Thank you for all the great time I have had in reading all of your books.
In many of the Sharpe novels (e.g. Sharpe’s Gold) you refer to atrocities committed by the French on the Portugese and Spanish civilian population.
What was the reason that the French soldiers felt that atrocities were permitted?  Was there a root cause?  Why were the soldiers so vicious?
There would appear to be many honorable and just leaders in the French army who did not seem to be able to curb the practice.  Why?

Don Ballantyne