Sharpe's Fortress (Sharpe, #3)

Title: Sharpe's Fortress (Sharpe, #3)

Author: Bernard Cornwell

Published in: 1999

Date read: 21st June 2017

Score: 4/5

Genre: Historical fiction

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"Sharpe's Fortress" by Bernard Cornwell, published in 1998, is the fourth novel chronologically in the Richard Sharpe series, though it was written much later. It's set earlier in Sharpe's career, specifically during the Siege of Gawilghur in 1803, in India, during the Second Anglo-Maratha War. This book marks a return to Sharpe's origins as a soldier in the East India Company's army before his more famous exploits in the Peninsular War.

The story finds Sergeant Richard Sharpe serving with the British East India Company's forces under the command of Major-General Arthur Wellesley (the future Duke of Wellington). Following the bloody victory at Assaye (recounted in "Sharpe's Triumph"), the British are now tasked with capturing Gawilghur, a formidable and seemingly impregnable fortress carved into a mountainside.

Gawilghur is a stronghold of the Marathas, an Indian confederacy, and is considered one of the strongest fortresses in India, boasting massive walls, treacherous approaches, and a determined garrison led by the formidable Colonel Pohlmann, a German mercenary in Maratha service, and a ruthless Maratha warlord named Scindia.

Sharpe, still a sergeant, finds himself embroiled in the harsh realities of siege warfare in India. He faces not only the dangers of the Maratha defenders but also the deep-seated corruption and casual brutality prevalent within the East India Company's ranks. His direct superior, Major Dodd, is a particularly loathsome character – a greedy, sadistic officer who sees the siege as an opportunity for plunder and cares little for his men. Dodd becomes a major antagonist for Sharpe throughout the novel.

Adding to the complexity, Sharpe is also tasked with protecting the beautiful and resourceful Mary Bickerstaff, a British woman trapped within the fortress. She is being held by a cruel Indian prince, and her rescue becomes a secondary, but highly personal, objective for Sharpe.

The novel vividly depicts the meticulous and dangerous process of a siege in the early 19th century: the construction of breaching batteries, the sapping and mining operations, and the brutal, often suicidal, assaults on the fortress walls. Sharpe's courage, resourcefulness, and skill with a rifle are put to the ultimate test in the face of incredible odds. He must navigate the political machinations within the British camp, the deadly traps set by the Maratha defenders, and the treachery of his own officers.

The climax of "Sharpe's Fortress" is the desperate, bloody assault on Gawilghur. Sharpe, against all odds, leads a small group through the breaches, engaging in brutal hand-to-hand combat to take the stronghold. He faces Dodd in a final, satisfying confrontation and plays a crucial role in the capture of the fortress, further solidifying his reputation as a formidable soldier and earning him a hard-won promotion. It's a gripping tale of military daring and individual heroism in a brutal colonial war.

Comments:
I read all of the Sharpe books in chronological order, one after the other. When I have looked back, I have not separated them at all unless there is a specific thing to add which will be after saying that I suddenly loved historical fiction and anything that Bernard Cornwell writes.

Books that we've read by Bernard Cornwell (28):
Sharpe's Eagle (Sharpe, #8) (1981), Sharpe's Gold (Sharpe, #9) (1981), Sharpe's Company (Sharpe, #13) (1982), Sharpe's Sword (Sharpe, #14) (1983), Sharpe's Enemy (Sharpe, #15) (1984), Sharpe's Honour (Sharpe, #16) (1985), Sharpe's Regiment (Sharpe, #17) (1986), Redcoat (1987), Sharpe's Siege (Sharpe, #18) (1987), Sharpe's Rifles (Sharpe, #6) (1988), Sharpe's Revenge (Sharpe, #19) (1989), Sharpe's Waterloo (Sharpe, #20) (1990), Sharpe's Devil (Sharpe, #22) (1992), Sharpe's Battle (Sharpe, #12) (1995), Sharpe's Tiger (Sharpe, #1) (1997), Sharpe's Triumph (Sharpe, #2) (1998), Sharpe's Fortress (Sharpe, #3) (1999), Sharpe's Prey (Sharpe, #5) (2000), Sharpe's Trafalgar (Sharpe, #4) (2000), Gallows Thief (2001), Heretic (The Grail Quest, #3) (2003), Sharpe's Havoc (Sharpe, #7) (2003), The Last Kingdom (The Saxon Stories, #1) (2004), Sharpe's Escape (Sharpe, #10) (2004), Sharpe's Fury (Sharpe, #11) (2005), The Pale Horseman (The Saxon Stories, #2) (2006), Sword Song (The Saxon Stories, #4) (2007), Lords of the North (The Saxon Stories, #3) (2007)