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The Legion (Eagles of the Empire 10)
by Simon ScarrowIF YOU DON'T KNOW SIMON SCARROW, YOU DON'T KNOW ROME!THE LEGION is the action-packed tenth novel in Simon Scarrow's bestselling Eagles of the Empire series. Perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell and Conn Iggulden.'Scarrow's [novels] rank with the best' IndependentEgypt, AD 49. Cato, one of the youngest Prefects of the Roman army, and Centurion Macro have a tough posting: to track down and destroy a gang of former gladiators who have turned to piracy. Driven by vengeance, these hardened brutes have been defiling temples, sinking Roman ships, and slaughtering men, women and children.What's worse is that they are doing it all under the name of Macro and Cato, in an attempt to stir up a rebellion against the occupying forces. And it's working. If Macro and Cato don't stop the pirates in time, it could be the beginning of the end for the Roman Empire...
The Legion of Shadow: DestinyQuest Book 1 (DESTINYQUEST)
by Michael J. WardYou have no memory of your past.With only a sword and a backpack to your name, you must discover your destiny in an unfamiliar world full of monsters and magic.As you guide your hero through this epic adventure, you will be choosing the danger that they face, the monsters that they fight and the treasures that they find. Every decision that you make will have an impact on the story - and, ultimately, the fate of your hero.With hundreds of special items to discover in each book, you can completely customise your hero. You can choose their weapons, their armour, their special abilities - even the boots on their feet and the cloak on their back! No two heroes will ever be alike, which means your hero will always be unique to you.Welcome to a new world. Welcome to Valeron. Welcome to DestinyQuest.PLEASE NOTE THAT ALTHOUGH THE EBOOK VERSION IS FULLY HYPERLINKED, YOU WILL STILL NEED DICE, PAPER AND A PENCIL TO PLAY!
The Legion of Shadow: DestinyQuest Book 1 (DESTINYQUEST)
by Michael J. WardYou have no memory of your past.With only a sword and a backpack to your name, you must discover your destiny in an unfamiliar world full of monsters and magic.As you guide your hero through this epic adventure, you will be choosing the danger that they face, the monsters that they fight and the treasures that they find. Every decision that you make will have an impact on the story - and, ultimately, the fate of your hero.With hundreds of special items to discover in each book, you can completely customise your hero. You can choose their weapons, their armour, their special abilities - even the boots on their feet and the cloak on their back! No two heroes will ever be alike, which means your hero will always be unique to you.Welcome to a new world. Welcome to Valeron. Welcome to DestinyQuest.PLEASE NOTE THAT ALTHOUGH THE EBOOK VERSION IS FULLY HYPERLINKED, YOU WILL STILL NEED DICE, PAPER AND A PENCIL TO PLAY!
The Legion of The Damned [Illustrated Edition]
by Sven Hassel Maurice MichaelIncludes the World War Two On The Eastern Front (1941-1945) Illustration Pack - 198 photos/illustrations and 46 maps.The Nazi army's own DIRTY DOZEN--a convict battalion commanded to ravage and kill!Sven Hassel's iconic war novel about the Russian Front. Convicted of deserting the German army, Sven Hassel is sent to a penal regiment on the Russian Front. He and his comrades are regarded as expendable, cannon fodder in the battle against the implacable Red Army. Outnumbered and outgunned, they fight their way across the frozen steppe...This iconic anti-war novel is a testament to the atrocities suffered by the lone soldier in the fight for survival. Sven Hassel's unflinching narrative is based on his own experiences in the German Army. He began writing Legion of the Damned in a prisoner of war camp at the end of World War II."Rough honesty"--Commonwealth"An extraordinary book, which has captured the attention of all of Europe."--New York Times"Legion of the Damned is an incredible picture of totalitarianism, of stupefying injustice...He is graphic, at times brilliantly so, but never brutal or bitter. He is, too, a first-rate storyteller."--Washington Post
The Legion: Cato & Macro: Book 10 (Eagles of the Empire #96)
by Simon ScarrowTHE LEGION is the action-packed tenth novel in Simon Scarrow's bestselling Eagles of the Empire series. Perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell. When the actions of a rebel gladiator in Egypt threaten the stability of the Roman Empire, Prefect Cato and Centurion Macro know he must be stopped. The locals are holding the Romans responsible for the attacks and Ajax's crew have been making along the coast and now Egypt is dangerously volatile. Tasked with tracking and defeating the renegade, Cato and Macro are soon hot on Ajax's trail, determined to destroy the enemy. But will the strength of a psychotically fatalist gladiator and his new-found allies, hell-bent on destruction, defeat the Roman warriors?
