Sharpe's Fury. Richard Sharpe And The Battle Of Barrosa, March 1811

BERNARD CORNWELL

Publication: HarperCollins Publishers, 2006, London

First edition. Signed by the author on the title page. Fine in dust jacket. Winter, 1811, the war seemed lost. All of Spain has fallen to the French, except for Cadiz, now the Spanish capital is under siege. Richard Sharpe and his company are a part of a small expeditionary force sent to break a bridge across the River Guadiana. Thanks to the brutal savagery of the French Colonel Vandal who is leading his battalion to join the siege of Cadiz, things turn disastrous. Sharpe and a handful of men are driven south into the threatened city. Once in Cadiz, he discovers more than one enemy. Many Spaniards doubt Britain's motives and believe their future would be brighter if they made peace with the French. An allied army marched from the city to take on the more powerful French and, once again, a brilliant piece of soldiering turns to disaster, this time because the Spanish refuse to fight. A small British force is trapped by a French army, and the only hope now lies with the outnumbered redcoats who, on a hill beside the sea, refuse to admit defeat. And there, in the sweltering horror of Barossa, Sharpe finds Colonel Vandal again.

Inventory Number: 45588