No comments about Second Anglo-Maratha War 1802-1805: Study in Military History.

No comments about The First Anglo-Maratha War 1774-1783: A Military Study of Major Battles.

No comments about The Last Of The Peshwas: A Tale Of The Third Maratha War (1907).

No comments about The Maratha War Papers of Arthur Wellesley.

No comments about Galloping Guns: the Experiences of an Officer of the Bengal Horse Artillery During the Second Maratha War 1804-1805.

2 comments about Lake's Campaigns in India: the Second Anglo Maratha War, 1803-1807.

1. An edited and much abridged version of Pearse's (1908) "Memoir of the Life and Military Services of Viscount Lake". No bibliographical references, footnotes, interpretations, or comments. Save yourself some $$ and read the version downloadable from Google Books.



2. This book concerns-as it says on the cover-Lakes Indian campaigns during the Second Maratha War.These occurred at the time Wellington was earning his reputation in the same campaign so will benefit anyone interested in a different aspect of the Napoleonic era.Pearse wrote a biography of Lake which,of course, covers his entire life from childhood to family to AWI service to his suppression of Irish riots.This is not that book and in no way purports to be so-hence it's title.So far as I know that biography does not appear on this site-perhaps the Antiquarian book market.This edition does include an overview by the publishers of Lakes life and career for context.The subject of this book was probably Lake's most significant campaign and of that nothing is omitted so is beyond censure in that respect.The source of this text is clearly referenced in this edition.For those who may be confused:this is a BOOK not a digital text.So readers can access it in their armchairs,on the beach or in the bath if they choose.There are thousands of digital texts available by thousands of authors and a large proportion are also available on this site as books.Those who believe they are a better option than books no more need this fine work as an example of that view than they do the works of Tolstoy and many others.

No comments about The Anglo-Maratha Campaigns and the Contest for India: The Struggle for Control of the South Asian Military Economy.

4 comments about Wellington In India-Softbound (Greenhill Military Paperbacks).

1. When Wellington's name is mentioned, people tend to think first of Waterloo, then of the Peninsulars Wars. It is easy to forget that he got his start in India, and that is the period which Jac Weller covers so well in this book. This was a completely different kind of warfare than that fought in Europe, and Wellington (or Wellesley, as he was then) had to contend not only with far superior forces, but also with the climate, which caused Europeans to die like flies. Two things above all should be remembered: first, that when Wellington was asked what his greatest victory was, he said not Waterloo, but Assaye; and second, Weller's three books about Wellington's campaigns were named by Bernard Cornwell as the best source material for his Sharpe series.



2. Jac Weller's Wellington in India is a truly excellent book. It is very readable and flows extremely well. It is one of the few books of its kind that I've read literally cover-to-cover - forward, preface, body, and appendixes - everything. The detail of the book is also exceptional. He tells the reader why and how Wellington achieved his successes not just when.



3. Jac Weller's "Wellington in India" is a highly readable study of Arthur Wellesley's formative military experiences in India, and one of remarkably few books devoted to the topic. The book in battlefield level detail sketches the future Duke's 1797-1805 campaigning against a variety of native opponents. The battlefield narratives are closely informed by Weller's understanding the terrain, based on having walked all the principal battlefields. In addition, Weller lays out the complex political environment in which the young Wellesley operated. What emerges from this portrait is a young, ambitious, and professional officer who operates with increasing confidence and success in a challenging battlefield and political environment. From his experiences in India comes the future Duke's understanding of the importance of logistics, intelligence, planning, and the careful deployment of well-trained troops on the battlefield. Wellesley's long apprenticeship in India and later in the Peninsular War of 1808-1814 made him a master of battlefield tactics and operational-level planning, skills that would serve him well in the decisive battle of Waterloo in 1815 against Napoleon. This book is highly recommended to the serious student of Wellington's military career and of the Napoleonic era.



4. Jac Weller continues his admiration of Sir Arthur Wesley (later Wellsley and Duke of Wellington). Here we take a step back in time to Wesley's earlier career in India. For many this will have little known territory. Those who have read the Sharpe novels may have some idea of the period in question, and they will certainly get the historical background for those novels here.
   