The Legionnaire (Blood-Cursed #1)
by Samantha TraunfeldDiscover the epic military fantasy where magic determines your place in life. "This grim, passionate tale will scorch readers." - Kirkus recommended reviewSaiden, a Blood-Cursed legionnaire—blessed by both the God of Life and Goddess of Death—is a paradox. Called both &“death-bringer&” and &“world-ender,&” she is surprisingly careful about taking lives and proving herself to be a monster. Torn between her loyalty to her queen and the need to protect her people, Saiden struggles to decide who she is going to be in a world that has already cast her aside. Queen Loralei is hiding the fact that she&’s been blessed by the God of Life while navigating the manipulative and dangerous landscape of ruling a kingdom. When she discovers a mysterious prisoner in her dungeons, she begins to unravel a complicated plot that shadows her reign and would change the course of history. Mozare, gifted by the Goddess of Death with the powers to control shadows, is hiding lots of secrets in the dark. As Saiden&’s legionnaire partner, he would do everything to protect her—even if that means killing the queen she swore to protect to save her from a fate worse than death. With friends and enemies becoming indistinguishable from each other, can these three individuals survive long enough to fulfill their destinies without losing those closest to them, or will their missions irreparably ruin them—and possibly the entire kingdom?
The Legionnaires
by T. C. MccarthyIn this short story by T.C. McCarthy, one ordinary woman with nothing to lose joins the French Foreign Legion and finds herself, and her comrades, pinned down in a bunker surrounded by enemies. Thousands of the mantis-like creatures swarm towards them and with no communications and little ammo, survival is a desperate hope. She is a volunteer and a soldier, and to save herself, her squad, and the refugees they defend, she must remember the life she left behind.
The Legitimacy of Drone Warfare: Evaluating Public Perceptions
by Paul Lushenko Shyam RamanThis book examines public perceptions of the legitimacy of drones, and how this affects countries’ policies on and the global governance of drone warfare.Scholars recognize that legitimacy is central to countries’ use of drones, and political officials often characterize strikes as legitimate to sustain their use abroad. This book introduces and tests an original middle-range theory that allows scholars, policy-makers, and practitioners to understand how evolving patterns of drone warfare globally shape the public’s perceptions of legitimacy that can moderate countries’ drone policies and the global governance of drones. Rather than relate drone warfare to a platform or counterterrorism strikes only, as experts often do, this book argues that drone warfare is best understood as a function of the unique ways that countries use and constrain strikes. By updating theories of drone warfare, this book provides a generalizable way to understand public perceptions of legitimacy in cross-national contexts, especially among democratic political regimes that are prefigured on political officials’ accountability for the use of force abroad.This book will be of interest to students of security studies, foreign policy, media and communication studies, and International Relations.
The Leipzig Campaign - 1813 (The Special Campaigns Series #7)
by Pickle Partners Publishing Colonel Frederic Natusch Maude, C.B., late R.E.This ebook is purpose built and is proof-read and re-type set from the original to provide an outstanding experience of reflowing text for an ebook reader. Following the destruction of Napoleon's huge armies of 1812 in the wintry wastes of European Russia, his hegemony of Europe was teetering on the abyss. He set about re-establishing his dominance with his vast abilities of organisation, combing depots and previous drafts and deserters for further manpower, and juggling his resources from the draining war in Spain, to create a new Grande Armée. His enemies were not idle: the Russians pushed the remaining French units back from successive river lines into Eastern Prussia, freeing that power from the yoke of French dominance. The Prussians in their turn activated reservists and reformed their army from the restrictions of the treaty following the disasters of 1806. The Austrians in the south itched to revenge themselves against the French and stood waiting for an opportune time to intervene. Napoleon carried out his campaigning in the manner of old, attempting to use the superior mobility of the French to bring the main enemy army to battle and destroy them therefore ensuring peace; however, hamstrung by his lack of cavalry, he might beat his opponents but could not destroy them. His sub-ordinate generals, who could not match him for strategy or his ability to get the best out of the raw troops, were beaten when away from their master. As the net closes on Napoleon, he finds himself at Leipzig, at the Battle of Nations, and so to fight the defining battle of his first reign. The Special Campaigns series was written in the early years of the turn of the twentieth century to provide detailed assessments of the historic campaigns of the past for the benefit of the officers of the British Army. They were all written by surviving or recently retired officers of the Army who shared their wealth of experience and insight to a new generation, each officer having had a specialist area of expertise. Colonel Maude was an authority on the campaigns of Napoleon, and wrote three volumes for the series. Author - Colonel Frederic Natusch Maude, C.B., late R.E. (1854-1933) Text taken, whole and complete, from the edition published in 1908, New York, by Swan Sonnenschein and Co Ltd, New York. Original - 270 pages. MAPS - There are three A3 maps that could not be included, but 6 A4 maps have been included. Linked TOC
