The Recollections of Rifleman Harris

Accounts by officers of the Napoleonic era abound, but this book presents a rare glimpse into the life of a common foot soldier. British rifleman Benjamin Randell Harris recounts the camaraderie among infantrymen, the physical hardships they endured, their lack of supplies and equipment, their endemic drunkenness and frequent hunger, the terrible punishments meted out for even small infractions, and the narrow margin between death and survival.