Richard Sharpe is born in London circa 1777 (he believes that he may be 22 during the early months of 1799) to a prostitute residing in "Cat Lane" and possibly a French smuggler. When Sharpe is three, his mother is killed in the Gordon Riots. Lieutenant Ayers was a British Army Provost officer, military police responsible for military discipline among British troops in Portugal and Spain. During the earliest (chronological) books Sharpe is a private and later sergeant, and so his uniform and weapons largely are in line with Army regulations. His first sword and officer's sash are taken from the dead in the wake of the Battle of Assaye, although no specifics are given on the weapon. When the British besiege Copenhagen, Sharpe joins them. The Danes refuse to surrender their fleet, so the British bombard the city. Sharpe, by now knowing the general layout of Copenhagen, sneaks a small force into the city and guides them to the Danish ships, which have been prepared for burning in case the British break in. The men hide aboard the ships and safeguard them against burning. Meanwhile, Sharpe goes to Skovgaard's, only to find he has been captured and tortured again by Lavisser, who obtains the names of the British spies. Sharpe rescues Skovgaard, kills Lavisser and Barker, and gets the list of names. The city surrenders, and the Danish fleet is captured intact.

Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Leroy is a fictional character in the Richard Sharpe series of novels by Bernard Cornwell. He is an American Loyalist serving as an officer in the British Army during the Peninsular War. The year is 1807, and Richard Sharpe is at a very low point in his life. His beloved aristocratic lover, Lady Grace Hale, died in childbirth, along with their newborn son. Her family's lawyers then took all of Sharpe's wealth (loot he obtained in India), claiming it was Grace's, so it reverts to her family. Destitute and relegated to the menial job of quartermaster, Sharpe is on the streets of London, contemplating leaving the army.

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He is a good soldier and his abilities resulted in him being commissioned as an officer on the battlefield. He overcomes class in an army where an officer's rank is often bought. Unlike many of the officers with whom he serves, Sharpe is an experienced soldier. In 1808 the Rifles were posted to Portugal and fought in the opening campaigns of the Peninsular War, at the Battles of Roliça and Vimeiro. During the retreat to Corunna Harper was among a small group of Riflemen trapped behind enemy lines and led an unsuccessful mutiny against the only surviving officer – Richard Sharpe ( Sharpe's Rifles). All of the Sharpe novels, not just the new one, Sharpe's Prey, feature genuinely complex plotting in which the reader is kept engaged not just by a central conflict but by a whole host of subplots handled as adeptly as his main narrative. How does Bernard Cornwell maintain such a high standard in his tales of historical derring-do and danger? The genre is a touch overcrowded these days, but Cornwell is unquestionably in the upper echelons, with a consistency that must give most of his rivals pause. It isn't just the formula that makes these books work so well (high-powered, vividly described action, conflicted protagonists risking both their lives and careers, impressive historical detail), it is another factor that has distinguished the author's books since his early work. Second Lieutenant Richard Sharpe is sent to Copenhagen in 1807 with the job of protecting a nobleman on a secret mission. Sharpe soon discovers that his task is complicated by traitors, spies and the bombardment of Copenhagen.

Gazetted by General Wellesley as a captain after saving the Regimental Colour of the South Essex Battalion at Valdelacasa. He first appeared in Sharpe's Prey and, including Harper, was one of the only two men remaining from Major Dunnett's original company, from the Battle of Copenhagen. He is referred to as one of Sharpe's best marksmen, along with Hagman and Thompson. [5] Harris last appears in Sharpe's Skirmish, but he may be alive as of Sharpe's Enemy, as he is likely to be one of the last nine from the retreat to Corunna left at the time. He possibly fought with Sharpe at the Battle of Vitoria and presumably the Battle of Nivelle. He most likely fought with Sharpe at the final Battle of Toulouse, and may still be alive as of Sharpe's Revenge, though Harris is absent in Sharpe's Waterloo. He does not appear at Waterloo and is absent from the battle.

