Sharpe’s Battle: The Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro, May 1811

Sharpe’s Battle: The Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro, May 1811
Bernard Cornwell

Richard Sharpe is fighting for his Irish battalion and his own honour through the blood-stained streets of the town.Quartered in a crumbling Portuguese fort, Richard Sharpe and his men are attacked by an elite French unit, led by an old enemy of Sharpe’s, and suffer heavy losses.The army’s high command blame Sharpe for the disaster and his military career seems to be ruined. His only hope is to redeem himself on the battlefield. So with his honour at stake, against an overwhelming number of French troops, Sharpe leads his men to battle in the narrow streets of Fuentes de Oñoro.Soldier, hero, rogue – Sharpe is the man you always want on your side. Born in poverty, he joined the army to escape jail and climbed the ranks by sheer brutal courage. He knows no other family than the regiment of the 95th Rifles whose green jacket he proudly wears.

SHARPE’S

BATTLE

Richard Sharpe and the Battle

of Fuentes de Oñoro, May 1811

BERNARD CORNWELL

Copyright

Published by HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk (http://www.harpercollins.co.uk)

First published in Great Britain by HarperCollinsPublishers 1995

Copyright © Bernard Cornwell 1995

Bernard Cornwell asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

This novel is a work of fiction.

The incidents and some of the characters portrayed in it, while based on real historical events and figures, are the work of the author’s imagination.

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HarperCollinsPublishers has made every reasonable effort to ensure that any picture content and written content in this ebook has been included or removed in accordance with the contractual and technological constraints in operation at the time of publication.

Source ISBN: 9780006473244

Ebook Edition © March 2012 ISBN: 9780007339525

Version: 2017-05-08

Sharpe’s Battle is for Sean Bean

‘As always the action’s the thing – and once Sharpe is surrounded by enemies, both on his own side and the opposition, events move at their usual satisfyingly breathless pace’

Independent on Sunday

Contents

Title Page (#ued435601-05ea-53f4-9980-fb2bdaea33cb)

Copyright (#ud21dd0a0-e5d3-5cd5-89bf-8a3bcffb7eab)

Dedication (#u2a44e50c-728d-5a22-8fe9-ae41ff4e1763)

Epigraph (#u4ab69337-de5f-5b4c-8f9e-25fa13d517aa)

Map (#u74011ea6-9abb-5d59-8cdb-2732c36beddb)

Part One (#u70a4b4c5-4a5d-5bf3-9f96-863b1d3dcf9b)

Chapter One (#uc632824a-0329-5957-9f2f-bfe797dca15f)

Chapter Two (#uc87f47a9-754d-541f-8e51-7e2886aa83a4)

Chapter Three (#uc793bd11-2e16-5d8d-9cf1-a2b1848eadc3)

Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)

Part Two (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)

Historical Note (#litres_trial_promo)

Keep Reading (#litres_trial_promo)

Sharpe’s Story (#litres_trial_promo)

About the Author (#litres_trial_promo)

The SHARPE Series (in chronological order) (#litres_trial_promo)