Sir,

In Sharpe’s Siege, you aver that the English rifleman were the hardest marching, most effective troops in the world, and in it’s time and place, I agree with you. In a wider context, I wish to differ. I put forward the following argument. The finest rifleman are in fact my ancestors, the Boer (farmer) rifleman. As mounted infantryman, armed with the superb Mauser, no more than 60,000, kept at bay the might of the British Empire, numbering over 750,000 for nearly 3 years. My next assertion would horrify my godly “Folk”. I would liken them to the American Apache and Comanche, in their mobility and intimate knowledge of terrain, as for skill at the use of a rifle, we stand back for no one! I trust you are in good health, and thank you for all the reading pleasure you have afforded me over the years.
Steven Theron