The Length of Days: An Urban Ballad (Harvard Library of Ukrainian Literature #6)
by Volodymyr RafeyenkoThe Length of Days features a wild cast of characters—Lithuanian, Russian, and Ukrainian—and cameo appearances by Rosa Luxemburg, Amy Winehouse, and others. Embedded narratives attributed to one character, an alcoholic chemist-turned-massage-therapist, broaden the reader’s view of the funny, ironic, or tragic lives of people who remained in the ill-fated Donbas after Russia’s initial aggression in 2014. Unexpected allies emerge to try to stop the war, as characters criticize Ukraine’s government at the time, its self-interest, and failures to support its citizens in the east.With elements of magical realism, the work combines poetry and a wicked sense of humor with depth of political analysis, philosophy, and moral interrogation. Witty references to popular culture—Ukrainian and European—underline the international and transnational aspects of Ukrainian literature. The novel ends on a hopeful note even though by then the main characters have already died twice: they return with greater power each time. As the author’s last novel written originally in the Russian language, The Length of Days is a deeply Ukrainian work, set mostly in the composite Donbas city of Z—an uncanny foretelling of what this letter has come to symbolize since February 24, 2022, when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Lengthening War: The Great War Diary of Mabel Goode
by Michael GoodeThe First World War was an event so important, so catalytic, so transformative that it still hangs in the public memory and still compels the Historians pen. It was a conflict which, by the end of the struggle, had created a world unfamiliar to the one in existence before it and brought levels of destruction and loss all too unimaginable to the generation of minds which created it. Despite this, we still find it hard to picture what it was like to live through this war. Right from its start, Mabel Goode realised that the First World War would be the biggest event to take place in her lifetime. Knowing this, she took to recording it, taking us day by day through what living in wartime Britain was like. The diary shows us how the war came to the Home Front, from enrolment, rationing, the collapse of domestic service and growth of war work, to Zeppelin attacks over Yorkshire, and the ever mounting casualty lists. Above all else, Mabels diary captures a growing disillusionment with a lengthening war, as the costs and the sacrifices mount. Starting with great excitement and expecting a short struggle, the entries gradually give way to a more critical tone, and eventually to total disengagement. The blank pages marked for 1917 and 1918 are almost as informative as the fearful excitement captured at the onset of that tremendous conflict. This is a strong narrative of the war, easy to read, mixing news with personal feelings and events (often revealing gap between official news and reality). Also included are several poems written by Mabel and a love story in the appendix, giving a complete insight into the life of the diarist. Of note is the fact that Mabel and her brothers (the main serving protagonists in the diary) lived in Germany for some time, meaning they could all speak German and knew 'the enemy nation' as many Britons did not.
The Lenin Plot: The Unknown Story of America's War Against Russia
by Barnes CarrIt remains the most audacious spy plot in American history—a bold and extremely dangerous operation to invade Russia, defeat the Red Army, and mount a coup in Moscow against Soviet dictator Vladimir Ilich Lenin. After that, leaders in Washington, Paris, and London aimed to install their own Allied-friendly dictator in Moscow as a means to get Russia back into the war effort against Germany. The Lenin Plot had the &“entire approval&” of President Woodrow Wilson. As he ordered a military invasion of Russia, he gave the American ambassador, the U.S. Consul General in Moscow, and other State Department operatives a free hand to pursue their covert action against Lenin. The result was thousands of deaths, both military and civilian, on both sides. A must-read for anyone seeking to understand the true beginning of the Cold War, The Lenin Plot tells the shocking story of this untold episode in American history in fascinating and striking detail.
