wounded behind, along with many wives and children. Yes, they took considerable losses from weather and from repeated rear-guard action. But they did much better than Moore, and one of the essential elements of this book is that Harris tries to explain how he did it. It was a mixture of strict discipline with clear signals that he was doing this all for them. Harris knows he's not quite explaining how it worked, but he knows it was a really big deal, and that Craufurd was a gifted leader.
The story of the Retreat alone would make this invaluable, but Harris served in another campaign for which he is an equally invaluable historical source, including for debates that rage to this day. This was the ill-fated Walcheren Campaign, in which the British tried to distract Napoleon from the Austrians, by seizing part of the Netherlands. Alas for the British, Napoleon had already defeated the Austrians at Wagram, before they even landed. But worse was still to come. The campaign began as a cake-walk, the Brits landing with little resistance and occupying Flushing and a couple of islands. And then everybody, and I mean pretty much everybody, got very, very sick. The Army that arrived was 42,000 strong, and 8,000 of them would die in short order, and something like twice to thrice that were sickened. Some think that the majority of those "sickened" would ultimately die, off the books, of the disease. Our best guess today is that it was a combination of malaria and typhus and typhoid and dysentery. Swollen spleens were common, which says malaria, but that wouldn't account for the numbers.
Harris's account of the event and the aftermath (he spent years in various hospitals and camps) is shocking and powerful, despite not being very long.
I'm sorry I took so long to get to the original. Highly recommended.
There is a bit of haziness about the text itself, which is not uncommon in memoirs from the time. Benjamin Harris was a real rifleman, and the published text is based on his recollections, but he did not write the book himself. Henry Curling, who was an officer of the same regiment but more recently than the events described, became a prolific popular writer. He met Harris and got him to tell his story, then Curling wrote it up and saw it published. We have no way of knowing how much of this is Harris and how much is Curling; and certainly the choice of material is mostly Curling.
But, in any case, there is a strong feeling of authenticity to this document. Harris tells things about himself that many would hide, and he makes observations about how battle feels (especially the dissociation from death) that are rather "ahead of their time" in war memoirs.
Harris was conscripted to fight Napoleon, in a regular unit, the 66th Regiment of Foot. While in Ireland with the 66th he saw a group from the 95th Rifles (an elite unit) and loved their uniforms and their attitude, so he got permission to join them. He was also a cobbler, and so he had to carry his shoemaker's gear with him at all times, and was often kept up the night before a battle repairing shoes (even when he himself was barefoot) and boots. He did get some extra money for this, as well as from picking over dead bodies on the battlefield, which served him in the end.
He campaigned in Denmark and then in the Peninsular War, serving under He-Who-Would-Be-Wellington, as well as Moore and Craufurd. He was part of the reinforcement that arrived at the front after a long march, just before Moore began the disastrous Retreat to Corunna, though his group diverged, retreating to Vigo under Craufurd. Napoleon had arrived personally in Spain after Moore had surprised and defeated Soult, and Napoleon had a very large, fresh army with him. Moore fled, moving too fast to bring up stragglers, abandoning equipment and damaged wagons, as they crossed the Galician mountains in the dead of winter. It all seems like a prelude to the Retreat from Moscow. Moore's group basically dissolved into a rabble along the way -- though it did partially reform for a final battle, when they got to Corunna and found no transports.
Craufurd's army suffered horribly, too, but Craufurd kept his folks together as a functioning unit. Yes, they had to leave the sick, exhausted and wounded behind, along with many wives and children. Yes, they took considerable losses from weather and from repeated rear-guard action. But they did much better than Moore, and one of the essential elements of this book is that Harris tries to explain how he did it. It was a mixture of strict discipline with clear signals that he was doing this all for them. Harris knows he's not quite explaining how it worked, but he knows it was a really big deal, and that Craufurd was a gifted leader.
