"Waterloo by Bernard Cornwell (not Sharpe novell)." Topic

It's not a Sharpe book. Seems that good Bernard want to write a "historical" book about that battle.

"Sergeant James Anton and the 42nd Highlanders were still advancing in line across the open field of clover, ignorant that the cavalry to their right were not dog-eating Germans, but Frenchmen. Then a German staff officer galloped past the battalion shouting that the approaching cavalry were ‘Franchee! Franchee!' The horsemen were lancers.

We instantly formed a rallying square; no time for particularity; every man's piece was loaded, and our enemies approached at full charge; the feet of their horses seemed to tear up the ground.

This was desperate work. A battalion in line was fearfully vulnerable to a cavalry charge, but an infantry square could defeat almost any attack by horsemen. Yet it took time to make a square and the Highlanders had no time and so the order was shouted to rally. This was almost a panic. Instead of the careful ordering of the companies into a rectangle bristling with bayonets, the 42nd simply ran towards the colours and formed a huddle with the men facing outwards. Some lancers were even trapped inside the hastily forming rally-square and were dragged from their horses and killed. The skirmishers, who were deployed ahead of the battalion, stood no chance and were ridden down by the lancers, as was the battalion commander, Sir Robert Macara. Sir Robert's death was witnessed by the 42nd and it enraged them. He had been wounded earlier and, just before the lancers appeared, was being stretchered to the rear in search of a surgeon. The stretcher was either two jackets with their sleeves threaded over a pair of muskets or, more likely, a blanket held by the four men carrying him. The French saw the wounded man's medals and braid and, presumably in search of plunder, callously slaughtered all five men. That was murder, not warfare, and it enraged the Scots. They drove off the lancers with musketry, but later in the day the officers of the 42nd had to restrain their men who were slaughtering surrendering Frenchmen with shouts of ‘Where's Macara?'

Captain Archibald Menzies, who commanded the Grenadier Company of the 42nd, was also trapped outside the rally square. He was a man of legendary strength who, preferring to fight on foot, had handed off his horse to a drummer boy. Menzies (pronounced Mingis) was wounded and fell next to Private Donald Mackintosh. The drummer boy abandoned the horse and ran to help, upon which a lancer tried to seize the valuable animal. Mackintosh, with his last effort, managed to shoot the lancer, ‘you mauna tak that beast,' he is reported to have said, ‘it belongs to our captain here!' A French officer, seeing Menzies trying to stand, attacked with his sabre…"
See more here.
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And here
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Hope you enjoy!.

Amicalement
Armand

Read the full excerpt. I have read some of his fiction books and have enjoyed them. This seems like it will be worth the read.

Some gripping stories there. It looks like it will be a good read.

Sounds interesting. Will be on the lookout when it arrives in Canada.

Thanks for the reminder Armand. This is a must-buy come September!

Is there a lot of flensing?

I don't know. I'm a big fan of the Sharpe novels but here we have: "Another lancer, observing this struggle, galloped up and tried to spear (Menzies, who), by a sudden jerk and desperate exertion, placed the French officer uppermost, who received the mortal thrust below his cuirass and continued lying on Menzies's body for near ten minutes, sword in hand."

But lancers do not wear a cuirass and when the real cuirassiers came up later it is clearly noted.

Cornwell may be attempting to WRITE a historical book about Waterloo, but this is a strange way to do it.

The above description is based on James Anton's Memoir on the Waterloo Campaign published in the 1900 book "Wellington's Men"

It actually describes the action at Quatre Bras and some parts are word-for-word copies from that book !

link

P.292 half way down.

The Cornwell page says the book covers all four battles and that the bit posted above was indeed from Qutres Bras.

And here we see tall poppy syndrome out to play! Small, small people…

Concerning the cuirass on the lancer, peoples memories are rarely perfect when recalling details of dress in everyday situations, let alone the heat of battle…yet an eyewitness account from a veteran is worth any amount of blethering from an armchair expert whose most stressful event that day was getting his cardigan buttons done up in the wrong order….

Sparker makes a good point about "eye witness accounts": they are not always accurate or true, so we should take them with a skeptical point of view unless verified by multiple sources.

Agree with you my friend Sparker.
I look forward for this book.

Amicalement
Armand

It should be an interesting read. My favourite is "A Voice from Waterloo" by Sgt major Cotton.

