~ Sharpe's Story ~

Reproduced without permission from Military Illustrated #96.

Be you an avid reader and watcher of the Sharpe series, or just an occasional viewer, it is all too easy to forget Bernard Cornwell has given his character a full life, rather than just an episodic one. Richard Moore, both for briefing the numerous actors appearing on screen with Sharpe or travellers on one of sharpe's Peninsular tours, has prepared a short synopsis of the good Major's boography derived from Cornwell's books. Whilst the reader will note how Sharpe's screen personification has a few variations from Cornwell's original, this narrative demonstrates just how much of the hero's story is yet to be visualised. The following text is taken from Richard's briefing notes, or as he puts it, 'collected from the Archives of the South Essex Regiment'.

Richard Sharpe was born in July 1777 in a house near Howick Place, Westminster, London. His father was unknown, his mother being a prostitute who died in the gordon Riots in June 1780 when Sharpe was three. He was consequently taken into an orphanage/workhouse (probably Tothill Fields, Bridewell), picking oakum, unpicking hemp or washing laundry. Although sold to a sweep in 1789, Sharpe ran into the cover of the St Giles 'rookery', eventually falling into the hands of Maggie joyce who ran a ginhouse in Goslitt Yard. She looked after Sharpe, teaching him to steal and love, until 1793, when he was sixteen years old; then Sharpe killed an inn-keeper who had 'connections' and was forced to flee to Yorkshire where he joined the British Army.

Now a strapping 6'1" and weighing 12 stone, as a private of the 33rd Regiment, Sharpe sailed for Ostend in June 1794 when the 33rd reinforced the army in the disastrous Low Countries campaign commanded by the duke of York. Sharpe fought for the first time in battle at Boxtel (15 Sept. 1794) in Flanders (in this campaign the regiment lost 430 men dead, but only 6 of them killed by the French, the rest dying as a result from the weather and starvation). On the regiment's return to England in April 1795 Sharpe sailed forthwith to India with the 33rd in April 1796 (Sharpe's Tiger) after spending seven miserable weeks at sea before terrible weather which eventually obliged them to return to poole harbour.

Sharpe was wounded and taken prisoner when he was 22 years old in March/April 1799 (he was flogged before this time by order of 'Captain Morris' after being falsely accused by Hakeswill for a savage assault) by Lancers of the Tippoo's army and held in the dungeons of Seringapatam for many months. Here he met William Lawford and was taught to read and write by him (Obadiah Hakeswill was in the same dungeon). Sharpe escaped during the siege attacked by Wellesley, and killed Tippoo Sultan in or near the Water Tunnel, stealing the famous ruby jewel from his turban. He later gave this to a girl he thought loved him, but who ran away with someone else. Sharpe was promoted to Sergeant in the 33rd Foot as a reward for the services provided suring the siege of Seringapatam.

In 1803 Sergent sharpe became an ensign after saving the life of Sir Arthur Wellesley at the Battle of Assaye, after Wellesley's horse, the grey arab 'Diomed' was piked and he was in danger of being bayoneted by the enemy. He stayed in India (although not settling in very well as a junior commissioned officer) until late 1805, when the 33rd Foot returned to England. In 1806, he exchanged regiments again taking a few soldier volunteers with him into the 2nd Battalion of the 95th Rifles. This had been formed atCanterbury in May 1805 from drafts of men from the 1st Battalion at Hythe Barracks (new companies forming to reinforce companies sailed to Monte Video with Crawford, so narrowly missing sailing on the disastrous Walcheren Expedition). Here Sharpe also found difficulty settling in (senior officers - especially Major Dunnett - instinctively disliked him, and he had a sizeable chip on his shoulder by now). Sharpe was made Quartermaster as he knew all the tricks of the trade, and could manage the books without having to bother the officers.

Sharpe next went with the 2/95 to the Peninsular in 1808 under Sir Arthur Wellesley and fought at Rolica and Vimiero in General Fane's Brigade. When Wellesley was replaced by Sir John moore, he went with the army into Spain and took part in the terrible retreat to Corunna (Retreat to Vigo actually, as the light Brigade took a different route) being cut off with Major Dunnett's men who were taken in the rear by cavalry (Sharpe's Rifles) and seperated. From this campaign, Sharpe began to gain confidence and act as a leader of men, Captain Murray and later Don Blas Vivar helping him.

Meeting Michael Hogan upon his return to the army from Santiago de Compostela, he was employed by him on reconnaissance duties in Northern Portugal until 1809. Wellesley, having returned to command, decided to move into Spain once more (Sharpe's Eagle). Sharpe's relationship with the South Essex Regiment also dated from this time.

Sharpe, retaining command of the south Essex Regiment's Light Company, set out to recover gold from Torrecasto to pay for the building of The Lines of Torres Vedras, during which he was wounded (Sharpe's Ggold). He met in Almeida his old friend from Seringapatam, Tom Garrard.He also met and married Teresa Morena, and they had a daughter, Antonia, in 1811. Having briefly visited England (meeting Jane Gibbons for the first time), he returned to the Peninsular and fought at Fuentes D'Onoro, being wounded (Sharpe's Battle) a second time. He went on to participate in the sieges of Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz (Sharpe's Company) in 1812.

After the battle of Salamanca and recovering from being wounded by Leroux (Sharpe's Sword) he was given his first independent command, and promoted to Major by the Prince of Wales (Sharpe's Enemy) but he met a new enemy in Pierre Ducos. Teresa Morena was shot at Adrados by Obadiah Hakeswill, Sharpe's old enemy from India. Hakeswill was shot after a court-martial, but Antonia was adopted by Teresa's family to be raised as a Catholic in Badajoz; Sharpe never saw her again.

In 1813 Sharpe embarked on a mission after his 'execution' for a murder engineered by Ducos. He found out about the Treaty of Valencay (Sharpe's Honour) and fought at the Battle of Vittoria, where the French were routed and chased from Spain. Sharpe, with the assistance of Patrick Harper, 'found' enough precious stones amongst the booty to become rich men.

Returning to England (Sharpe's Regiment), he re-raised the South Essex Regiment, marrying Jane Gibbons. Participating in the invasion of France, Sharpe fought at Toulouse at the close of the war, killing Ducos (Sharpe's Revenge).

Sharpe briefly became a farmer in Normandy with Lucille, a woman he met at the end of the war. In 1815 he served on the staff of the Prince of Orange, participating in the Waterloo campaign, where Jane Gibbons' lover Rossendale was killed and she found oblivion and a 'fate worse than death'. Sharpe returned penniless to France, leaving once more in 1820 to seek out Blas Vivar in South america (Sharpe's Devil), before returning home for the last time in 1821, after meeting Napoleon Bonaparte on St Helena.

Richard Sharpe had a daughter, Dominique, and a son, Patrick Lasson (his son took his mother's surname) who joined the French Army and served in the Crimean War. His son also served as an attache to the confederate Army in the American Civil War. Richard Sharpe died in 1860, when he was 83 years old, and was buried on his estate in France.

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