Description:

As Napoleon threatens to crush Britain on the battlefield, Lt. Col. Richard Sharpe leads a ragtag army to exact personal revenge against a French general known for his acts of terror.

Sharpe's Battle takes Richard Sharpe and his company back to the spring of 1811 and one of the most bitter battles of the Peninsular War, a battle on which all British hopes of victory in Spain will depend. Sharpe is given responsibility to lead an Irish battalion of the king of Spain's household guard, ceremonial troops untrained and unequipped for battle. While quartered in the crumbling fort of San Isidro, they are attacked by murderous Brigadier General Guy Luop's elite French brigade. Sharpe has witnessed General Loup's despicable was crimes before; to put an end to them, and to settle another more personal score, Sharpe must lead his company into the blood-gutted streets of Fuentes de Oñoro, where thousands of French troops have amassed, in a battle to the death.

From Publishers Weekly

From a previous book in Cornwell's acclaimed Sharpe series, Sharpe's Devil, we know that Richard Sharpe, up-from-the-ranks captain in the Duke of Wellington's army, lived at least until 1821. So this tale, which finds the English soldier pitted against the vicious General Guy Loup in 1811, during the Napoleonic Wars, lacks some suspense. Still, there's the tantalizing question of how Sharpe gets out of some very dangerous scrapes, both on and off the battlefield. Once again, the captain faces lethal enemies (Loup; a French spymaster), dangerous "allies" (an arrogant Spanish general; a nasty Irish peer) and tricky political situations (opposition among the Allies-Britain, Ireland, Portugal-to making Wellington supreme Allied leader). Some loyal friends show up as well, notably Sergeant Patrick Harper, with his seven-shot gun, giant frame and even larger spirit. In this 13th volume in the series, Cornwell's superb storytelling and skill at historical re-creation are in top form as he masterfully presents the carnage, clamor, stink and "sublime joy" of battle.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Cornwell's latest adventure starring Richard Sharpe in the Napoleonic Wars was created to coincide with the Masterpiece Theatre production of three titles in the Sharpe series. But regardless of the motive, Cornwell's fans will be elated to see their hero back in battle again, fighting the French and the hierarchy of Wellington's army. The encounter takes place in 1811, shortly after the destruction of Almeida (recounted in Sharpe's Gold, 1983). It is still Almeida that is under contention, for the French have mounted a massive campaign to supply the scant forces that still hold the fort. On another front, Sharpe is waging a private battle (which nearly gets him court-martialed) against the ferocious French Wolf Brigade. Vintage Cornwell. Denise Perry Donavin