Author Description

Created from first-hand written accounts and contemporary military manuals of the time, this text presents an insight into the nitty-gritty of everyday life for the British soldier in wartime leading up to the Battle of Waterloo. It includes photos of original items of equipment and of modern day re-enactment groups, revealing what it was really like for ordinary soldiers and their camp followers. Find out how the rifle developed from the musket; what kit the soldiers carried; how they kept dry in the mountains of Spain; what they ate; how the infantry faced charging cavalry; what the battlefield was like after "victory". Re-enactment is a growing "family" activity, so there were plenty of troops and "camp followers" to help the author illustrate the lives of the men and indeed the women and children who accompanied the regiments on campaign.