Warriors in Scarlet - The Life and Times of the Last Redcoats

Ian Knight's Warriors in Scarlet is a comprehensive and stirring history of the Victorian army between 1837 to 1860, from the Battle of Bossendon Wood to the Crimean War, a period of seismic change. An acclaimed military historian, Knight draws on first-hand accounts to show us the reality of life for the British soldier in this era – the drudgery of peace-time service, the excitement and privations of posting overseas, the floggings and desertions, the regimental pride and comradeship. The rapid expansion of the empire saw the army fighting in small wars across the world and Knight reveals the brutal reality of this colonial conflict from both sides. British soldiers trained in tactics that had beaten Napoleon were forced to adapt when faced with warriors with very different skills fighting on their home ground. Knight vividly recreates the action, from bloody skirmishes in Southern Africa and siege warfare in New Zealand to disasters like the 1842 retreat from Kabul and Chillianwalla in the Punjab – but shows that in reality the army won more than four-fifths of the battles they fought in this era. He describes how, by 1860 with their redcoats increasingly replaced by khaki, the British army was a more professional, efficient and increasingly ruthless fighting force. 'Impressively researched and highly readable analysis' – Tony Pollard, Professor of Conflict History and Archaeology, University of Glasgow With its exciting narrative style, careful analysis and emphasis on first-person accounts, Warriors in Scarlet is destined to become a classic.Following on from the bestselling success of Zulu Rising , acclaimed military historian Ian Knight has turned his attention to Queen Victorias army as it underwent seismic change between 1837 and 1860. The army drew men hoping to escape the harsh grind of rural life, the city slums of the Industrial Revolution and even prison sentences, and trained them to fight using techniques that had defeated Napoleon. But the rapid expansion of the British Empire meant they found themselves facing diverse and skilful enemies around the world. Often under-strength and operating in unfamiliar terrain, British troops had to adapt or die.In Warriors in The Life and Times of Britains Last Redcoa ts , Ian Knight draws on evocative accounts from ordinary soldiers as well as officers to show us what daily life was like in the army, from the floggings and desertions to the comradeship. He vividly recreates the action on the ground, from bloody skirmishes to disasters like the 1842 retreat from Kabul and Chillianwala but shows that in reality the army won more than four-fifths of the battles they fought in this era. By 1860, redcoats no longer, they are a more professional, efficient and sometimes ruthless fighting force. . A gripping, authoritative new history of Queen Victoria's army based on eye-witness accounts.Between 1837 and 1901 the British Army underwent a seismic change, as the expansion of the Victorian empire saw them facing new enemies as different as Maori warriors, Afghan hill men, Asante gunmen in the rain forests of West Africa, Boer farmers and Zulu warriors. These were skilled, courageous and experienced fighters, while the British troops were often under-strength and operating in unfamiliar, difficult terrain. Disasters such as iSandlwana, Maiwand, Chillianwallah and Majuba shocked the Victorian public - but in reality the army won more than four-fifths of the battles they fought in this era, and won more than fifty wars for the loss of just one.In Warriors in Scarlet, Ian Knight draws on evocative accounts from ordinary soldiers as well as officers to show us what daily life was like in the army and how it was forced to abandon the strategies that had brought victory in the Napoleonic wars and adapt new practices again and again - becoming, in the end, the professional fighting force of the twentieth century. With its exciting narrative style, careful analysis and emphasis on first person accounts, this is destined to become a classic.