JAMES23's Full Review: Bernard Cornwell - Sharpe's Eagle: Richard Sharpe ...
Spain July 1809. Sir Arthur Wellesley is about to march his small Anglo-Portuguese Army East towards Madrid and the centre of the country. Here he will join forces with the Army of his Spanish allies and meet and hopefully defeat at Talavara the French forces that have invaded and occupied Spain.
Prior to doing this he must ensure that the flanks for his march are secured. A vital bridge near the town of Valdelasca threatens his advance and must be destroyed. Wellesley despatches Captain Hogan his wily chief of intelligence also an engineer officer to deal with this threat. Hogan decides that the men needed for this vital job are a rag tag band of orphan Rifleman and their leader, Lieutenant Richard Sharpe.
"Sharpe's Eagle" was the first of the now famous Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell. It was first published over twenty years ago. One wonders if even Cornwell knew that it would span sixteen sequels and prequels and a series of popular movies.
Wellesley decides that Hogan, Sharpe and their small contingent will need an escort as they will be operating well behind enemy lines. A battalion of British infantry, newly arrived in the Peninsula is assigned to accompany them, the South Essex Regiment. Due to the politics of the assignment, a Spanish battalion is assigned as well.
To Sharpe and Hogan it is a question as how much hindrance their escort will be to the mission, not how much assistance. The Spanish unit is a complete disaster. it consists of untrained men and uncaring officers. The British unit is not much better.
The South Essex Regiment is a new one and few of its ranks have seen action. The Commander Colonel Sir Henry Simmerson is an incompetent fop. Worse he is both politically connected, and because he raised this regiment believes he is an expert in all matters pertaining to warfare.
He has surrounded himself with a contingent of syncopates for the South Essex's officers. Only a few of them, notably Captain Leroy the exiled American Loyalist and Captain Lennox the overage commander of the Light Company are true and tested officers and leaders.
Arriving at Valadesco Hogan, Sharpe and their men quickly rig the bridge for demolition. They are about to blow it up and depart when Simmerson and the Spanish Colonel decide that for their, countries, regiment's and their own honour they must cross over the river and onto the enemy bank.
Once both battalions are across a small patrol of French cavalry are spotted. The Spanish quickly and foolishly attack this force. The French spring an ambush at this point revealing a large force of cavalry which quickly and easily destroys the Spanish battalion in mere minutes. Caught outnumbered and without support the South Essex begin to retreat toward the bridge.
Just when they reach it and are starting to cross to safety, it blows up. Simmerson who never crossed over, preferring to lead from the rear, in a moment of panic blows it. His own men are trapped on the far bank and are soon engaged in a deadly battle.
Sharpe enters the fray with his band of riflemen and quickly rallies the British forces. It is a near run thing but by bluff and guile they fight off the French and withdraw to safety. It is a hard cost victory, the South Essex are no longer an untried, unbloodied unit. Among the dead are the brave Captain Lennox.
The worse part is the regiment has been disgraced. The French have captured the Kings Colour, one of the two standards carried by all British Regiments of the line and their most prized and revered artefacts. Actually it could have been worse as the French had captured both standards, but Sharpe was able to regain the Regimental Colour.
Back at Wellesley's Headquarters, Simmerson tries to blame Sharpe and the dead Lennox for the disaster. Hogan's testimony though saves Sharpe and damns Simmerson. The South Essex are in disgrace and will serve as a "battalion of detachments" in the upcoming campaign.
Sharpe however is rewarded for his bravery. He is promoted Captain and given the vacancy left by the dead Lennox. He will command the Light Company of the South Essex, and his riflemen will be attached there as well to replace the casualties from Valdelasca.
Simmerson is in a rage as a result of this. He had promised this promotion to one of his own supporters. He also sees Sharpe as the cause of his present misfortune. Added to this is the fact that Captain Sharpe is not only not a gentleman, but the far better soldier.
For Sharpe, his new regiments disgrace is his own personal disgrace. He looks forward to the chance to redeem both himself and his new home. At Talavara this opportunity will come. The manner in which he has chosen to do this is nothing short of suicidal.
As the army marches towards the ensuing battle at Talavera, Sharpe has other things on his mind as well. There will also be a chance to settle a few old scores with Simmerson and other enemies. Also being Sharpe there will be plenty of time to woo a woman on the march, the beautiful Josefina.
As the first of the series, "Sharpe's Eagle" may seem a little uncomplete to fans of Sharpe. It is smaller than subsequent volumes, and the characters are not as well developed as they will become in future novels. These are but minor detractions.
The things that have made this a superior series are evident here. First the great attention to historical detail, that Cornwell has become known for. Whether it is with the uniforms, or the actual events of the battle of Talavera, it's all here.
The memorable characters are here too. "Introduced" are Hogan, the enigmatic intelligence officer, and William Lawford, Sharpe's old commander cell mate ("Sharpe's Tiger"), and benefactor. The gentle Irish giant Sergeant Harper, Sharpe's inseparable companion is here too. As are the "rifles" who will accompany them both in the volumes and battles to come. There are also the non fictional characters, Wellesley, and Generals Hill and Crauford who easily fit into this tale.
Finally there is Richard Sharpe. Only a little of the complex character that is him is seen here. It's a start that will be built on over the next few years and novels. Sharpe, like Cornwell's skill as a story teller grows with each subsequent tale, and it is here that the tale began.
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