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Rifleman Harvey first appeared in Sharpe's Eagle but he would have accompanied Sharpe in the retreat to Corunna in Sharpe's Rifles. He fought in the First Battle of Oporto and also partook in the Second Battle of Oporto which he survived. Harvey fought with Sharpe in the Battle at Talavera in Sharpe's Eagle where he was asked to keep reloading for Hagman, maybe indicating that he was one of the weaker shots of the riflemen. [15] He also participated in the destruction of Almeida but wasn't mentioned in Sharpe's Gold and also partook in Sharpe's Escape during the battle of Bussaco. [21] He partook in the Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro in and went to fight with Sharpe in the Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo and the Siege of Badajoz. He went on to fight in the Battle of Salamanca in Sharpe's Sword but he wasn't mentioned. Harvey went onto fight alongside Sharpe in Sharpe's Enemy but he wasn't mentioned at all. Harvey wasn't mentioned in Sharpe's Honour, Regiment, Christmas, Siege, Revenge, or Waterloo. Either Harvey did not fight at Waterloo or he was killed prior to the battle. Harvey was best friends with Rifleman Cameron, with whom he partnered in battle. Rifleman Ben Perkins is a fictional character in the Richard Sharpe stories written by Bernard Cornwell. Rifleman Ben Perkins also appeared in episodes of the Sharpe television series, played by Lyndon Davies.

Although Hogan's role as spymaster requires him to be at times both ruthless and duplicitous, he is a good friend to Sharpe throughout the series, often protecting him from official censure and advancing his career.

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The South Essex is assigned the relatively easy mission of linking up with an allied Spanish regiment and escorting Hogan to a point on the River Tagus to destroy a bridge that the French could use. In a minor skirmish with a French cavalry patrol, however, Simmerson's appalling judgement leads to the loss of a substantial number of men, and the loss of one of his regiment's two colours (presented by the king and representing the regiment's honour). Sharpe serves four uneventful years as a sergeant. In 1803, he is the sole survivor of a massacre of the garrison of a small fort carried out by a turncoat Company officer, William Dodd ( Sharpe's Triumph). Because he can identify Dodd, Sharpe is taken along by McCandless on a mission to capture and punish Dodd, to discourage others from deserting. Their search takes them first to battles at Ahmednuggur and then Assaye. He enjoys a successful second career in Dublin as a horse dealer (many of which are stolen) and owner of a public house.

One of the most beautiful women ever to grace the silver screen, Hedy Lamarr also designed a secret weapon against Nazi Germany. Prior to the Battle of Waterloo, Sharpe is appointed aide to the Prince of Orange, with the rank of lieutenant colonel. Disgusted by the Prince's dangerous incompetence during the course of the battle, Sharpe deserts his post (making an attempt on the prince's life afterwards), but comes to the aid of his old regiment, steadying the line and preventing a French breakthrough. Wellesley then gives him command of the unit for the remainder of the battle ( Sharpe's Waterloo). Struggling to come up with a name as distinctive as Horatio Hornblower, he used a placeholder based on the rugby union player Richard Sharp; eventually, he kept it, just adding an "e". [1] The author had intended to write 11 novels, the same number as in the Hornblower series, ending with Sharpe's Waterloo, but later changed his mind and continued writing. Following Napoleon's defeat, Sharpe ends up in Paris with the occupying allied armies. There he uncovers and defeats a secret Bonapartist group ( Sharpe's Assassin). Afterwards, he retires from the army.The year is 1807; Lieutenant Richard Sharpe is planning to leave the army. Against his better judgment, he is persuaded to accompany the Hon John Lavisser to Copenhagen in what is essentially an act of political skulduggery: they are to deliver a bribe and (hopefully) avert a war. But with the French ensuring that Europe remains at boiling point, Sharpe finds himself protecting his charge against French agents and struggling to ensure that the Danish battle fleet is not used to replace every French ship destroyed at Trafalgar. Sharpe is a character we know well and like, and his customary characteristics (tenacity, bloody-mindedness) are well to the fore here, but, as always, the other characters are equally strikingly drawn: Lavisser is a splendidly complex figure, as are several of Sharpe's nemeses. But it's that wonderfully adroit orchestration of action and plot that keeps the pulse racing, with the bombardment of Copenhagen and the massive bloodshed resulting in a truly impressive set piece: Sharpe, from his vantage point on the dune, could see the smoke wreathing the wall. The city's copper spires and red roofs showed above the churning cloud. A dozen houses were burning there, fired by the Danish shells that hissed across the canal. Three windmills had their sales tethered against the blustering wind that blew the smoke westwards and fretted the moored fleet to the north of Copenhagen. Bartholomew Girdwood is a British Army officer, the nominal commander of the South Essex Regiment's Second Battalion and later the first Commanding Officer of the Regiment after its renaming as the "Prince of Wales' Own Volunteers." In the TV adaptations he was played by John Tams, a noted English folk musician and composer, who arranged and sang much of the music used in the series. A number of differences exist between the character in the book and the TV character, notably that in the TV adaptation he is killed at La Haye Saint rather than at Sharpe's side.