Beggars in Red: the British Army 1789-1889

This was a period in which the British Army did much to astonish the world, indulging in spectacular triumphs as well as disastrous defeats. The story encompasses the final despatch of history’s greatest soldier, Napoleon, and the subjugation of Asian and African potentates. It was the century which saw the British tighten their hold on India, extend their Imperial possessions largely by the sword, and at length – despite blunders in the Crimea and mutiny in the Indian Army – establish a peac…