All for the King's Shilling: The British Soldier under Wellington, 1808-1814 (Campaigns and Commanders Series)
Coss writes this history to correct the long standing assumption that Wellington's redcoats were drawn from society's dregs. Using his database and many first-person accounts, he proves they were otherwise. Backgrounds and daily lives of the soldiers are illuminated by every aspect of this study. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR"All for theKing's Shillingis a revelation, a keystone reinterpretationof the British soldier of the Napoleonic Wars. The great value of this work lies not simply in the centrality of its topic or in the impressive mining of archival and memoire evidence by Edward Coss, but also in his originality and courage as he challenges stereotypes that have endured for two hundred years in the scholarly and military literature.~John Lynn, author ofThe Bayonets of the Republic and Giant of the Grand Siecle"Edward J. Coss's thoroughly researched and extremely interesting analysis will appeal not only to scholars and, indeed, to modern officers with a professional interest in the motivation and discipline of soldiers, but also to the legions of enthusiasts who continue to follow the Napoleonic redcoats tramping across the Peninsula and to Waterloo."~J. A. Houlding author ofFit for Service: The Training of the British Army, 1715-1795"With an impressive grasp of military psychology, Coss demonstrates beyond doubt that the redcoats were predominantly young men from 'respectable' elements of the laboring classes, and he reveals the source of the British infantry's well-known 'cohesion.'" ~Matthew Spring,author ofWith Zeal and with Bayonets Only: The British Army on Campaign in North America, 1775-1783