The story of the Retreat alone would make this invaluable, but Harris served in another campaign for which he is an equally invaluable historical source, including for debates that rage to this day. This was the ill-fated Walcheren Campaign, in which the British tried to distract Napoleon from the Austrians, by seizing part of the Netherlands. Alas for the British, Napoleon had already defeated the Austrians at Wagram, before they even landed. But worse was still to come. The campaign began as a cake-walk, the Brits landing with little resistance and occupying Flushing and a couple of islands. And then everybody, and I mean pretty much everybody, got very, very sick. The Army that arrived was 42,000 strong, and 8,000 of them would die in short order, and something like twice to thrice that were sickened. Some think that the majority of those "sickened" would ultimately die, off the books, of the disease. Our best guess today is that it was a combination of malaria and typhus and typhoid and dysentery. Swollen spleens were common, which says malaria, but that wouldn't account for the numbers.
Harris's account of the event and the aftermath (he spent years in various hospitals and camps) is shocking and powerful, despite not being very long.
I'm sorry I took so long to get to the original. Highly recommended.
November 2, 2019
For any military history buff, "The Recollections of Rifleman Harris" is a must read. Unlike most books on the Napoleonic War, "Recollections" is not a grand overview from beginning to end, nor does it focus on the generals, the wide movements of companies, or politics at home or abroad. It is, instead, exactly what its' title suggests: the memories of a single Rifleman's experiences during the course of his time at war. The son of a shepherd, and a shepherd himself before enlisting, Harris never tries to sound like someone he isn't. He never tells of things he didn't see himself, or heard told to him by someone he knew. He is a common soldier, trained to repair shoes and boots for his men, and telling the story of a common man's experience. Harris fought in the Peninsular Campaign and tells of marching through Portugal, gives a harrowing firsthand account of the retreat at Corunna, the hardships, illnesses, fatigue, and challenges faced in day-to-day life as a soldier. Nothing is overblown or moralized, he describes searching dead soldier's bodies for useful items with the same tone as charging a line of French cavalry or marching for days: as something you did to survive.
All told matter-of-factly, in a straightforward style, you can imagine the former Rifleman telling you his stories over a pint at the pub. This inside look at a soldier's life should fascinate and intrigue any military history buff.
All told matter-of-factly, in a straightforward style, you can imagine the former Rifleman telling you his stories over a pint at the pub. This inside look at a soldier's life should fascinate and intrigue any military history buff.
January 4, 2021
Extremely Interesting
To go from a shepherd on day to a soldier in the British Army in the early 1800's is hard to imagine. To have survived what he went through and then not get his pension
.....! Well written in the style of the day. The small bites of daily reminensces made the reading of his life and experiences that much more realistic. He was a candidate for PTSD given the trauma he went through, and the friends and acquaintances he saw killed next to him - but his life seemed to continue with minimal impact, even after enduring the retest from Corinne. A great historical read by the person that was there!
To go from a shepherd on day to a soldier in the British Army in the early 1800's is hard to imagine. To have survived what he went through and then not get his pension
.....! Well written in the style of the day. The small bites of daily reminensces made the reading of his life and experiences that much more realistic. He was a candidate for PTSD given the trauma he went through, and the friends and acquaintances he saw killed next to him - but his life seemed to continue with minimal impact, even after enduring the retest from Corinne. A great historical read by the person that was there!
November 27, 2021
Miners used to talk of the "Mother Lode", that rich seam heavy with high quality ore, hidden deep in the bowells of the earth. Often it would evade them but when they found it they would celebrate their good fortune.
For any military historian, the Recollectiuons of Rifleman Harris represents the mother lode. It is esentialy a first hand account by one who served as a rifleman in Wellington's army, a top quaslity primary source for the Peninsular War.
Numerous authors have taken details to support serious historical studies, and there has also been a range of fictional stories devoted to the riflemen, one of which is the Sharpe series.
A slim book, but woth its weight in gold.
For any military historian, the Recollectiuons of Rifleman Harris represents the mother lode. It is esentialy a first hand account by one who served as a rifleman in Wellington's army, a top quaslity primary source for the Peninsular War.
