Spain, 1812. General Rowland Hill sends Sharpe to reconnoitre the French forts protecting a pontoon bridge across the Tagus at Almaraz. The bridge allows two French armies to reinforce one another and must be destroyed before the British can advance. Sharpe’s reconnaissance becomes a larger mission involving deception, divided loyalties and a direct assault on the fortified crossing.
The bridge at Almaraz is strategically important because it links French forces operating on opposite sides of the Tagus. Sharpe’s reconnaissance therefore becomes part of a larger effort to isolate enemy armies before Wellington advances. The mission emphasises intelligence, surprise and the vulnerability of apparently strong fortifications when a commander identifies the one point the defenders believe cannot be reached.
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