Redcoat: The British Soldier in the Age of Horse and Musket

Excellent reference work with a good bibliography and table of contents. ( )

A sociology of the British soldier 1700-1860: Professor Holmes has written a thematic sociological history of the British redcoated soldier in the age of the Brown Bess musket, i.e from the time of the First Hanoverian kings to the Indian Mutiny, with a focus on their experiences during the main conflicts, i.e the American Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars, the Crimea and the Indian Mutiny. It is built as a narrative. The style is very fluid and the text is full of quotes and anecdotes, it is well structured in chapters on specific themes.
It covers:
-the nature of warfare in Europe and the colonies
-weapons and their effect on tactics, injuries and casualties
-recruitment, command and discipline
-attitude under fire and towards the enemy
-life in barracks and on the march
-differences in social origins, ethics, prospects and lifestyle between officers and enlisted men and their families

It gives specific treatment to the subjects of infantry, cavalry, artillery, specialist services, siege warfare. It is a book on the military culture of the times in all its aspects rather than on "events".

All in all a very readable and informative study. Fans of Professor Holmes or John Keegan will not be disappointed.