Warriors in scarlet : the life and times of the last redcoats

Knight, Ian, 1956-2023

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Summary

An acclaimed military historian, Knight draws on first-hand accounts to show us the reality of life in the Army - the drudgery of peace-time service, the excitement and privations of posting overseas, the floggings and desertions, the regimental pride and comradeship. The rapid expansion of the British Empire meant that soldiers found themselves facing diverse and skilful enemies around the world. Trained in the tactics that won the Napoleonic War but were no longer helpful in their new role, British troops had to adapt or die. Knight vividly recreates the action on the ground, from bloody skirmishes in Southern Africa and siege warfare in New Zealand to disasters like the 1842 retreat from Kabul and Chillianwala in the Punjab - but shows that in reality the army won more than four-fifths of the battles they fought in this era.