Richard Sharpe

From Sharpe

Early years

Richard Sharpe was born in London on June 26, 1777 (he was 32 during the early months of 1809) to a Cat Lane prostitute mother and an unknown father. When Sharpe was three, his mother was killed in the Gordon Riots, leaving him an orphan.

With no other known relatives to claim him, Sharpe was deposited in Jem Hocking's foundling home at Brewhouse Lane, Wapping, where he spent his days picking his assigned quota of oakum. He was regularly beaten and malnourished, resulting in his being undersized for his age. Because of this, he was eventually sold to a master chimney sweep to train as an 'apprentice' at the relatively late age of 12. Fearing the high mortality rate among apprentice sweeps (who were forced to climb up chimneys and remove the soot by hand), Sharpe fled for St. Giles' Rookery, and was taken in by bar-owner and prostitute Maggie Joyce. He stayed under Maggie's protection for three years, learning various forms of thieving.

After killing a gang leader during a fight over Maggie, he escaped from London to Yorkshire at the age of fifteen. Within six months, Sharpe had killed a second man, the landlord of the tavern where he was working, in a fight over a local girl whom they had both fallen for.

Partly as a result of the enticements of recruiting officer Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill, he joined the British Army to avoid the law. His regiment, the 33rd Foot, sometimes known as "The Havercakes" due to a havercake being engraved on the officers' swords (or from the habit of their recruiting sergeants of putting a cake on the end of their swords to attract starving would-be recruits) was first sent to Holland in 1794, where Sharpe fought in his first battle at Boxtel. The next year, he and his regiment were posted to India under the command of the British East India Company.

In 1799, Sharpe was sentenced to 2,000 lashes (a death sentence) for striking a Sergeant, with the connivance of his company commander Captain William Morris, but was released after only 200 by executive order. He was assigned to accompany Lieutenant William Lawford on a secret mission to rescue his uncle, intelligence agent Colonel Hector McCandless from Seringapatam. They joined the Tippoo Sultan's army posing as British deserters, but were later exposed and imprisoned. Lawford taught Sharpe to read while imprisoned in the Tippoo's dungeon. Sharpe escaped during the Siege of Seringapatam, killing the Tippoo Sultan after destroying a mine meant to devastate the British army. Sharpe was promoted to Sergeant, as promised, for his successful efforts.

Sharpe served four years as Armoury Sergeant in Seringapatam. In 1803, while on official business in Chasalgoan he suffered a head wound during a massacre ordered by Lieutenant William Dodd. Shortly afterwards, he was attached to Colonel McCandless on a mission to find and capture Dodd. The mission took him to both Ahmednuggur and the Battle of Assaye, even though the 33rd Foot were not present at either battle. His attachment to McCandless led to his being posted with the top tier of officers during Assaye, and being assigned as temporary aide to Arthur Wellesley (1st Duke of Wellington) after the original staff aide was killed. In the middle of the battle, Wellesley fell from his horse and was set upon by enemy soldiers (a historical event which was never fully documented). Sharpe pushed Wellesley under a nearby cannon and fought off the attackers until safe. For his bravery, Sharpe was given a commission and joined the 74th Regiment as an Ensign. According to the Sharpe novels, about 10% of British army officers were promoted from the ranks, though they rarely progressed far past a lieutenancy, since they could not afford to purchase higher ranks. Even Wellesley himself did not grant Sharpe any special honours or unearned promotions after this point. Difficult though his position was - he was neither one of the men nor a 'true officer' - he soldiered on, but he still could not gain acceptance in his new regiment. Eventually his superiors arrange for him to be transferred to the newly formed 95th Rifles Regiment. Before leaving India, he also took part in the assault on Gawilghur. Inside the fortress, Sharpe finally found and confronted Dodd, receiving a scar on his left cheek that would define his appearance in the future

Campaigns in Portugal, Spain and France

Returning from India in 1805, Sharpe was caught up in the Battle of Trafalgar. This was his first encounter with France and its allies. This episode also introduced him to Lady Grace Hale, with whom he fell in love. After her husband's death, Grace and Sharpe set up house and lived an upper class life together using only his earnings, since hers were wrapped up in her husband's estate. When Grace died giving birth to Sharpe's son, who died almost immediately afterwards, the son was assumed by her brother's lawyers to belong to Grace's ex-husband. As such, the late Lord Hale's estate was able to confiscate all Sharpe's wealth - including the house he had bought with the pile of jewels he took from the Tippoo Sultan and placed in Grace's name under the assumption that it had been bought with Grace's money and that her son had succeeded her as heir. On Grace's death, Sharpe fell into a deep depression and laxity that led to his being relegated from Number 3 Company to Quartermaster of the Rifles. In 1807, Sharpe unsuccessfully attempted to sell his commission, and found himself back in London. While there, he killed Jem Hocking, the master of his old foundling home.

