Dear Mr Cornwell,
First of all let me say How much I enjoy your writing. I’ve read all the Sharpe books, the King Arthur trilogy and some of the Saxon books, and loved all of them.
My questions are about Sharpe. In several of the books, you mention the French advancing to a drum beat called by them, the Pas de Charge, and by the British ” Old Trousers”. In one of the books you describe the beat as being ” Boom boom, boom boom, booma boom, booma boom, boom boom. Have you a contemporary source that describes this?
Its just one of those little historical details that fascinates me. I’ve searched on the internet for a Napoleonic French drum march and “Pas de Charge” comes up with several instrumental marches, but no drum beat. The only one I can find is the ” Pas de Cadence” Which goes – Rum tum tum tum, Rum tum ta ta tum ta tum tum, Rum tum tum, Rum tum ta ta tum tum.
I’d love to know if this is the true ” Old Trousers” .
Colin Epron