Taking Aim

Taking Aim is the first in-depth exploration of the incredible experiences of the 95th Rifles, the legendary sharpshooters that helped Britain defeat Napoleon. Drawing on a treasure trove of memoirs, letters and official records, it examines the real riflemen and officers that inspired Bernard Cornwell’s famous Sharpe novels.

Riflemen were the tip of the spear for the British army during the Napoleonic Wars, ‘first in and last out’ in most battles as one famous memoirist put it. The 95th fought across the globe, from Denmark and the Low Countries to North and South America, most famously campaigning for six gruelling years across Portugal, Spain and eventually France itself with Wellington’s all-conquering Peninsular army. At Waterloo they joined Wellington one last time to inflict Napoleon’s final defeat.

Riflemen’s experiences were often distinct from those of most infantrymen. In combat, rather than fighting in line and firing in volleys on command, they used cover, took aim at individual soldiers and decided when to fire. On the march they led the army’s advanced guard, scouting ahead and skirmishing with the enemy. When halted they were the eyes and ears, manning the outposts and gathering intelligence. In retreat they fought in the rearguard, holding off pursuing enemy forces.

Weaving together thrilling, moving, and at times comical eyewitness accounts, Taking Aim follows the rifleman through intensive marksmanship training to deadly battlefield sniping, leaving the reader with a deep understanding of his physical and psychological experiences.