Bugle Horn Publications, 1995
ISBN 09516600 20 Paperback
The publisher needs commending for producing a fine example of regimental history at a very affordable price. They have placed a well balanced A4 publication with quality text, well illustrated throughout in terms of prints, photographs and line drawings into the reach of students of military history.
Caldwell and Cooper published Rifle Green at Waterloo, Bugle Horn Publications 1990, in hardback, a volume that filled a gap in the Rifle Brigade's history. Their research was impeccable as regards material relating to the 95th Rifle Regiment. This paperback version is an offshoot of the hardback edition. Those who already own a copy of Rifle Green at Waterloo will be able to recognise the text, prints and photographs. That is not to say that the paperback version under review is in anyway a disappointment.
The purchaser of Rifles at Waterloo receives a superb regimental account of the campaign in the Low Countries in 1815, drawn heavily from the eyewitness accounts of Riflemen. Caldwell and Cooper have made extensive use of unpublished and published letters from all three battalions of the 95th Regiment. The reader is fortunate to be able to draw upon such contemporary source material. Although the paperback does not contain a bibliography, that contained in the hardback is soundly researched. A solid selection of Greenjacket material!
The reader is taken through the campaign at pace. The story is unashamedly told from the regiment's perspective. I for one praise the authors for that fact. Rifles at Waterloo is first rate regimental history.
A feature of the work that I admired was the careful matching of James Dann's line artwork to the text. The artwork enhanced the pages and gave a feel to the account. I prefer to examine illustrations od soldiers looking as they must have appeared in campaign-style uniforms.
Criticism
If I must offer a slight criticism, it is directed at the black and white photographs; I was spoilt by the colour versions in the hardback. Don't let that distract you from purchasing Rifles at Waterloo, as you do get value for money.
The account of Quatre Bras is well described. The movements of the 1/95th can be followed aided by useful maps. The story of the 1/95th at Waterloo is conventionally told, with no major revelations, given the primary and secondary sources consulted. In the light of K. G. L. sources I would query the account of the fall of La Haye Sainte , but this is a minor differnce of view. As the author's had no access to K. G. L. material they could not debate the issue as to the fall of that position due to shortage of rifle ammunition (see pp. 19 and 21).
The campaign service of the 2/95th and 3/95th is covered in a seperate chapter, an approach to be recommended. An authoritative account is given of the part played by those battalions in the final defeat of the Imperial Guard. A short section on uniforms, arms and equipment concludes the book, enabling the reader to gain a complete picture of the 95th during the Waterloo campaign.
I wholeheartedly recommend Rifles at Waterloo to the potential customer. If you have not already got Rifle Green at Waterloo, it is a bargain at the price. Bugle Horn Publications have the right idea, producing a quality, well illustrated paperback on the market at a fair price: hardback contents and research in a compact form. I look forward to Caldwell and Cooper's Rifle Green in the Peninsula.
More Reviews
Back to Age of Napoleon No. 23 Table of Contents
Back to Age of Napoleon List of Issues
Back to MagWeb Master List of Magazines
© Copyright 1997 by Partizan Press.
This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web.
Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com