Across The Pond

It took off with me. It started on Masterpiece Theater but it's price was too high so they stopped carrying it. Some of it ran on the History Channel and finally the entire series ran on BBC America two years ago leading up to the new episode, Sharpe's Challenge. They are just about to start filming yet another episode in India, Sharpe's Peril.

Sean Bean and Daragh O'Malley are terrific. Daniel Craig is one of the early episode. it was before he was good looking.

I've read the entire series of books by Bernard Cornwall. I liked them, too.

stumpy

you will enjoy the series they are all that robbie said and more, have watched them myself and enjoyed it very much. am looking for the series on dvd and when i find it i will be getting it for my dad as he taped every episode. the books are just as good as well and my dad has also got every book from the series and cant wait for the author to publish more stories from this series.

cheers smokey

Hi

Like you I read all the books and as you say although Sharpe is fictional the stories are fact. Sharpe is a member of the Rifle Brigade all beit detached from the main battalion.

The Rifle brigade was commanded by a Major General named Robert Craufurd and he pops up occasionally in the books until he was killed in the siege of Ciudad Rodrigo in 1812.

Craufurd was a strict but fair disciplinarian and believed that the quickest distance between two objects was a straight line. So when the brigade reached a river rather than detour to a bridge the entire command marched across the river. On General Moore's retreat to Curruna, Craufurd was detactched to Vigo. Moore suffered great hardship, Craufurd threatened his command that even if he had to flog every man in the brigade he would get the brigade to Vigo. Moores army virtually disintigrated during the retreat. Craufurd did as he intended and kept his command virtually intact.

At Craufurd's funeral as the brigade was marching down the road they came to a deep and wide muddy puddle and without a moments hesitation the entire brigade marched straight through it.


Regards


Arthur

hi didn't realise that sharpe was that well liked across the pond .strongly believe that what ever seanbean this character will have been his best pity that not all the books have been turned into film ,check out bolithioby alexander kent brillant novels of the same period and slightly before the napoleonic wars and conclude in them :teeth_smile:

Quote from Stumpy

Hey Rob,
I ordered all the Sharpe titles you recommended. should have them in a week or so.

Hi Jim

I'm really looking forward to reading your reviews on the series, I'm pretty sure you will enjoy 'Sharpe' but nothing is ever guaranteed.

I have read the books and watched the shows. There are copies available in the public library system ( films )

Quote from Stumpy

Can one of you British military experts clarify something for me?

The terms redcoat and British soldier have always meant one and the same to me. Yet in this Sharpe TV series, the Brits are wearing green uniforms. Did the producers make a historical mistake?

Hi Jim

I found the following which might answer your question:

[FONT=ARIAL, verdana, lucida sans unicode] Regiment:
95th Rifles 2nd Battalion

Rank:
Lieutenant 1809-1810

Locations:
Portugal; Spain[/FONT]

[FONT=ARIAL, verdana, lucida sans unicode] Uniform[/FONT]
Formed in 1800, the 95th Rifles were the origin of the modern infantry tactic; experienced marksmen trained to oper ate as individuals, expert in skirmish- mg, scouting and outpost duty. A highly-disciplined, fast-moving elite, the 95th's status was indicated by their unique 'rifle-green' uniform (a rudi mentary camouflage) and their accurate Baker' rifled muskets. Their matchless "esprit de corps "provoked a flood of reminiscences from the pens of ex members of'The Sweeps', a regimental nickname taken from their sombre uni forms.

"at that time we wore long hair, formed into a club at the back of our heads."(Hibbert ed. 1997 p22) Clothed in ‘Rifle Green’, the officers dressed in the Hussar style, with a dolman and pelisse (a coat worn clasped to the shoulder), braided in black, the pelisse with brown fur trim. Officers wore a Hussar-style barrel sash or plain crimson sash.

All equipment was in matching black leather including waist belt with 'S'-clasp, small powder-flask and a white roll on top of the knap sack. The black leather shoulder belt had a silver whistle, with powder horn also slung along the shoulder belt.

The great cloaks were white. First Lieutenant George Simmons wore a white cloak at Waterloo, one he had stripped off a dead French Cuirassier.

By the time Sharpe joined in 1808, the 95th were wearing the second pattern stovepipe shako. The shako was made of blocked felt, with a linen liner, leather sweatband and leather peak. The caps were "...to be made of sufficient size to come completely on the head. To be worn straight and even and brought well forward over the eyes." (Raynor).

The 95th didn’t wear the brassplate on their shakos. Instead they had a bugle and crown with a green cord around the cap. Officers wore a silver bugle horn badge and a white over green plume.

Several versions of the officer’s shako existed, including one with a square-cut peak which could be folded back so that the shako, in silhouette, looked like a ‘mirliton’ cap.

The shako was not an effective hat. It offered little shade to the soldier, and rain would be channelled down the back of the neck.

Regulations in 1802 ordered that "Black silk stocks to be worn by all officers either of Infantry, Rifle or Staff Corps." (Raynor). Jacket collars were to be three inches in height, to cover the clasp of the stock.

