Dear Bernard I am writing in regards to a query in Sharpe's Company. In that book on the way to Badajoz Sharpe re-calls the first 2 failed seiges in 1811 yet Hogan then turns up and starts telling Sharpe about Badajoz as though he has never been there before but Sharpe does not correct him I was just wondering why this was.Was Sharpe not meant to be there or something that Hogan was not meant to know??? And can you tell me if there will be book that will cover the first two sieges (and Albuera in between) in the future???
btw you have mentioned about thinking of getting Sharpe to the Siege of St Sebastian and also the battles of Souren yet didn't they happen at the same time and in Sharpe's Regiment in the historical section it states that he was England at the time and missed Soult's counter offensive so how can he be in three places at once and not only that in Sharpe's siege you have Fredrickson describing to Sharpe about St Sebastian.
Finally I do not know if you have read them or not But Napoleon's shield and Guardian the unconquerable General Duesimil by Edward Ryan is worth a read and details how he held the depot of Varennes after 1814 and Waterloo in 1815 and Marengo and Hohelinden by James Arnold a great study on the two battles of 0f 1800 they are both books worth a read. Regards Geraint
P.S Does Sharpe finally find out about Humphery's murder of Astrid in Sharpes Fury???
I don't remember the details - I wrote Sharpe's Company so long ago - but I suspect Sharpe would have known about the two failed sieges even if he wasn't there, and Hogan is just filling him in? I don't know - sounds more or less right to me. Will I ever write about them? Probably not. Albuhera? I'd like to, but that depends on getting Sharpe to the battle, and he won't have much time, and I might not be able to devise a plot to do it.
I know. It's a horrible difficulty. I really shouldn't put him at San Sebastian, so I probably won't. But he can be in three places at once. He's a hero.
Thanks for the suggestions.
You only have a few weeks to wait, then you'll know!