The Leningrad Blockade, 1941-1944
by Marian Schwartz Richard Bidlack Nikita LomaginBased largely on formerly top-secret Soviet archival documents (including 66 reproduced documents and 70 illustrations), this book portrays the inner workings of the communist party and secret police during Germany's horrific 1941–44 siege of Leningrad, during which close to one million citizens perished. It shows how the city's inhabitants responded to the extraordinary demands placed upon them, encompassing both the activities of the political, security, and military elite as well as the actions and attitudes of ordinary Leningraders.
The Leopard Is Loose: A novel
by Stephen HarriganThe fragile, 1952 postwar tranquility of a young boy&’s world explodes one summer day when a leopard escapes from the Oklahoma City zoo, throwing all the local residents into dangerous excitement, in this evocative story of a child&’s confrontation with his deepest fearsFor Grady McClarty, an ever-watchful but bewildered five-year-old boy, World War II is only a troubling, ungraspable event that occurred before he was born. But he feels its effects all around him. He and his older brother Danny are fatherless, and their mother, Bethie, is still grieving for her fighter-pilot husband. Most of all, Grady senses it in his two uncles: young combat veterans determined to step into a fatherhood role for their nephews, even as they struggle with the psychological scars they carry from the war. When news breaks that a leopard has escaped from the Oklahoma City Zoo, the playthings and imagined fears of Grady&’s childhood begin to give way to real-world terrors, most imminently the dangerous jungle cat itself. The Leopard Is Loose is a stunning encapsulation of America in the 1950s, and a moving portrait of a boy&’s struggle to find his place in the world.
The Leper Spy: The Story of an Unlikely Hero of World War II
by Ben MontgomeryThe GIs called her Joey. Hundreds owed their lives to the tiny Filipina who stashed explosives in spare tires, tracked Japanese troop movements, and smuggled maps of fortifications across enemy lines. As the Battle of Manila raged, Josefina Guerrero walked through gunfire to bandage wounds and close the eyes of the dead. Her valor earned her the Medal of Freedom, but what made her a good spy was also destroying her: leprosy, which so horrified the Japanese they refused to search her. After the war, army chaplains found her in a nightmarish leper colony and fought for the US government to do something it had never done: welcome a foreigner with leprosy. This brought her celebrity, which she used to publicly speak for other sufferers. However, the notoriety haunted her and she sought a way to disappear. Ben Montgomery now brings Guerrero's heroic accomplishments to light.
The Lessons Of Terror: A History of Warfare Against Civilians
by Caleb CarrIn the wake of the attacks on New York and Washington many people believe we have entered a new world, but in this thought-provoking and thorough examination of the history of terrorism we can take comfort from the fact that we have been in this new world before - and survived.By drawing on the examples of history from the ancient, mediaeval and early modern worlds, Caleb Carr demonstrates how attempts to control civilian populations with the use of terror grew into a persistent problem in human history. Moving forward into more recent times he then demonstrates how and why such tactics have consistently failed their perpetrators - from the British scorched earth policy during the American War of Independence to terror at sea during WWI to the Japanese rape of China in WWII to the war in Vietnam and, ultimately, to the actions of Islamic extremists today.An important and timely book which throws much needed light on many of the questions being posed today.
The Lessons of Terror: A History of Warfare Against Civilians: Why It Has Always Failed and Why It Will Fail Again
by Caleb CarrIn The Lessons of Terror, novelist and military historian Caleb Carr examines terrorism throughout history and the roots of our present crisis and reaches a provocative set of conclusions: the practice of targeting enemy civilians is as old as warfare itself; it has always failed as a military and political tactic; and despite the dramatic increases in its scope and range of weapons, it will continue to fail in the future.International terrorism—the victimization of unarmed civilians in an attempt to affect their support for the government that leads them—is a phrase with which Americans have become all too familiar recently. Yet while at first glance terrorism seems a relatively modern phenomenon, Carr illustrates that it has been a constant of military history. In ancient times, warring armies raped and slaughtered civilians and gratuitously destroyed property, homes, and cities; in the Middle Ages, evangelical Muslims and Christian crusaders spread their faiths by the sword; and in the early modern era, such celebrated kings as Louis XIV revealed a taste for victimizing noncombatants for political purposes.It was during the Civil War that Americans themselves first engaged in “total war,” the most egregious of the many euphemisms for the tactics of terror. Under the leadership of such generals as Stonewall Jackson, the forces of the South tried to systematize this horrifying practice; but it fell to a Union general, William Tecumseh Sherman, to achieve that dubious goal. Carr recounts Sherman’s declaration of war on every man, woman, and child in the South—a policy that he himself knew was badly flawed, had nothing to do with his military successes (indeed, it hampered them), and brought long-term unrest to the American South by giving birth to the Ku Klux Klan.Carr’s exploration of terror reveals its consistently self-defeating nature. Far from prompting submission, Carr argues, terrorism stiffens enemy resolve: for this reason above all, terrorism has never achieved—nor will it ever achieve—long-term success, however physically destructive and psychologically debilitating it may become. With commanding authority and the storyteller’s gift for which he is renowned, Caleb Carr provides a critical historical context for understanding terrorist acts today, arguing that terrorism will be eradicated only when it is perceived as a tactic that brings nothing save defeat to its agents.
