Possibly the most important book ever to have been written about the British army of the Napoleonic Wars. --Charles Esdaile; author of The Peninsular War: A New HistoryThe British troops who fought so successfully under the Duke of Wellington during his Peninsular Campaign against Napoleon have long been branded by the duke's own words--"scum of the earth"--and assumed to have been society's ne'er-do-wells or criminals who enlisted to escape justice. Now Edward J. Coss shows to the contrary that most of these redcoats were respectable laborers and tradesmen and that it was mainly their working-class status that prompted the duke's derision. Driven into the army by unemployment in the wake of Britain's industrial revolution; they confronted wartime hardship with ethical values and became formidable soldiers in the bargainThese men depended on the king's shilling for survival; yet pay was erratic and provisions were scant. Fed worse even than sixteenth-century Spanish galley slaves; they often marched for days without adequate food; and if during the campaign they did steal from Portuguese and Spanish civilians; the theft was attributable not to any criminal leanings but to hunger and the paltry rations provided by the army.Coss draws on a comprehensive database on British soldiers as well as first-person accounts of Peninsular War participants to offer a better understanding of their backgrounds and daily lives. He describes how these neglected and abused soldiers came to rely increasingly on the emotional and physical support of comrades and developed their own moral and behavioral code. Their cohesiveness; Coss argues; was a major factor in their legendary triumphs over Napoleon's battle-hardened troops.The first work to closely examine the social composition of Wellington's rank and file through the lens of military psychology; All for the King's Shilling transcends the Napoleonic battlefield to help explain the motivation and behavior of all soldiers under the stress of combat.
#121801 in Books University of Oklahoma Press 2005-08-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x .82 x 6.00l; 1.12 #File Name: 0806137150376 pages
Review
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. Inside The Car With Bonnie and ClydeBy David M. EnglandI have read many books on Bonnie and Clyde and the gangster era in the 1930's and I thought that this might be a rehash of others that I had read. I was pleasantly surprised by the book and I believe the difference is that in the other books the reader is looking "from the outside in"; and in Blanche's account; the reader has the feeling that he/she "is in the car" with Bonnie; Clyde; and Buck. I do believe as the author aludes; that Blanche wrote her account from the perspective of the possiblity of the electric chair looming over her and wanted to put herself in the role of a girl in love who just wanted to be by her man come hell or high water. Even saying that she would be left outside of town until the heist was over and they gang would pick her up; in an attempt to distance herself from the crimes and the murders. The author does point to later interviews of Blanche and from eyewitness accounts; that Blanche was not a innocent as she makes herself out to be and was a full participant in many of the events. Four stars instead of five; because she watered her account of her participation down; although this is not the fault of the author of the book; but more with Blanche's account. The photograph on the front of the book shows a beautiful young Blanche right after her capture; and her account is a love story with Buck that is often lost in the shadows of Bonnie and Clyde. Well worth the read for any interested in this era.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Jim Olsenabsolutely LOVED the book !2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. I waited with baited breathBy Nicole FerrierI was so excited to read this. I have been very interested in Bonnie and Clyde and it was great to get an inside account right after it happened. Blanche wrote this while in jail so the accounts are very fresh and not that of someone recalling an event 50 years ago.Her accounts are very much selling herself as a victim and at points gets whiney but over all its soooooooo neat! I was bummed that there were not very many pictures of Bonnie and Clyde but I very much enjoyed the read. At points its a little hard to follow but the editor does his best to help with that. It was a tad annoying going back and forth from the text of the chapter and the notes in the back but all together a great read and I am very glad I bought this book!!
