Sharpe’s Siege

by Bernard Cornwell Book 22 in the Sharpe series.

First published 1987

Amazon

4.3(12,574)

In 1814, Sharpe joins an amphibious expedition against the French coastal fortress at Teste de Buch. The raid is intended to threaten Bordeaux and draw troops away from Wellington’s main advance, but its commander is more interested in glory than the mission’s practical risks. Cut off with a small force, Sharpe must hold the captured position, confront French counterattacks and find a way back to the army.

The Teste de Buch expedition demonstrates the danger of raids designed partly for political effect. Once the fort is captured, Sharpe has to defend a position whose usefulness depends on French reaction and whose commander has underestimated the cost of holding it. Isolation makes disease, ammunition and evacuation as important as courage, turning a diversion into a siege from which there may be no organised relief.