Numerous authors have taken details to support serious historical studies, and there has also been a range of fictional stories devoted to the riflemen, one of which is the Sharpe series.
A slim book, but woth its weight in gold.
November 12, 2017
Real history through the thought and feelings of someone who was actually there.
If you have read any any historical fiction like Cornwells Sharpe Series you will find this book fascinating. Marching in the army, skirmishing ahead of the column and facing the French. People being cut down all around, its got pure excitement. There is also the social anthropology of the conversations and relationships, the wives of the soldiers and the baggage train. The language he speaks and the language in the conversations takes you back two hundred years.
If you have read any any historical fiction like Cornwells Sharpe Series you will find this book fascinating. Marching in the army, skirmishing ahead of the column and facing the French. People being cut down all around, its got pure excitement. There is also the social anthropology of the conversations and relationships, the wives of the soldiers and the baggage train. The language he speaks and the language in the conversations takes you back two hundred years.
September 19, 2023
I think the best way to experience this is to imagine your old great uncle or Granddad recounting his time in the army when he was young. Not all the the accounts string together in exactly the right order, and some bits are only briefly accounted, but you can tell what stuck with him 30-40 years later.
The part that sticks out to me as the most details and effecting parts is the description of the retreat to corunna and the aftermath, as well as the recovery from walcheren. The first half of the book in comparison is somewhat light in detail.
The part that sticks out to me as the most details and effecting parts is the description of the retreat to corunna and the aftermath, as well as the recovery from walcheren. The first half of the book in comparison is somewhat light in detail.
August 14, 2017
This was the book which inspired Bernard Cornwall to create the Sharpe adventure novels. The adventure is found between the lines here - Harris doesn't heavily structure his memoirs, but lets anecdote, event, character study follow on from each other. A sense of his life as a rifleman in the Napoleonic wars, with its excitement and hardships, evolves from his writings. It's a compact read - short, but with little filler.
December 21, 2023
携泻褖芯 胁懈 谢褞斜懈褌械 褨褋褌芯褉褨褞 邪斜芯 褑褨泻邪胁懈褌械褋褜 袧邪锌芯谢械芯薪褨胁褋褜泻懈屑懈 胁褨泄薪邪屑懈 褑褟 泻薪懈谐邪 芯斜芯胁'褟蟹泻芯胁邪 写谢褟 锌褉芯褔懈褌邪薪薪褟. 袩芯谐谢褟写 薪邪 胁褨泄薪褍 芯褔懈屑邪 蟹胁懈褔邪泄薪芯谐芯 褋芯谢写邪褌邪, 褟泻懈泄 芯锌懈褋邪胁 锌芯胁薪褨褋褌褞 褋胁褨泄 褕谢褟褏, 胁褨写 屑芯斜褨谢褨蟹邪褑褨褩 蟹 褋械谢邪 写芯 胁懈褏芯写褍 薪邪 锌械薪褋褨褞. 孝褍褌 芯锌懈褋邪薪懈泄 泻芯卸薪懈泄 邪褋锌械泻褌 卸懈褌褌褟 褌邪 锌芯斜褍褌褍 蟹胁懈褔邪泄薪芯谐芯 锌褨褏芯褌懈薪褑褟 褌褨褦褩 械锌芯褏懈: 屑芯斜褨谢褨蟹邪褑褨褟, 薪邪胁褔邪薪薪褟, 锌械褉褕褨 斜芯褩, 屑邪褉褕-泻懈写泻懈, 褏胁芯褉芯斜懈, 褉械泻褉褍褌懈薪谐... 袟邪褉邪蟹 褑褟 胁褋褟 褨薪褎芯褉屑邪褑褨褟 胁懈谐谢褟写邪褦, 褟泻 褋泻邪褉斜. 袣薪懈谐邪 100% 胁邪褉褌邪 褋胁芯褦褩 褍胁邪谐懈.
July 30, 2017
Not Sharpe
A sometimes harrowing description of what it was really like in the 95th from the point of view of a remarkably articulate man, considering his origins as a shepherd boy. From his stories it sounds as if sickness, starvation and forced marches accounted for more deaths than Napoleon ever did.