In London, he encountered an old officer from India, and was assigned on a special mission to protect an agent sent to treat with the Danish Crown Prince. During this mission, he was present for the Battle of Copenhagen and the British capture of the Danish fleet (to prevent Napoleon Bonaparte from taking it). Even though the 95th Rifles fought in the battle, Sharpe failed to rejoin the regiment, and carried on with his secret duties. After this, Sharpe headed for Portugal and the Peninsular War, finally showing his leadership abilities after all the more senior officers of his company were killed in an ambush during the retreat to Portugal in 1809.

Upon returning to Portugal (where he first met Captain Michael Hogan, the head of intelligence for Wellesley), the surviving riflemen became the core of the light company of the South Essex Regiment. While assigned to the South Essex, Sharpe performed a number of heroic feats either in the service of Hogan, or in order to gain promotion through the officer ranks. In order to keep command of the light company, Sharpe undertook the capture of a French Imperial Eagle at the Battle of Talavera in 1809. In order to secure further promotion, and correct a bureaucrat-induced demotion to Lieutenant, he was the first over the breach at Badajoz. Over time, he gradually took unofficial command of the entire regiment. During this period he first encountered one of his worst enemies, French spymaster Pierre Ducos.

Before the Battle of Toulouse, Sharpe was sent to capture a fort in the 'Bassin D'Arcachon', the Teste de Buch just below Bordeaux. During this time Sharpe faced one of his most dangerous situations yet: he found himself trapped in the fort due to Pierre Ducos' planning after capturing it, and was faced with numerous heavy attacks on the fort by General Calvet. He eventually escaped from this situation with the help of an American privateer, Cornelius Killick. He acted as Brigade Major at the Battle of Toulouse.

The chronologically antepenultimate story recounts Sharpe's involvement in the Battle of Waterloo. Prior to the battle Sharpe had been appointed an aide to the Prince of Orange, in order for the widely scorned "Young Frog" ("Silly Billy" in the film) to look better by having such a noted soldier by his side; being made Lt. Colonel of the 5th Belgian Light Dragoons, a regiment he had neither met nor been inclined to meet. The Prince soon emerges as an incompetent whom Sharpe feels obliged to desert (and later, attempt to murder) during the battle, his professional (and correct) advice being frequently ignored resulting in large (and needless) casualties later in the battle. When its commander breaks down under fire and Sharpe steps in and issues orders that help prevent a French breakthrough, Wellesley rewards Sharpe by finally giving him command of the Prince of Wales Own Volunteers (formerly the South Essex Regiment) for the remainder of the battle.

Promotions

1793. Enlisted as a Private. Some time between 1793 and 1799. Briefly promoted to corporal before being made a private again for "farting on parade" 4 May 1799. Promoted for gallantry to Sergeant after Siege of Seringapatam (Sharpe's Tiger). 23 September 1803. Commissioned for gallantry as an Ensign after the Battle of Assaye by General Wellesley (Sharpe's Triumph). Circa 1806. On transfer to the 95th Rifles, Sharpe becomes a Second Lieutenant, equivalent in rank to an Ensign, as the Rifles do not have Ensigns (Sharpe's Prey). Circa 1807-08. Sharpe promoted to Lieutenant - the exact timeframe is not referred to in the novels but occurred sometime after the events of Sharpe's Prey and before Sharpe's Rifles. July 1809. Gazetted by General Wellesley as a Captain after saving the Unit Colour of the South Essex Battalion at Valdelacasa (Sharpe's Eagle). January 1812. Reverted to the rank of Lieutenant after his gazetting as Captain was refused by Horse Guards and in the absence of a vacant Captain's position in the South Essex (Sharpe's Company). 7 April 1812. Restored to rank of Captain in the South Essex Battalion after successfully leading an unofficial forlorn hope to take the third breach of Badajoz and the death of several Captains in the Battalion (Sharpe's Company). 14 November 1812. Promoted to the army (as opposed to regimental) rank of Brevet Major by the Prince Regent (Sharpe's Enemy). 1815. Serves as Lieutenant Colonel in the 5th Belgian Light Dragoons (Dutch Army) led by the Prince of Orange during the 100 days. He later acts as Lieutenant Colonel of his old battalion during the Battle of Waterloo. At the end of the Battle, it is assumed he is given official control after Wellington says 'Take your Battalion forward Mr Sharpe'

Achievements

first man over the wall at Badajoz, Killed Tippo Sultan, Disabled a trap at Seringpatam, Took an Imperial Eagle at Televera, Halting the Imperial Guard at waterloo.