Redcoats: The British Soldiers of the Napoleonic Wars

by Philip J. Haythornthwaite

What was a British soldiers life like during the Napoleonic Wars? How was he recruited and trained? How did he live on home service and during service abroad? And what was his experience of battle? In this landmark book Philip Haythornthwaite traces the career of a British soldier from enlistment, through the key stages of his path through the military system, including combat, all the way to his eventual discharge. His fascinating account shows how varied the recruits of the day were, from urban dwellers and weavers to plowboys and laborers, and they came from all regions of the British Isles including Ireland and Scotland. Some of them may have justified the Duke of Wellingtons famous description of them as the scum of the earth. Yet these common soldiers were capable of extraordinary feats on campaign and on the battlefield that eventually turned the course of the war against Napoleon.

Genres: History

328 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 19, 2012

About the author

Philip J. Haythornthwaite (born 1951) is an internationally respected and prolific author and historical consultant specializing in military history, uniforms and equipment. Whilst his main area of research is the Napoleonic Wars, his impressive list of publications covers a much wider range of periods from the English Civil War until WWI.

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to the marriage of Bernard Cornwall’s fertile pen with ITV’s ample production budgets, the 1990s Sharpe TV series offers evocative viewing. Millions have thrilled to watching Sean Bean and his squad of “picked men” giving Boney’s men what for as they drove them out of Spain. Every so often, though, an audience member might ask themselves: how accurate is this? Was it really like that, or did the author and the creatives behind the series take liberties with the truth?

Anyone who has ever asked themselves that question would do well to read Philip Haythornthwaite’s book. In it, he offers a social history of the British army during the Napoleonic era, one that describes the patterns and rules that shaped their everyday lives. This he does by dividing their world into stages, starting with the recruitment of the men and continuing on through their training and deployment into the field. Separate chapters cover every aspect of their existence, from promotion and discipline, to their equipment and even the women who accompanied them into battle, with a final chapter covering their lives after the wars were over.

Collectively these chapters provide a sympathetic examination of what the lives of British soldiers were like during this period. Reliant as much of his book is on the memoirs and recollections of the soldiers themselves, the evidence Haythornthwaite uses is anecdotal, yet he employs this effectively to illustrate the descriptions he provides of their service. Occasionally, the limits of the available sources forces him occasionally to venture outside the era to find the details to support his points, which threatens to duplicate Richard Holmes’s work in the older and more comprehensive Redcoat: The British Soldier in the Age of Horse and Musket. Yet Haythornthwaite never loses his focus on his subject, making his book a useful guide to the experiences of the soldiers who fought for king and country in the Napoleonic wars.

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rounded up from 3.5. This book discusses the various aspects of the life of a British soldier during the Napoleonic Wars. Battles take a back seat to everyday life, especially in the Peninsular War. It could be a rugged life, but through training and discipline, the comparatively small British Army took on Napoleon's soldiers and defeated them. Naturally, the Waterloo Campaign was also a part of the story, but generally their training, their pay, punishment, families, medical services, and the aftermath of their service are the core of this book.

The reputation of the army was not always of the best because of drink and reprehensible behavior such as at the sack of Badajoz. However, officers such as Moyle Sherer, stood up for those who served in the army. Naturally, there were troublemakers, but, "He also commented, the British army must not be made responsible for the folly and ignorance of many, who have been too honored by admission into her ranks. We must not look to all who have fought our battles in the vain hope of meeting heroes; we shall find but MEN."

Men, who along with the British nation, stayed the course for twenty years of war.

[Mark Bowden · Rating 3 out of 5]

A thorough account of the everyday lives of British private soldiers during the Napoleonic Wars, from recruitment to disbanding and beyond, using extensive quotations and contemporary, or near-contemporary, illustrations. The illustrations suffered in this kindle edition - probably clearer in printed editions - but overall the book rates somewhere between three and four stars.

[Peter Corley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read .

I have enjoyed reading this well written and informative book. I had little understanding of this period of history (the Peninsula War in particular) and it has proved a good starting point.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting analysis of the typical career of a British soldier in the Napoleonic wars, with examples for many of the memoirs etc,

[John H Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent.

An outstanding book about the Little known side of military life. A really good read,well written and researched. Very good