Wellington's Rifles

Wellington's 95th Rifles was one of history's great fighting units, and Mark Urban brings it and the Napoleonic War gloriously to life in this unique chronicle. Focusing primarily on six soldiers in the 1st Battalion -- Captain Peter O'Hare, Second Lieutenant George Simmons, and privates Robert Fairfoot, Joseph Almond, Edward Costello, and William Brotherhood -- Urban tells the Rifles' story from May 25, 1809, when the men shipped out of Great Britain to join Wellington's army in Spain, through the battle of Waterloo in June 1815. Drawing on diaries, letters, and other personal accounts, Urban's vivid narrative allows readers to feel the thrill and horror of famous battles, the hardship of the march across Europe, and the bravery and camaraderie of a 19th-century band of brothers. Of the six soldiers who are at the heart of Urban's story, three never came home. One died a hero's death, another paid the price for a commanders mistake, and the third suffered the ultimate disgrace of execution at the hands of his own comrades. The three survivors experienced some of the most intense hardships imaginable and, between them, were wounded 10 times. In the process of their campaigns, the 95th Rifles became legendary, and the innovative tactics they employed -- taking aim at their targets, taking cover when being shot at, tactically firing and maneuvering -- became a model for the modern concept of infantrymen. - Jacket flap.