Redcoat: The British Soldier in the Age of Horse and Musket (Paperback)

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• This item: Redcoat: The British Soldier in the Age of Horse and Musket by Richard Holmes

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• Rifles: Six Years with Wellington's Legendary Sharpshooters by Mark Urban

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• Fusiliers: How the British Army Lost America but Learned to Fight by Mark Urban

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Rifles: Six Years with Wellington's Legendary Sharpshooters by Mark Urban 4.4 out of 5 stars (12)  £5.99

Wellington: The Iron Duke by Richard Holmes 4.6 out of 5 stars (7)  £6.99

Sahib: The British Soldier in India 1750-1914 by Richard Holmes 3.3 out of 5 stars (3)  £7.49

Fusiliers: How the British Army Lost America but Learned to Fight by Mark Urban 4.5 out of 5 stars (6)  £6.99

Tommy: The British Soldier on the Western Front by Richard Holmes 4.7 out of 5 stars (15)  £6.99

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Amazon.co.uk Review
The battlefield museum of Waterloo, Richard Holmes comments in Redcoat, tells us much about Napoleon, Wellington and their senior commanders but far less about the men they led. Holmes aims, in this massively researched history, to redress the balance. He does so by piling up facts, information and anecdotes, many of them culled from memoirs of the period, to illustrate the everyday life of British soldiers in the 18th and 19th centuries, from the Battle of Blenheim to the Crimean War. In the hands of a less gifted historian this might have made for a dry, daunting and overpowering text. Holmes, however, has a sharp eye for the telling details and the memorable stories that bring the past to life. He pays as much attention to the small-scale as to the larger picture: a soldier is promoted because "his beautiful black eyes and whiskers had attracted the notice of his colonel's lady"; Crimea-bound infantrymen play cricket in "what the scorebook calls Sultan's Valley, Asia Minor"; black musician-soldiers enrich the repertoire of a regimental band; a respected military surgeon is revealed, after death, to have been a woman dressed as a man. Yet Holmes is always aware of that larger picture and of the hardships and dangers of the military life. His chapters on the floggings and punishments inflicted on the common soldier and on the terrible wounds that battle could bring--which again make vivid use of period memoirs--are often very moving. Anyone wanting to find out how the ordinary soldier of the 18th and 19th centuries was recruited, how he was drilled, how he fought, how he lived and (often) how he died, need look no further than this impressive work of popular history. --Nick Rennison --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
In this book, Richard Holmes, one of the UK's foremost military historians, focuses on a neglected subject: the day-to-day lives of ordinary soldiers in the 18th and 19th centuries. The broad picture of the politics and strategy of empire-building has been well documented - but what were the battles like for the non-commissioned officers who fought in them? These foot-soldiers, the redcoats, were often recruited while drunk and pumped up with notions of glory and, importantly, a decent living wage. Those who took the King's shilling found themselves pitched into a contradictory world. Glamorous and disciplined in a certain light, these were mostly lice-ridden and diseased men, spending much of their time in alcoholic stupor. Holmes's account is organised thematically rather than chronologically, ranging from details of how the army was financed, through to the varieties of uniforms, the cavalry horses, the food rations, and the draconian punishments issued for breaches of discipline. Holmes is particularly good on the practicalities of the dangerously unreliable weaponry. This was the age of the Brown Bess, the flintlock musket famous for its short range and inaccuracy, flaws which necessitated close fighting using blocks of men marching in strict discipline. Battles were bloody and terrifying, and Holmes does justice to the 'murderous contest of musketry' where, enveloped in powder-smoke, it wasn't even possible to see. The author has woven together a dense fabric created from the letters sent home from this massive army: at its height, in 1815, Britain had a force of 233,852 soldiers. Writing with judgement and panache, Holmes celebrates the achievements of these men - and the women who travelled with them - whilst accepting the problems. A significant proportion, Wellington said, were the 'scum of the earth'; they were drawn from a restless, downtrodden working-class where violence was endemic. Nevertheless, from the Seven Years War, through the Napoleonic Wars, until Crimea - the scope of this book - few battles were lost. Copiously illustrated in colour, using paintings from the period, this is a thoroughly referenced and indexed account, invaluable to both general reader and academic historian. (Kirkus UK) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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13 Reviews 5 star:  (8) 4 star:  (2) 3 star:  (2) 2 star:  (1) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.3 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   35 of 35 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Ordinary soldier comes through, 6 Jun 2003 By  EFMOL "eugeneol" (Dublin) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    History lessons in Irish schools feature redcoats quite a lot - how they put down rebellions and killed loads of Irish people. I was very surprised to find in Holmes' book that 40% of the British army was Irish at certain times! This book is very skillfully written from the point of view of the ordinary soldier. Holmes has researched his book in meticulous detail and I found it a fascinating read. There's no attempt to rewrite history, justify or condemn the actions of the army or Empire - we're told how life was. I also liked the description of weapon's used - especially the Brown Bess musket. Now I know where the expression "Flash in the pan" comes from. The only thing missing for me is what it was like in battle for the Redcoats. Some describe the horror and bloodbaths - but I've often wondered how soldiers get posted in the front of a rank or column where they are more likely to be killed - or are they? The ordinary soldier comes through here and this book is well worth reading. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   32 of 32 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, very readable history of the 'Lobster', 28 Oct 2002 By  A. J. Watson "Bones" (Newcastle-on-Tyne, UK) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)       Hint: please, DO read the introduction. Arranged in chapters dedicated to a particular theme, this book gives the history of the British Army during their busiest era when the Empire covered most of the world. In describing the social conditions which forced a good number of Britons to join up, rather than suffer the civilian hardships, we get a brilliantly concise history of the period. This was a time of the greatest change that Britain had ever seen; canals, metalled roads and railways improved communication and access; mechanisation and imports undermined the traditional workers' jobs; a series of wars caused a terrific drain on the economy; expansionism was pushing back the boundaries of the Empire; and the Government was beset by constant calls for reform. Little surprise that the Army had its hands full, both at home and abroad, with the consequent need to increase its strength and change its mode of operation. Written for readability rather than minutely describing the trappings of military dress, it succeeds admirably - we get in a few paragraphs a potted history of the major military (including naval) actions in the Georgian era - the rest of the book is dedicated to specific aspects of soldierly life, for which Prof. Holmes gets his information first-hand from letters and memoirs of the common soldier, as well as from the officers - both are quoted freely. But it goes beyond the bounds of military life, to describe the many outside influences which affected how the Army was recruited, clothed, fed, trained, punished, doctored and entertained. Very readable, full of anecdotes, and probably the best condensed history of the period, both social and military, that I have come across. A must for any fan of military fiction. ***** Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   31 of 31 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Hardship, death, disease and flogging - superbly related, 3 Sep 2002 By  Mr. Andrew Dennis "andrewdennis3" (London) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    Rarely does one read a history book that brings its subject alive with such vivid narrative and anecdote. Rather than plodding through a chronology of campaign and battle, Holmes takes broad topics such as uniform, armament, tactics, welfare, punishment, health, etc. and tracks their evolution (or lack thereof) through the 18th and 19th centuries. In each area he supports his narrative with a rich sprinkling of contemporary source material. Unlike many histories that draw on contemporary sources, however, Holmes tends to favour "personal" anecdote. This humanises the history and adds significantly to its relevance. The question that remains unresolved for me, given the grim picture painted of life in the British Army in this period, is why would anyone ever want to do it? Perhaps the answer is that the army of that time was largely peopled with misfits and the socially excluded. This being the case, the achievements it made are all the more impressive. Even if you are not really interested in military history, Holmes's enthusiasm, knowledge and insight will tell you a lot about some of the foundations of the British character, will entertain you and will leave you wanting to learn more. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all 13 customer reviews...		Most Recent Customer Reviews 4.0 out of 5 stars Very Good After a shaky start, this book rewards perseverence. It leaves no stone unturned in its exploration of army life in the 18th and 19th centuries (with an emphasis on the latter)... Read more Published 16 months ago by D. Spencer 5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful For anyone even remotely interested in one of the most glorious periods of the British army and/or lovers of historical novels (think of Sharpe for one) this should be a real... Read more Published 22 months ago by Didier 2.0 out of 5 stars Hard going First things first. Richard Holmes is a meticulous researcher who obviously loves his subject, and full marks for him to that. Read more Published 23 months ago by M. J. Bailey 5.0 out of 5 stars A sociology of the British soldier 1700-1860 Professor Holmes has written a thematic sociological history of the British redcoated soldier in the age of the Brown Bess musket, i. Read more Published on 15 April 2007 by A. Fonteyne 3.0 out of 5 stars Accurate, but Turgid I'm going to break the mold a little here, I don not think this book deserves the 5 stars it has been gratuitously granted. Read more Published on 11 Oct 2006 by Mr. D. J. Read 5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent "social history" of the Redcoat era Holmes is a master at bringing the experience of battle to those of us fortunate enough never to have been involved in it and in this book he covers a vast amount of ground - the... Read more Published on 2 Sep 2002 4.0 out of 5 stars A day in the life of a redcoat Many would consider this to be a stuffy read...but no! Richard Holmes tells it like it was..and that makes for a gripping read. Read more Published on 25 April 2002 by D Burrows 5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, enjoyed cover to cover... First, I'm no expert having read a couple of books on Charge of Light Brigade, Waterloo & Rourkes Drift...and seen a lot of Sharpe's series. I found it brilliant to read. Read more Published on 16 Feb 2002 3.0 out of 5 stars Very good, but too much anecdote too little insight. TYPOS! I thought this was an excellent source book on the subject, pulling together a huge amount of anecdote, mostly taken from first hand diary entries, memoirs, or correspondence,... Read more Published on 31 Jan 2002 by R. Lloyd 5.0 out of 5 stars A very clear insight into the life of the Red Coats. This is a very well researched book written by one of the masters of Military History. It is in many ways a complete reference of all of the military books about the age of the... Read more Published on 9 Jan 2002 Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews › See all 13 customer reviews...

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