The Lessons of Tragedy: Statecraft and World Order
by Hal Brands Charles EdelA “brilliant” examination of American complacency and how it puts the nation’s—and the world’s—security at risk (The Wall Street Journal).The ancient Greeks hard-wired a tragic sensibility into their culture. By looking disaster squarely in the face, by understanding just how badly things could spiral out of control, they sought to create a communal sense of responsibility and courage—to spur citizens and their leaders to take the difficult actions necessary to avert such a fate. Today, after more than seventy years of great-power peace and a quarter-century of unrivaled global leadership, Americans have lost their sense of tragedy. They have forgotten that the descent into violence and war has been all too common throughout human history. This amnesia has become most pronounced just as Americans and the global order they created are coming under graver threat than at any time in decades.In a forceful argument that brims with historical sensibility and policy insights, two distinguished historians argue that a tragic sensibility is necessary if America and its allies are to address the dangers that menace the international order today. Tragedy may be commonplace, Brands and Edel argue, but it is not inevitable—so long as we regain an appreciation of the world’s tragic nature before it is too late.“Literate and lucid—sure to interest to readers of Fukuyama, Huntington, and similar authors as well as students of modern realpolitik.” —Kirkus Reviews
The Letter: Absolutely heartbreaking World War 2 love story
by Kathryn HughesEvery so often a love story comes along to remind us that sometimes, in our darkest hour, hope shines a candle to light our way. Discover the Number One bestseller that has captured thousands of hearts worldwide... Tina Craig longs to escape her violent husband. She works all the hours God sends to save up enough money to leave him, also volunteering in a charity shop to avoid her unhappy home. Whilst going through the pockets of a second-hand suit, she comes across an old letter, the envelope firmly sealed and unfranked. Tina opens the letter and reads it - a decision that will alter the course of her life for ever...Billy Stirling knows he has been a fool, but hopes he can put things right. On 4th September 1939 he sits down to write the letter he hopes will change his future. It does - in more ways than he can ever imagine...The Letter tells the story of two women, born decades apart, whose paths are destined to cross and how one woman's devastation leads to the other's salvation.(P)2015 Headline Digital
The Letter: The most heartwrenching love story and World War Two historical fiction for summer reading
by Kathryn HughesEvery so often a love story comes along to remind us that sometimes, in our darkest hour, hope shines a candle to light our way. 🕯️This Number One bestseller has captured thousands of hearts worldwide. Perfect for fans of The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks.'A wonderful, uplifting story' Lesley Pearse_______Tina Craig longs to escape her violent husband. She works all the hours God sends to save up enough money to leave him, also volunteering in a charity shop to avoid her unhappy home. Whilst going through the pockets of a second-hand suit, she comes across an old letter, the envelope firmly sealed and unfranked. Tina opens the letter and reads it - a decision that will alter the course of her life for ever...Billy Stirling knows he has been a fool, but hopes he can put things right. On 4th September 1939 he sits down to write the letter he hopes will change his future. It does - in more ways than he can ever imagine...THE LETTER tells the story of two women, born decades apart, whose paths are destined to cross, and how one woman's devastation leads to the other's salvation._______Join the hundreds of thousands of readers worldwide who have fallen in love with THE LETTER:'An amazing, heartwrenching, unforgettable story''This beautiful story will bring tears and joy''Loved this story !! It kept me totally gripped although I was sobbing in places as well''A tale of love and hope with lots of twists and turns. A great story!'
