Marching with the Rifle Brigade, August 15, 2004

I may be late in writing this review, but I picked up this book recently to understand more about the circumstances endured by Wellington's troops on the Penisula and their campaign. I was not disappointed! Author Urban covers only the 95th Rifle Regiment, but to attempt more would have seriously detracted from his story. The Regiment performed brilliantly, with warts and all, proving that open, skirmisher formations were the wave of the future, something that had to be learned again by American Generals in the Civil War. Urban's focus on individuals to tell his story produced excellent readability and allowed the reader to become involved with the book's leading characters. One almost sees the hardships, leadership problems, bravery and emotions of the riflemen. Few authors can achieve this degree of connection with his readers in an historical work -- Urban's counterpart in writing about a later war might be Stephen Ambrose. This would be...

I'm a serious devotee of the Peninsular Campaign of the Duke of Wellington and, as such, read widely on the period and have travelled to Spain, Portugal, France and Belgium on a number of battlefield tours. So, it's always refreshing to pick up a new book in the field and find you've got an outstandingly entertaining read.Mark Urban's history of the 1st Battalion of the 95th Regiment of Rifles is the first modern work to be published and his copious and in-depth research shines through. However, his scholarship is lightly worn; drawing on previous research, some newly unearthed materials and original sources - particularly the diaries of serving Riflemen in the 95th - he makes his subject come to life. You feel you are marching alongside those wonderful characters like Pte Joseph Almond, Maj Alexander Cameron, Cpl Robert Fairford and many others.His battlefield descriptions, explanations of deployment, discussions of sieges and strategic thinking are...

Most readers will be familiar with the famous greenjackets of the 95th Rifle Regiment through Bernard Cornwell's "Sharpe's Rifles" series. This is ironic because, while Sharpe and his core followers are soldiers of the 95th Rifles, the 95th itself appears only in the very first novel and then the Waterloo installment. Therefore, this profile of the regiment should have an instant audience among fans of the popular Cornwell serial who are curious about the famed, hard-fighting outfit that lends Sharpe so much mystique, but appears very rarely in his adventures.Mark Urban has not strayed very far from his previous work, "The Man Who Broke Napoleon's Codes," a profile of the Duke of Wellington's intelligence chief. In his history of the 95th, Urban details their participation in the campaigns of the Peninsular War of 1809-14, and then at the climactic battle of Waterloo. However, the 95th built its reputation in numerous engagements with the French stemming from outpost duty,...