Rifles

Posted by Joseph Allen McCullough Mar 31, 2008

When Mark Urban’s book Rifles first came out a couple of years ago, I dismissed it as an attempt to cash in on the continuing success of the Richard Sharpe novels. Lately, I’ve taken an interest in the Napoleonic wars and thought I’d give the book another look.

Although definitely written for a popular audience, Mark Urban’s book is no hack-job. It is a serious attempt to tell the full story of the famous 95th Rifles as they fought under Wellington in Spain and France. Using a wealth of primary sources, Urban follows the rifles from battlefield to battlefield, telling about the contribution of these famous green-jacketed soldiers.

What really stands out in the book is not the stories of the battles themselves, which are only seen through the eyes of the rifles, but the grim and desperate gamble that most of these men made when they became soldiers. For the most part, the men of the 95th fought for no high ideals. They fought as a chance to make money and better their position in society. When especially dangerous missions came up, such as storming the walls at Badajoz, the officers of the 95th had to turn men away. It wasn’t just fighting spirit. These men were taking a horrible gamble that they would be one of the lucky survivors and thus gain promotion.

Although I enjoyed the book, I found it a long and somewhat difficult read. The high casualty rate in the regiment means there is a revolving cast of characters, and by the end, the reader is likely to be just as war weary as the soldiers.