   Wesley certainly learned his trade in India. Much of what he learned here in terms of supply, organization and diplomacy would stand him in well in the campaigns of Spain and Portugal, and of course Waterloo. In terms of tactics readers might see some differences. In the sub-continent our hero aspired to an aggressive stance. The trick to defeating large cavalry type armies whether Mysore or Mahratta was aggression. Wesley always believed that these unweildy masses should be attacked whenever possible with the smaller, disciplined and more maneaverable Anglo-Indian forces. This is a different form of generalship than what we would see in the Peninsular and Waterloo. Again, Wesley was a supurb tactician, and adaptable. He was always learning and researching better methods of supply, intelligence, etc. This combined with his brilliance and coolness under fire certainly made him one of the best generals of the Napoleanic period.
   
   One tactic which the reader will see employed later was his distribution of artillery among his infantry units. The guns were never massed as the Mahrattas preferred, or indeed the French. One marvels how at Assaye the 78th Highlanders were able to frontally attack all those guns. The key was speed and elan, combined with excellent and flexible generalship. India would see Wesley's ability to be everywhere on the battlefield. Because of Orrick's mistake at Assaye he would never truly trust others to carry out his orders. It was here where he developed that personal mega-detail style of generalship that won all his later battles. He was also fortunate never to receive any wounds, even though at Assaye he had two horses shot out from under him! Also, his steady horsemanship and ability to conduct extensive recces on his own or with a small staff was something many generals of the period never took too seriously.
   
   Jac Weller describes how the Wellsely's, Arthur and his two brothers, vastly improved the British position in India. In fact they did too good a job as the conservative East India Company grew tired of their rapid advances with additional expenses. The Wesley's introduced a notion of good government over the growing empire in India, an idea that had profound influence in that nation's future development under British rule. Jac Weller may come across to some as a colonialist, but many of his arguments make sense within the concept of the time. India's peasants were no doubt better off under the British than their own petty and often murderous rulers. Mysore and the Mahratta kingdoms were certainly not about improving the lot of their own people, and there was no notion of a greater India at that time. The work of the Wellsleys would play no small part in developing a greater nationalist outlook in India.
   
   Be warned, Jac Weller is very pro-British. The Iron Duke is his hero, and there is little that he can do wrong. Judgeing from what was accomplished here one tends to agree with that. Still, this is a fine work with many fascinating details, and wonderful tactical descriptions of battle. No one describes Napoleanic warfare better than Weller. Though an older book, no one has come out with anything better since so I strongly recommend this work, especially if you have read his other two works on Wellington in the Peninsular and of course at Waterloo. All that he later accomplished there was first worked out in India. There are also good maps and an appendix on the army's and weapons. A classic work.

5 comments about Sharpe's Fortress: India 1803 (Richard Sharpe's Adventure Series #3).

1. Another great book in the Sharpe series. In this one, our hero is now Lt. Richard Sharpe and hating it. Having received a battlefield commission from the future Duke of Wellington after saving his life at the Battle of Assaye, Sharpe languishes amid gentlemen who resent his commoner presence and enlisted men who resent his elevation above them.
   
   With his commander pressuring him to sell his commission and leave the Army - a tempting offer to one of Sharpe's impoverished background - he is transferred to a backwater supplies unit. It proves a den of corruption and Sharpe soon finds himself a fugitive.
   
   That doesn't stop him from joining the assault on the daunting fortress of Gawilghur, a mountain fastness never conquered and the key to British power's northward thrust in India. Even positioning artillery to shell it is a daunting task. Defending it now is the forbidding and formidable Colonel Dodd, the mercenary commander we met in "Sharpe's Triumph", who schemes how to use Gawilghur's defense to depose his Indian masters, and rule himself.
   
   Helping Sharpe along the way are cavalry Sergeant Eli Lockhart; the brave Arab servant boy Ahmed; and Sharpe's old pal, the engineer Major Stokes. Altogether enjoyable.



2. I really enjoyed this book. While the Sharpe's Rifle series (which I've read about 1/2-2/3 of) is sort of testosterone filled and militaristic I really do like how Cornwell uses the real settings and history in his books. Sometimes it seems like Sharpe is shoe-horned in to too many improbable situations, but hey if you can suspend disbelief long enough to watch 24 on Fox then why not do so here and learn some real history along the way.
   