Neckstocks were meant to keep the head erect and in place. They also made it difficult to breathe. Some officers made their men wear the stocks with a tight fit, to encourage a ruddy complexion.

"The officer’s jacket was rifle green, with black braid and silver buttons, pocketless and fitted as tight as a glove", John Kincaid wrote (Raynor). Coats were designed for an extremely thin, tall man with a slightly swollen chest. A good fit was hard to find and many men found it hard to move and breathe in their heavy, ill fitting coats. Soldiers were forced to wear them wet lest they shrink.

In addition to ordinary chev rons, N.C.O.s had a white sword-badge on the arm (if acting in superior rank; 'chosen men wore a ring of white lace the right arm and (in 1800) 'marksmen' wore green cockades and 'ordinary riflemen' white. Sergeants' sashes were scarlet with central black stripe, Harris recording the sergeant-major's full dress:... . "quite a beau ... a sling belt to his sword like a field-officer, a tremendous green feather in his cap, a flaring sash, his whistle and powder-flask displayed, an officer's pelisse over one shoulder ..." The whistle, carried by officers and N.C.O.s, was used for signalling in the field.

The 95th had an identifying design on their buttons. William Green wrote "...one of our men, an habitual drunkard, could not march, he was so full of red port. So our Colonel had the Bugle-Major cut all the buttons off his jacket, that the French might not know what an honourable regiment he belonged to." (Raynor).

Overalls were green, though privately-acquired overalls were also worn. Sharpe stole his, with tan leather reinforcing, from a French Chasseur.

Hughes quotes the Times: "The brevity of their jackets, the irrationality of the headgear, the incredible tightness of their...pants, altogether defying description; they must be seen to be appreciated." Myerly adds adds "And as for wearing them, well, there’s the rub."

Riflemen were to ‘...wear black woollen cloth short gaitors, with small white metal buttons and to come up sufficiently high above the ankles to prevent any opening from appearing between them and the pantaloons." (Raynor). Riflemen normally wore green cloth pantaloons.

Shoes were straight lasted. Sharpe once again turned to French outfitters for his boots, which was just as well, because the English made notoriously bad boots.

Living rough, however, took a toll on the splendid uniforms as seen from the letters of Lieut. George Simmons, who described his costume in 1810-1 I, typically tattered: "My jacket is brown instead of green. Never was seen such a motley group of fellows - . . I am a perfect guerrilla, having broken my sword, lost my sash, and am as ragged as a sweep ..." Simmons having exchanged sashes with his brother, in the 34th; the bottom of his overalls were burnt whilst drying over a camp-fire! Without wearing captured French items, Simmons noted, 'I should be nearly naked'. In addition to a knapsack taken from a man he killed at Talavera, he took a cloak of a dead Frenchman in 1813 and still in dulged in corpse-robbing at Waterloo.

Numerous reminiscences record the deterioration of uniforms, for example Kincaid: "the jacket in 'shreds and patches ... woe befell the regimental small-clothes ..." (1810); Rifleman Costello: ..."fierce embrowned visages, covered with whisker and mustachio... our clothing patched and of all colours" (1811), "green having be come by far the least conspicuous colour in the regiment" (1812); Rifleman Harris, after the Corunna retreat: "in a ghastly state ... feet swathed bloody rags, clothing that hardly covered their nakedness, accoutrements in shreds ... arms nearly useless .. . officers ... in as miserable a plight . . ."; at this time Rifleman Green wore a stolen general's hat!

After the capture of Ciudad Rodrigo the dress was so motley that even Wellington had to enquire who they were: ... . "scarcely a vestige of uniform among the men, some of whom were dressed in Frenchmen's coats , some in white breeches and huge jack-boots, some with cocked hats ... most of their swords . .. stuck full of hams, tongues, and loaves of bread ... there never was a better masked corps . . ." (Kincaid); "in all varieties imaginable, some with jackboots on, others with frock- coats, epaulettes ..." (Costello); "some in priests' or friars' garments some appeared in female dresses, as nuns, etc. ...whimsical and fantastical figures" (Surtees)

The most bizarre costume was that worn from choice rather than necessity, be it Kincaid's "donkey-load of pistols in my' belt, to impress the natives", the exaggerated hussar uniform, or the dressing-gown, nightcap and slippers worn by Col. Beckwith in the action of Barba del Puerco in March 1810.

The 95th excelled at such 'outpost duty' which revealed French manoeuvres, concealed Allied activity and required a clear head, bold heart and a clean pair of heels" (Kincaid). The 95th's contribution to the French defeat in the Peninsular - and ultimately in the remainder of Europe - is incaluculable.

hi there why dont you buy the boxed set /read the books which are enjoyable and more have been written than made .i would agree that sean bean is are jw in this role but like jw is is helped by a fine cast plus my cromwells brillant writing i hope all jw fans watch and enjoy this great show should have done better in the states yours mark

If you want Sharpe info this should give it to you http://www.southessex.co.uk/