Dear Mister Cornwell, I truly have to thank you for the many hours of pure pleasure I had reading about Sharpe. I had seen the TV series in Germany some 10 years ago and quite liked it. Even though I then lacked the historical background, it certainly was something out of the ordinary. About three years ago, finally catching up on the blessings of the internet, I searched for Sharpe and found your books. It took quite a bit of the money I had been able to save up during my time with the German Army but I purchased them all. I simply couldn’t stop while I knew there were yet some novels out there I hadn’t read. They are, simply, swashbuckling (a word that doesn’t even have a representation in German). Being a native Hanoveran I couldn’t help but starting to feel the greatest sympathy for Sharpe and the British under Wellington, especially when I read about the King’s German Legion. Mind you, I know for a fact that one of my ancestors from Schaumburg-Lippe was a French soldier in Spain. Having said that, I also have to thank you for arousing my interest in the History of the Napoleonic era. However, I do have one very practical question. I am just reading “Rifles” again and I stumbled over some passages which I couldn’t quite figure out. You wrote a) that the Riflemen fired at the French Dragoons under l’Eclin and then directly attacked with their sword-bayonets fixed, b) that the Riflemen cut their hands reloading. If I remember correctly, the sword-bayonets are fixed directly on the muzzle of the Baker rifle, thus making it impossible to reload with fixed swords. I’d be grateful if you could explain this (either my misconception or author’s liberty). Finally, I’d like to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a happy and successful 2005. Sincerely, Dirk, Hanover, Germany