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"Sharpe's Skirmish" is a historical short story by Bernard Cornwell in his series about the adventures of Richard Sharpe.
Sharpe's Skirmish was first written in 1998 and in a great hurry.[citation needed] A leading British bookseller devised the idea of giving away a Sharpe short story with every copy of Sharpe's Fortress, possibly why Sharpe’s Skirmish often refers to events that happened in Sharpe's Fortress.[citation needed] Only a few thousand copies were originally published, however an edition has been republished by the Sharpe Appreciation Society.
[edit] Plot introduction
This short story occurs after Sharpe's Sword and before Sharpe’s Enemy in the summer of 1812 and Sharpe must guard a Commissary Officer posted to an obscure Spanish fort where there are some captured French muskets. Unbeknown to the British, the French are planning a lightning raid on the fort across the river Tormes, and they reckon the Spanish fort which guards an ancient bridge across the river will be lightly guarded.
[edit] Plot summary
[edit] Characters in "Sharpe's Skirmish"
[edit] Allusions to actual history, geography and current science
References are made to incidents during the Peninsular War and the Siege of Gawilghur. Lieutenant General Wellington was based on the real historical figures of the same name with limited dramatic licence taken.
[edit] Publication history
[edit] Sources, references, external links, quotations