I agree with Sparker, eye witness account are very worthwhile, even if sometimes inaccurate to the informed history buff.

Another agreement with Sparker.

Take a moment of history from your own life for example. You can vividly remember the moments of your car crash, the one which you lost your leg. Yes, the day was raining, the traffic light was green, your eye catches movement from the left, the other vehicle was coming…..

…twenty one years later the moment is still in your mind. The car color was ….silver….

"IT WAS GREEN YOU FOOL! MY research books indicate the Toyota Hybrid 2014 which hit you, was not produced in silver until the next year Based on that, I don't know if I should believe your memoirs" says the young student who never encountered any combat in his life….

It's incredible the little and no so little experiences that change in your mind thought the years you live.
Specially in war, when stress and anxiety boiled your mind to the limit.
When you have the oportunity to talk about them with people who was near to you, in a large percentage no match exists and even major differences also!.

Amicalement
Armand

eye witness accounts are much better than the mess Cornwell is producing.

von Winterfeldt,
I couldn't agree more!

Tango01 for president!!

Ha!Ha!.
thanks my friend.(smile).

Amicalement
Armand

eye witness accounts are much better than the mess Cornwell is producing.

Well I'm very jealous that you've been given an advance copy to read through…

Cos you wouldn't make such a sweeping and damning criticism without having read it through first would you!

:-)

WATERLOO; The History of Four Days, Three Armies and Three Battles

link

Amicalement
Armand

Just bought this and started reading it. Got half way through in one night as it was a good read. I'm by no means an expert on the period and I find it very interesting to find out things I didn't know.

I doubt the well researched crowd would gain much from reading it, but again, for people with a passing interest or after an abridged compendium of accounts that is well laid out, then I recommend it.

Many thanks for the comments my friend.

Amicalement
Armand

Good posting! Thanks for letting us know about it!

Only just bought my copy today and, at a glance, better than I'd expected. Let's face it, the beginner is more likely to pick up this than Barbero, Siborne or Adkin! It is mostly using well known primary sources of the time recounting their experiences.

It is easier to spot the howlers of course. The opening sentence of the dust jacket tells us of the "three armies of France, Britain and Prussia descended……..".Many a Netherlander or German might be upset by that. In his intro he does at least excuse the use of the term "English" rather than "British".

Loads of illustrations, but all very familiar. One notable exception is a watercolour of Napoleon's carriage, clearly based on the Mdme Tussaud's relic, confirming the blue bodywork and red wheels, even if only 4 horses, but they are indeed brown. Amused to see Dighton's famous work, where Uxbridge is leading what we are told are French hussars against Polish lancers (odd that). The red shakos suggest otherwise for the former and the latter in a red kurtka look "Dutch 2nd" or by then Garde Chevauleger Lanciers etc…to me.

Lots of maps, even if LHS perimeter looks a bit big compared to Hougomont.

Minor errors and I expected far worse, to be honest. I agree, at first glance this looks entertaining and, if it gets folk interested in 2015, great!

Adkin need not rush to a second edition yet, though.

Currently half price in my local WH Smiths, at which it is an entertaining enough read, albeit with simplifications and errors. It would be a good introduction to Waterloo for a youngster or someone who had not read any other books on the campaign.

deadhead

Adkin need not rush to a second edition yet, though.

Funny enough, Adkin is releasing a second 'revised' edition. I preordered it back in May but it's release has been put back from September 04 2014, to "Estimated arrival date: Unknown"

!

Paul :(

Don't you hate the use of the present tense in history TV documentaries, esp when originating over the Pond? Worse in a book.

"Hitler, Alexander, Caesar "is" facing the ultimate etc".
Here the present and past perfect and imperfect tenses are mixed in the same sentence repeatedly…….

But again, if I had never read of Waterloo before, this is a perfectly reasonable account. No great novelty, analysis or depth to it. But it is at the front of every bookshop and that means something!

Was present at a book signing/interview questiion and answer thing with Bernard Cornwell last nght here in Toronto. Easy to spot the wargamers in the room, in fact he even asked who gamed. We're the ones who didn't toss him softball questions. The man missed his calling BTW, he could do stand up, witty and very politically incorrect with his comments.

Should start reading my copy tonight.

Perhaps by cuirass he meant gorget?