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When anyone thinks of British soldiers in the 1700s or 1800s, they instantly picture a figure clothed in a bright scarlet uniform – that’s why the American colonists called them “redcoats” or more perjoratively, “lobsterbacks.” However, certain elite units, like the sharpshooters and scouts regiment in Greencoats Against Napoleon, wore green uniforms, both for better camouflage in their scouting duties and to distinguish themselves from ordinary soldiers.
Showell Styles writes an exciting tale of his hero, Peter Byrd, during the British invasion of northern Spain to start to take back the conquests of Napoleon Bonaparte during the Napoleonic wars in 1808 to 1809, culminating in the Battle of Corunna. This was a mountainous area of Spain, and Peter Byrd’s mountain climbing as a youth in the Cumberland Mountains in the northwest of England (the Lake District) served him well to help his fellow soldiers through the winding mountain trails and passes in Spain. This is a coming-of-age story and a good historical novel that teaches real history as well as giving a feel for what life was like during this military campaign. An historical note: If you study them a bit, the Napoleonic Wars could accurately be called World War I, with the usual World War I becoming World War II and World War II becoming World War III. I can support this statement with historical evidence but it would be too confusing to change the numbering now!
Showell Styles (1908 to 2005) was a successful British author and mountaineer. He published well over 100 books for adults and children over a long writing career. His mountaineering experience helped him make the mountain climbing parts of Greencoats Against Napoleon true to life. I would also recommend reading Styles’ four-part book series about the adventures of Midshipman Quinn during the Napoleonic Wars. The four books are at turns adventurous and humorous and even a touch romantic. The publisher Bethlehem Books made a one-volume collection of these four books, which sadly seems to be out-of-print, but used copies do exist.