Read About The Adventures Of Richard Sharpe And Get An Education In History And Close Combat

"O'er the hills and o'er the main

"O'er the hills and o'er the main. Through Flanders, Portugal and Spain. King George commands and we obey. Over the hills and far away."

For those of you who know the inner circle you already know we're all about learning, training, and preparing for situations where self defense will be required. That isn't to say we don't like to have a good time, and when were not training we spend plenty of time with our friends and families.

Everyone enjoys different things, but for me I enjoy a good book, but even in my choice of fiction close combat plays a role. Among my favorites is the historical fiction series about Napoleonic Wars rifleman Richard Sharpe written by Bernard Cornwell. The novels are all about action and adventure, and if you haven't read them you should at least take time out to watch the TV series.

The Napoleonic Wars went on from 1803 to 1815 and saw rapid political change in Europe and around the world. On November 9, 1799 Napoleon a young and popular military commander seized power and not long after made himself Emperor of France and immediately began taking on his countries enemies, and began building an Empire.

Out of the turmoil and chaos Britain comes out as a world power, but not before plenty of brutal fighting around the globe. Against this backdrop the reader follows Sharpe as he climbs the ranks from private to Lt Colonel as he takes part in historic battles and meets real and fictional heroes along the way. Sharpe is the son of a prostitute and has few options, but once in the military his true character is revealed, and is made an officer for saving the Duke of Wellington's life.

Cornwell's first novel about Sharpe is Sharpe's Eagle which is set in 1809 during the Peninsular War as France and England are locked in mortal combat for the control of the Iberian Peninsula, and the future of Portugal and Spain. Sharpe carries the very accurate Baker rifle, and use a heavy cavalry saber in close combat.

Unlike the majority of troops armed with muskets who worked together in large groups to maximize fire power riflemen operated in two man teams and snipe at the enemy and worked as skirmishers. Since the rifles couldn't mount bayonets sword bayonets issued to the men for any close combat situation though Sharpe and his men use a variety of weapons in close quarter fights. Sharpe and his troops are often attached to larger units, but are almost always the first to engage the enemy, and in the TV series often take part in covert missions and support local guerilla operations.

In this first novel you see Sharpe as a tough aggressive commander, who isn't afraid to take on the enemy, but he also takes time to both praise and train his troops, and this behavior continues throughout the series. In one novel he takes on a renegade unit made up of French and English deserters while in another he leads an assault to break a siege, and when he has to fight a dual he isn't above fighting dirty to win a fight.

Along the way he has romances with many beautiful women, pisses off aristocratic officers, and does more than his share to help win the war against Napoleon. The TV series starring Sean Bean as Sharpe was produced in England and is available in the United States on PBS, and while it doesn't follow the books exactly it is still exciting to watch and even Cornwell enjoys the changes that have been made.

Now you can't just read manuals all the time, and everyone needs a break from training, so choose something fun to read. There are over 20 adventures about Sharpe and his men, and they're continuing to make TV films about him, so you will have plenty of material to fill the hours.

I like the character of Richard Sharpe, because he is what we aspire to when we train. He is tough, aggressive, and doesn't back down in a fight and these traits make him a successful. In a time where many troops died because of out dated tactics Sharpe hacked at the enemy while using cover and concealment like troops use today.

by: Matthew McKernan

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