The Letter: The most heartwrenching love story and World War Two historical fiction for summer reading
by Kathryn HughesEvery so often a love story comes along to remind us that sometimes, in our darkest hour, hope shines a candle to light our way. 🕯️This Number One bestseller has captured thousands of hearts worldwide. Perfect for fans of The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks.'A wonderful, uplifting story' Lesley Pearse_______Tina Craig longs to escape her violent husband. She works all the hours God sends to save up enough money to leave him, also volunteering in a charity shop to avoid her unhappy home. Whilst going through the pockets of a second-hand suit, she comes across an old letter, the envelope firmly sealed and unfranked. Tina opens the letter and reads it - a decision that will alter the course of her life for ever...Billy Stirling knows he has been a fool, but hopes he can put things right. On 4th September 1939 he sits down to write the letter he hopes will change his future. It does - in more ways than he can ever imagine...THE LETTER tells the story of two women, born decades apart, whose paths are destined to cross, and how one woman's devastation leads to the other's salvation._______Join the hundreds of thousands of readers worldwide who have fallen in love with THE LETTER:'An amazing, heartwrenching, unforgettable story''This beautiful story will bring tears and joy''Loved this story !! It kept me totally gripped although I was sobbing in places as well''A tale of love and hope with lots of twists and turns. A great story!'
The Letters of Amerigo Vespucci and Other Documents Illustrative of his Career: Translated, with notes and an introduction, by Clements R. Markham
by Amerigo VespucciThe Letters of Amerigo Vespucci and Other Documents Illustrative of His Career presents a collection of primary sources that reveal the remarkable voyages and discoveries of the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci, whose name became synonymous with the New World. Translated and edited by Clements R. Markham, this volume offers an in-depth exploration of Vespucci's contributions to early exploration, his role in the Age of Discovery, and the controversies surrounding his legacy.The core of the book consists of Vespucci’s letters, written to influential patrons and fellow explorers, in which he vividly recounts his journeys to the Americas. These letters provide firsthand insights into his observations of newly encountered lands, Indigenous cultures, and the challenges of exploration. They also highlight the excitement and ambition driving the European quest for new territories at the dawn of the 16th century.Markham supplements Vespucci’s letters with other documents and commentary that place the explorer’s career in context, addressing key debates about his voyages, including the question of whether Vespucci or Columbus first recognized the Americas as a separate continent. This meticulously edited collection serves as both a valuable historical document and a narrative of one of the earliest efforts to map and understand the New World. For readers interested in exploration, the history of cartography, and the intricate politics of early navigators, The Letters of Amerigo Vespucci provides a fascinating window into an era that reshaped global history.
The Letters of Franklin K. Lane
by Louise Herrick Wall Anne Wintermute Franklin K. LaneA selection of letters written by Franklin K. Lane.
The Letters of Private Wheeler: An eyewitness in action at the Battle of Waterloo (MILITARY MEMOIRS)
by B.H. Liddell Hart'In a later age he would have become a successful war correspondent ... We have no more human account of the Peninsular War from a participant in all its battles. Vivid images - of people, landscapes, events - flows from his pen ... One of military history's great originals' John Keegan, DAILY TELEGRAPHThese letters, in the form of a frank and amusing diary, were written by a private in Wellington's army who fought throughout the Napoleonic Wars. Private Wheeler's record covers the Peninsular Campaign, keeping order during the coronation of Louis XVIII (whom he called 'an old bloated poltroon') and his later posting to Corfu.Most of all, Wheeler's account of the historic Battle of Waterloo - written before the muskets of battle had cooled - reveals him to be a master of lively anecdote and mischievous characterisation.
The Letters of Private Wheeler: An eyewitness in action at the Battle of Waterloo (MILITARY MEMOIRS)
by B.H. Liddell Hart'In a later age he would have become a successful war correspondent ... We have no more human account of the Peninsular War from a participant in all its battles. Vivid images - of people, landscapes, events - flows from his pen ... One of military history's great originals' John Keegan, DAILY TELEGRAPHThese letters, in the form of a frank and amusing diary, were written by a private in Wellington's army who fought throughout the Napoleonic Wars. Private Wheeler's record covers the Peninsular Campaign, keeping order during the coronation of Louis XVIII (whom he called 'an old bloated poltroon') and his later posting to Corfu.Most of all, Wheeler's account of the historic Battle of Waterloo - written before the muskets of battle had cooled - reveals him to be a master of lively anecdote and mischievous characterisation.