Sharpe's Eagle: Richard Sharpe and the Talavera Campaign July 1809

Set around the Talevera campaign of July 1809, this first installment in the Sharpe saga deploys all the elements found throughout Cornwell's entertaining Napoleonic War series: the friendship between Sharpe and the Irish Sgt. Harper, their bravery and cunning, the ignorance and arrogance that pervaded the foppish upper class officer corps, a beautiful woman, and rousing battle scenes. Cornwell uses this first book to firmly establish the absence of meritocracy in the British army of the time, as armchair commander Simmerson needlessly leads the South Essex (including Sharpe and his Riflemen) into a debacle in which they lose the King's Colours, thus disgracing the whole army. Also clearly established is the tension between Cpt. Sharpe, who was promoted from the enlisted ranks for an act of heroism, and the upper class officer corps, who paid for their rank, irrespective of any actual military knowledge or ability. Simmerson and his toadying nephew Lt. Gibbons attempt to place the blame for the rout on Sharpe, and his only hope to save his rank is to perform an outrageous act of courage in battle at Talevera. Meanwhile, there's a beautiful Spanish woman he rescues from Gibbons and a crony, whose honor he must avenge. All is resolved at the Talevera, as Cornwell clearly and crisply recounts the military maneuvering on both a macro and micro level without getting overly technical. Also introduced in the book are Major Hogan, the Irish engineer who develops over the series into Lord Wellington's spy, as well as Lord Wellington himself, who is fond of Sharpe, but not hesitant to use his deadly skills. Above all, Sharpe is presented as a full action hero, strong, smart, roguishly handsome, honorable, deadly and ruthless. A perfect start to an engaging historical adventure series.

This is an exciting that puts in the field with Richard Sharpe. From the scirmish where he retakes the regimental colors to the battle where he tries to capture a French Eagle to regain honor for the regiment and himself. Bernard Cornwell does an excellent job of keeping the story flowing smoothly and the action and excitement coming. I had a hard time putting it down and it wasn't long before I was reading it again. And the best part of it, you don't have to read the previous ones to know how those stories play into this one. Mr Cromwell does an excellent job of explaining all important information. His knowledge of history the soldier's mindset makes this story take on a life of it's own, as if Richard Sharpe could have really existed. A must read for anyone who like or loves history and adventure novels.

"Sharpe's Eagle" is "The Triumph and the Glory" of the Napoleonic War novels. What Rustad's WWII novel does for the Second World War, Cornwell's skill has done for this earlier era. I'm more familiar with war novels about 20th Century conflict, but greatly admired Cornwell's Civil War books so thought I'd give his Richard Sharpe books a try. I'm glad I did! He brings his gift for drama, flair for characterization, and vouminous knowledge of the military art to the fore with "Sharpe's Eagle."

To be honest I am a confirmed fan of the works of Bernard Cornwell, including both the Sharpe series about the peninsular war against Napoleon, and the Copperhead series about the American Civil War. Sharpe's Eagle is the first of the Sharpe books written by Cornwell, though chronologically it does not come first. This is where he first introduced the charachter and his fellow riflemen to the world, hard-bitten, tough fighters to a man. We are shown how clever Sharpe is, what a good soldier, how loyal to his men and how contemptuous he is of superior officers who bought their commands and didn't earn them. I thouroughly enjoyed the book, following Sharpe's trials as he tries to keep an impossible promise made to a dying officer. As I said in my summary, I lost sleep over this book, and do not recommend it to anyone who has things to do.

Sharpe's Eagle details how our hero, Richard Sharpe, along with Patrick Harper capture the first French Eagle, a french standard, in the heat of battle to redeam the demoralized South Essex regiment who early in the novel lose one of their colors due to the bumbling of Col. Henry Simmerson. Sharpe utilizes this heroic act to save his career and gain a fame that gains him a place in the heart of even the Prince of Wales. A must read for any Sharpe fan and probably one of Cornwell's best novel's of all time!