A sometimes harrowing description of what it was really like in the 95th from the point of view of a remarkably articulate man, considering his origins as a shepherd boy. From his stories it sounds as if sickness, starvation and forced marches accounted for more deaths than Napoleon ever did.
August 7, 2020
A must-read for fans of wartime diaries. Harris does a good job of isolating the most interesting anecdotes from his experiences, from escaping drunken brawls to repairing boots under fire from French cannons. As a result, his brief diary is well-paced and engaging while still providing a robust and thorough view of life as a soldier in 19th century Europe.
May 21, 2021
A unique view into the toils ordinary men had to endure for centuries. Hunger, equipment that's falling apart, looting, camp followers, desertion, death by exhaustion and o so many floggings. From the point of view of men who in general where illiterate. A book like this is rather necessary reading as a countra point to commander's memoirs or 'big' history.
September 26, 2021
袧邪褋懈谢褍 写芯褔懈褌邪胁. 袣薪懈谐邪 胁褨写薪芯褋薪芯 褑褨泻邪胁邪, 褍 薪褨泄 褑褨薪薪褨 褨褋褌芯褉懈褔薪褨 褋胁褨写褔械薪薪褟 胁褨写 锌械褉褕芯谐芯 谢懈褑褟. 袗谢械, 屑'褟泻芯 泻邪卸褍褔懈, 写褍卸械 褋锌械褑懈褎褨褔薪懈泄 锌械褉械泻谢邪写 薪邪 褍泻褉邪褩薪褋褜泻褍 蟹薪邪褔薪芯 褍褋泻谢邪写薪懈胁 蟹邪写邪褔褍 - 胁褨薪 薪邪胁褨褖芯褋褜 胁褖械薪褌 蟹邪锌芯胁薪械薪懈泄 蟹邪褋褌邪褉褨谢懈屑懈 胁懈褉邪蟹邪屑懈 褌邪 写褨邪谢械泻褌懈蟹屑邪屑懈. 袦芯卸谢懈胁芯, 褖芯斜 蟹褨屑褨褌褍胁邪褌懈 屑芯胁褍 谢褞写懈薪懈 锌芯褔邪褌泻褍 啸袉啸 褋褌芯褉褨褔褔褟? 携泻 薪邪 屑械薪械, 褑械 斜褍谢邪 锌芯谐邪薪邪 褨写械褟.
January 23, 2022
Many of the reviews have already captured the main elements of this book. For me this book is unique as it is a first hand account of the Peninsular War. It gives a first hand account of battle during this period of time but also events and procedures after a battle. A must read for anyone interested in this period of history.
February 3, 2022
The recollections of Rifleman Harris by Benjamin Harris
An extraordinary tale of the life a British rifleman soldier in the Napoleonic wars. If you have any of the Sharpe series then you must read this to see what the reality of the circumstances were. Horrific and uplifting at the same time.
An extraordinary tale of the life a British rifleman soldier in the Napoleonic wars. If you have any of the Sharpe series then you must read this to see what the reality of the circumstances were. Horrific and uplifting at the same time.
May 2, 2024
This was unexpectedly delightful.
Death is mentioned over and over again as casually as if recounting the eating of a meal. What a sad reality that these soldiers had to live in. This is definitely be a piece of our school reading when we get to the Napoleonic Wars.
Death is mentioned over and over again as casually as if recounting the eating of a meal. What a sad reality that these soldiers had to live in. This is definitely be a piece of our school reading when we get to the Napoleonic Wars.
January 23, 2019
A superb account of one rifleman's peninsula war.
March 4, 2018
Very interesting and insightful view of the common soldier. It is a great shame his service wasn't longer to get a bigger picture.
September 14, 2018
Insight into a1814 Rifleman's life.
Reading and what life was like in and out of service from a Rifleman who lived it. The good hero stuff to the not-so good life.
Reading and what life was like in and out of service from a Rifleman who lived it. The good hero stuff to the not-so good life.
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