Sharpe's Skirmish
Encyclopedia
"Sharpe's Skirmish" is a historical short story by Bernard Cornwell
in his series about the adventures of Richard Sharpe
.
"Sharpe's Skirmish" was first written in 1998 and in a great hurry. British bookseller W. H. Smith devised the idea of giving away a Sharpe short story with every copy of Sharpe's Fortress, possibly why "Sharpe’s Skirmish" often refers to events that happened in the latter book. Only a few thousand copies were originally published, however an edition has been republished by the Sharpe Appreciation Society.
and the Siege of Gawilghur
. Lieutenant General Wellington
was based on the real historical figures of the same name with limited dramatic licence taken.
Bernard Cornwell
Bernard Cornwell OBE is an English author of historical novels. He is best known for his novels about Napoleonic Wars rifleman Richard Sharpe which were adapted into a series of Sharpe television films.-Biography:...
in his series about the adventures of Richard Sharpe
Richard Sharpe (fictional character)
Sharpe is a series of historical fiction stories by Bernard Cornwell centred on the character of Richard Sharpe. The stories formed the basis for an ITV television series wherein the eponymous character was played by Sean Bean....
.
"Sharpe's Skirmish" was first written in 1998 and in a great hurry. British bookseller W. H. Smith devised the idea of giving away a Sharpe short story with every copy of Sharpe's Fortress, possibly why "Sharpe’s Skirmish" often refers to events that happened in the latter book. Only a few thousand copies were originally published, however an edition has been republished by the Sharpe Appreciation Society.
Plot
This short story occurs after Sharpe's Sword and before Sharpe’s Enemy in the summer of 1812 and Sharpe must guard a Commissary Officer posted to an obscure Spanish fort where there are some captured French muskets. Unbeknown to the British, the French are planning a lightning raid on the fort across the river Tormes, and they reckon the Spanish fort which guards an ancient bridge across the river will be lightly guarded.Characters in "Sharpe's Skirmish"
- Captain Richard SharpeRichard Sharpe (fictional character)Sharpe is a series of historical fiction stories by Bernard Cornwell centred on the character of Richard Sharpe. The stories formed the basis for an ITV television series wherein the eponymous character was played by Sean Bean....
– Rifle Captain in the British army, Officer Commanding the Light Company of the South Essex Battalion - Teresa Moreno – Sharpe's wife, a Spanish partisan
- Sergeant Patrick Harper – one of Sharpe's new group of Rifles, one of the Chosen Men
- Major Michael Hogan – an Engineer, and Wellesley's head of intelligence.
- Lieutenant General WellingtonArthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of WellingtonField Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
– commander of the British army in Spain.
Allusions to actual history, geography and current science
References are made to incidents during the Peninsular WarPeninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
and the Siege of Gawilghur
Gawilghur
Gawilghur was a well-fortified mountain stronghold of the Maratha Empire north of the Deccan Plateau, in the vicinity of Melghat Tiger Reserve, Amravati District, Maharashtra. It was successfully assaulted by an Anglo-Indian force commanded by Arthur Wellesley on the 15 December 1803 during the...
. Lieutenant General Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
was based on the real historical figures of the same name with limited dramatic licence taken.
Publication history
- 1999, UK, Harper Collins Pub date 1 March 1999, Limited Edition Paperback
- 2002, UK, Sharpe Appreciation Society ISBN 0-972222-0-6, Pub date 2 September 2002, Revised Extended Paperback Edition