Fix Bayonets!
A
Royal Wech Fusilier at War 1796 – 1815
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Publisher: Robin Brass Studio in North America, Spellmount in the United Kingdom October 2006 ISBN-10: 1-896941-27-3 Price: $39.95 in the US and Canada, 25 £ in the U.K. Details: 500 pages, 6 x 9 inches, more than 130 illustrations, maps and tactical diagrams, appendices, source notes, bibliography and index |
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Thomas Pearson, a minister's son, was commissioned in the 23rd Foot, Royal Welch Fusiliers, in late 1796. In a fascinating military career that spanned nearly 47 years he fought on three continents, was wounded five times, received two battlefield promotions and achieved the rank of general. Fix Bayonets! follows this hard-biting soldier and the Royal Welch Fusiliers in action in the deserts of Egypt, the dikes of the Netherlands, the jungles of the West Indiea, the mountains of Spain and the vast forests of North America. Through Pearson's true-life adventures we learn about war, wine, women and song in a colourful epoch, and also meet a cast of famous and infamous characters, including King George III, Napoleon, Wellington, President James Madison, General Winfield Scott, Marshals Soult and Massena and Lord Nelson. The centrepiece of Fix Bayonets! is a blow-by-blow account of the bloody 1811 battle of Albuera. Albuera was the high point of Pearson's military career -- he went into it as a junior major in his brigade and came out as the brigade commander because he was the only officer above the rank of captain still on his feet. Fix Bayonets! also contains detailed accounts of the War of 1812 battles of Crysler's Farm, Chippawa, Lundy's Lane and Fort Erie. Thomas Pearson fought in all four engagements and was wounded in two of them. Although he put many of them in their graves, Pearson came to have a high regard for his Yankee foemen, describing them as "the bravest men I have ever seen" -- high praise from a combat veteran who had fought against some of the toughest soldiers of his time. Some sample extracts
from Fix
Bayonets!
What Reviewers say
about
Graves is well known for his careful research and encyclopaedic knowledge of the War of 1812. His previous books on key battles of that conflict are all very well researched and a joy to read. He is one of the few historians who can write a scholarly history of a campaign in such an easy flow that it reads like a novel while remaining complete and accurate, reflecting the last word in research of extant sources. Graves is noted in the military history community for his uncanny skill in digging out obscure resources that have remained hidden in the repositories of North America bringing some forgotten gems to light. He has brought all of these skills to bear in telling Pearson's story in this very welcome addition to Napoleonic period historiography. ...... Graves's recounting of the Albuera Campaign is masterfully done, setting the scene and detailing the battle and its aftermath, providing the setting for the actions of Pearson and the Welch Fusiliers in the battle of May 16. The reader can almost hear the thunder of the cannons and smell the acrid fog of black powder as the story unfolds. ...... Graves's book is more than a fascinating biography. It uses the vehicle of Pearson's career to discuss major campaigns in the Peninsular War and in the War of 1812. It is rare to read a history that bring these two conflicts together into the larger picture of a global war. Normally histories of one of the conflicts tend to ignore what was happening elsewhere. Graves has used Pearson's story as a smooth bridge between Iberia and Upper Canada. ...... Fix Bayonets! ... is highly recommended for serious
students of military history and for casual readers looking for stories
of true adventure in the War of 1812 and Napoleonic Wars. It's a damned
good read.
This is a true adventure story of an officer (Sir Thomas
Pearson) who ends up in the thick of fighting (wounded 5 times) all
over the planet in the Napoleonic wars. ...... The author Donald E.
Graves is a master of battlefield story telling and he simply allows
the facts and events to tell themselves without colouring them with
any Nationalistic bias or spin. How refreshing.
I can honestly say that, of the many books that I have
reviewed over the years, one stands out as a masterly piece of work.
It is not surprising -- the author, Donald E. Graves, is a renowned
Canadian military historian with a score of books to his credit. While
basically a military biography of Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Pearson,
Fix Bayonets! is much more. ...... [The author's] account of
the battle of Albuhera is a masterpiece. ...... Not only is the battle
described in meticulous detail, but a welath of information on campaign
living conditions and personalities of the opposing armies indicates
a great deal of extensive research. ...... There are hundreds of anecdotes,
a profusion of illustrations depicting not only military leaders,
but drills and living conditions of the era and orders of battle for
major engagements. The book is well written -- despite its wealth
of information it makes for easy reading. I would particularly recommend
it to readers whose interest in the Peninsular War has been generated
or revived by the Sharpe TV and book series. ...... Definitely an
A-plus!
Amazon 5-star rating … an excellent study on the life
of a remarkable officer. Well researched and with a great graps of
the times and locations, the book totally engages the reader. The
description of the battle of Albuera is especially godd. I highly
recommend this book for any person that has even a fleeting interest
in the period. Historians will no doubt find this book a great item
to have on their bookshelf.
Amazon 5-star rating ... Don Graves has authored a real masterpiece …… By far the most intriguing components of the book center upon the host of battles Pearson participated in. The Battles of Albuera, Chippawa and Lundy's Lane are the most noteworthy and interesting. The author provides an in-depth and organized account of these actions while interweaving Pearson's role and contribution. Graves also provides a fascinating look into military life, culture, values, and society that existed during Pearson's life. …… I feel this work is especially noteworthy in its scope. Most comparable authors have chosen to focus upon events or well-known characters as a basis for their narrative. Graves has chosen a gallant, decorated but rather obscure soldiers as his foundation from which to place the greater events into perspective. The approach is very unique and interesting. Graves' research is also impeccable. …… Written in a compelling style that draws the reader in, this book is a natural choice for anyone interested in the Napoleonic Wars/War of 1812 era. Davis Nighswanger, Amazon Reviews
Donald E. Graves is probably Canada's foremost military
historian; his accounts of battles of the War of 1812 are models of
historical reportage, and here he turns to biography with the same
consumate skill. ...... The result is a brilliant evocation of the
period. ...... attention to detail is one feature that sets Graves's
work apart, but others include the elegant style and lack of sensationalism,
whether describing an action or the human cost in its aftermath. ......
This is military history at its very best, an account that draws the
reader in completely, yet is based on thorough and dispassionate research.
Fix Bayonets! is the story of Thomas Pearson, as close to a real life approximation of the character in the Bernard Cornwall "Sharpe" novels as it is possible to be ...... Pearson comes across as a remarkable fellow, clearly highly dedicated and militarily competent, albeit rather brusque and single minded, in an age when not all officers were so motivated. ...... The central portion of the book ... deals with Pearson and the Fusiliers in the Peninsular campaign. There are many insights into the way of life on campaign and ... there are numerous anecdotes and a cast of colourful characters. However, the centrepiece is the description of the run up to, the battle of Albuera (May 1811) and its aftermath. Graves produces a highly readable narrative, and succeeds in portraying the details of one of the bloodiest engagements fought by the British Army ... in the Peninsular Campaign. He has obviously availed himself of all the most recent research and in his narrative he manages to describe all aspects fo this complext engagement in a simple, easily understood form. ...... Graves has done a first rate in his description of the battle, being both comprehensive and lucid. ...... Fix Bayonets! is an excellent book, which is
indeed a different approach to a well-known subject area. Because
it covers a wide canvas and includes so many useful facts about the
era in general and the British army in particular, I would humbly
suggest that this would be a welcome addition to any Napoleonic enthusiast's
collection, and I unreservedly recommend it. |