   If you like this book you'll also want to check out Sharpe's Tiger. You might also consider a book called "Revenge of the Jaguar King" by a new writer named Jay Hersh. It's set in Belize and does a similar sort of thing in combining history of the Maya with an action adventure.



3. Sharpe's Fortress is the third of the stories about Richard Sharpe in India. If you haven't read Sharpe's Tiger and Sharpe's Triumph, I strongly urge you to read those books before this one. You'll like them, and they provide very helpful background for the events in Sharpe's Fortress.
   
   After saving Sir Arthur Wellesley's life at the Battle of Assaye (described in Sharpe's Triumph, book two in chronology in the series), Richard Sharpe was raised out of the ranks into the officer class as an ensign. In Sharpe's Fortress, it becomes obvious that he's arrived in no man's land in a Scottish unit. The Scots don't want any English in the unit; most ensigns are about 12 years old and don't do anything except watch; and men in the ranks are jealous of Sharpe's promotion.
   
   It is kindly suggested that Sharpe either sell his commission or join a new unit, one based in England. Sharpe doesn't want to do either one, and he's even more depressed when he is asked to take a temporary assignment helping get the supplies up to the front lines.
   
   Arriving at his new assignment, it's clear that something is badly wrong. Needed supplies are being stolen left and right. Sharpe quickly gets to the bottom of the thefts and develops new enemies. Meanwhile, his old enemy Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill has survived Sharpe's last attempt to do away with him in Sharpe's Triumph and has new plans for Sharpe.
   
   The main focus of the story is on the continuing war between the British and their allies and the Mahrattas in India. Turncoat William Dodd has gained every higher rank in the Mahratta forces and is looking forward to a huge victory when the British come to attack the seemingly impregnable fortress of Gawilghur. Much of the story is taken up with various defenders imagining how they will destroy the British in the different traps that await them in the high fortress.
   
   Those extremely detailed descriptions of the fortress become more than a little tiresome. You do have a reward, however, because you'll better understand the story that Cornwell tells about how the battle is won. Actually, the fictional report isn't terribly far off from the actual experience as the historical note indicates. It is only the exaggerated role for Sharpe that misleads . . . while providing a good way to help you understand the battle.
   
   The battle scenes are terrific in this book. It's only the tedium of the redundant musings that keep this book for being a five-star effort.
   
   As usual, Sharpe finds that while he has temporary conquests with the ladies, he isn't going to be the one who takes them home permanently.
   
   Enjoy!



4. This is the third volume of the "India trilogy" that comprises the opening segment of this first-rate series about Richard Sharpe of His Majesty's army during and after the Napoleonic wars. Originally a private in a light infantry company, Sharpe made it to sergeant four years ago, in 1799. At the end of the previous book, only a couple months before, an act of heroism in action (which also saved the life of his general, Sir Arthur Wellesley) brings him a battlefield commission to ensign. Not that the majority of his fellow officers are very welcoming, because Sharpe isn't even remotely a gentleman. This time he manages to involve himself in the climactic act of the British conquest of India, the attack on and capture of the great fortress of Gawilghur, high in the mountains and protected by steep cliffs and ravines, where the traitorous Dodd, now commanding a regiment for the enemy, is ensconced, and where Sharpe also is seeking revenge on his longtime nemesis, the psychopathic Sgt. Hakeswill, who once had him lashed nearly to death and has tried to kill him several times since, and has also stolen Sharpe's previously looted fortune in gems. As always, Cornwell has the historical and military details of the Napoleonic era down pat. The verisimilitude is matched by his portrait of Sharpe, a very rough character indeed but (mostly) an admirable one. He's a soldier's soldier -- and now he's heading back to England to join a newly-formed regiment of green-jacketed riflemen. You should start at the beginning of the series, though, so you won't miss any of the cumulative details of this remarkable saga.



5. How did I not know how amazing these books were until now?! Typically I lean to scifi & fantasy & some historical or contemporary fiction. But over the years I would hear about the "Sharpe" series - and that there were something like 18 of these books. Didn't sound like my cup of tea really. But then I caught part of one of the ITV tv episodes and it was well, just ok. Not great - but I understood more of what the series was about. An "everyman" enlisted soldier who had risen thru the ranks thru bravery and action. Plus Sean Bean was a terrific Richard Sharpe. I mean talk about perfectly cast.
   
   So I started with Sharpe's Tigers - the first chronological of the series - and I devoured it. I was speechless at Cornwell's craft. The book seemed so... real. So vivid, this wasn't history - this was real. These characters leapt off the page and into action. Sharpe is amazing character. We see ourselves in him, from humble birth, but given a chance he takes control of his life. Loyal to his friends, charming to the ladies and never afraid of a fight. Who wouldn't follow this man into hell!
   
   This is the third of his India series and frankly its hard to not want to sit and read this with a few strong cups of coffee and do nothing else. His revenge is at hand, the dastardly Hakeswell and Dodd are within his grasp! There is a scene towards the end when Sharpe comes up with a plan to storm the impregnable fortress and he rallies his former light company to action and its simply fantastic to watch him work. How he inspires the men, gives them confidence, he was one of them and they know it.
   
   The detail in these books is simply fantastic. When the soldiers fire their guns or cannons, we learn quickly and succinctly thru Cornwell's deft hand what type of guns they are using and the difference say between a musket and a rifle in the art of war. We lean about 16 pounders and grapeshot and cannister! Every page has a word I've never heard of before and I am just soaking it up. Its like being there! Well ok not really but every now and then I shake my head in sadness at what the British soldiers endured. Amazing.

5 comments about Sharpe's Triumph: Richard Sharpe and the Battle of Assaye, September 1803 (Richard Sharpe's Adventure Series #2).

1. All I have to say is, "Incredible." I felt as if I was on the fronts lines of a British regiment and fighting side by side Sharpe.



2. If you haven't yet read Sharpe's Tiger, I recommend that you begin your reading of this exciting series with that book. The characters and story in Sharpe's Triumph will make more sense that way.
   
   If you liked Sharpe's Tiger, you will probably enjoy Sharpe's Triumph even more. The story here is more historically accurate, the various battles are brilliantly described, and readers will find it easier to identify with Sharpe as the hero of the story.
   
   As the book opens, Sergeant Sharpe has been sent to pick up some ammunition . . . a seemingly dull assignment that soon becomes quite meaningful. There's a rogue lieutenant from the British East India Company who has a bounty on his head, and Sharpe is soon drawn into the search for Lieutenant Dodd and the sepoys he took with him.
   
   In the background, Sharpe has been enjoying a leisurely four years since he earned his sergeant's stripes in Sharpe's Tiger. The cushion that his wealth has brought is about to become a curse, however.
   
   In the search for Dodd, Sharpe is presented with the opportunity to better his station in life, meets a new love interest, and has some hard choices to make.
   
   The high point of the story comes in the detailed recounting of the Battle of Assaye which was important to defeating the Indian forces and helped establish the reputation of Sir Arthur Wellesley (later the Duke of Wellington).
   
   Those who don't want to read about the bloody side of war would do well to avoid this book.



3. Small wonder that the brick and mortar shopping venues are in trouble; with Amaazon shopping is just a click and a delivery, so simple and precise and I can purchase used books and tapes at a substantial discount!
   Hail the new medium!!
   Matt



4. I typically don't like books that depicts battles since I find them hard to follow, but this one I liked. Looking forward to the 3rd in the series.



5. It's the early fall of 1803 and Richard Sharpe of His Majesty's army in India has had his sergeant's stripes for four years. He's good at his job, but he has developed the ambition of becoming an officer, if only so he can go back home someday and swagger into his old haunts with a sash and sword. Meanwhile, though, he's sent off with Col. McCandless, General Wellesley's head of intelligence, to locate and drag back a traitorous lieutenant from the East India Company who has changed sides and is now fighting as a major with the army of an enemy rajah. Wellesley is seeking battle with yet another traitorous Company man who commands the rajah's huge army, and Sharpe, McCandless, and the general will all reconverge at the Battle of Assaye -- which, even after Waterloo, Wellesley (now Duke of Wellington) still considered his own greatest victory. As always, the plot is complex, with numerous subplots, the action is meticulously and accurately described, the characters are entirely believable, and the narrative will carry you right along. Sharpe continues on his way up the ladder of promotion and the reader will be following right behind him.