Sharpe's Gold (novel)
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''Sharpe's Gold'' is the second (though ninth in chronological order) historical novel in the Richard Sharpe series by
Bernard Cornwell Bernard Cornwell (born 23 February 1944) is an English-American author of historical novels and a history of the Waterloo Campaign. He is best known for his novels about Napoleonic Wars rifleman Richard Sharpe. He has also written ''The Saxon ...
first published in 1981. The story is set in August 1810 and features the destruction of Almeida during the
Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...
.


Plot summary

General Wellington gives Richard Sharpe a crucial secret mission: to retrieve a hoard of Spanish gold he desperately needs to continue fighting the French. The gold is behind enemy lines, in the keeping of Spanish guerrillas led by El Católico, who delights in torturing French prisoners to death. Claud Hardy, one of Major Michael Hogan's exploring officers, was assigned to keep an eye on the guerrillas and the gold after a failed attempt by British cavalry to fetch it. (The wealthy Hardy is the lover of
Josefina LaCosta Sharpe is a series of historical fiction stories by Bernard Cornwell centred on the character of Richard Sharpe. Cornwell's series (composed of several novels and short stories) charts Sharpe's progress in the British Army during the Napoleonic ...
, Sharpe's love interest from ''
Sharpe's Eagle ''Sharpe's Eagle'' is a historical novel in the Richard Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell, first published in 1981. The story is set in July 1809, in the midst of the Talavera Campaign during the Peninsular War. It was the first Sharpe novel ...
''.) Sharpe sets off with his small company, under the command of Major Kearsey, another exploring officer. Kearsey makes it clear that he believes that the gold belongs to the Spanish and the purpose of the mission is to return it to them. When Kearsey is captured by the French, Sharpe decides to go into the town and rescue him, as the partisans trust the major. They free not only Kearsey, but also Teresa Moreno and her brother Ramon, the offspring of Cesare Moreno. The elder Moreno led a small group of partisans, but it joined El Católico's larger band. Sharpe is strongly attracted to Teresa, who is betrothed to El Católico. When Sharpe meets El Católico, the latter admits knowledge of the gold and strongly implies the British intend to take possession of it rather than merely escort it to the Spanish government in Cadiz. He claims that he witnessed the French take the gold and capture Captain Hardy. El Católico sends some of his men to escort Sharpe and his men partway back toward British lines, but when they leave, Sharpe doubles back late that night to search a fresh new grave. El Católico is not fooled, and he and his men are waiting for Sharpe. El Católico makes Sharpe keep digging; he finds nothing but a corpse.
Patrick Harper Sharpe is a series of historical fiction stories by Bernard Cornwell centred on the character of Richard Sharpe. Cornwell's series (composed of several novels and short stories) charts Sharpe's progress in the British Army during the Napoleonic ...
, however, sees one of the partisans stick his sword into a large pile of manure nearby. He finds the gold hidden underneath. Sharpe takes Teresa hostage to extricate himself, his men and the gold. Sharpe and his men are harried by both the partisans and the French. As a result, he no choice but to try to reach the fortress of Almeida, which is about to be besieged by the French, rather than go directly to Wellington. During this trek, Sharpe and Teresa fall in love. When questioned, she admits that El Católico murdered Hardy (after the latter found El Católico moving the gold) and that her fiancé intends to use it for his own ends, rather than turn it over to the provisional Spanish government in Cadiz. Sharpe and his men are caught on open ground, about to be overrun by French lancers, but are rescued by a unit of
King's German Legion The King's German Legion (KGL; german: Des Königs Deutsche Legion, semantically erroneous obsolete German variations are , , ) was a British Army unit of mostly expatriated German personnel during the period 1803–16. The legion achieved th ...
cavalry under Captain Lossow, who was sent by Hogan to search for them. In Almeida, he chashes with the commander of the fortress, the English Brigadier Cox. Sharpe had an order personally written by Wellington, requiring that all officers give Sharpe whatever assistance he requires, but Kearsey had torn it up, so Cox is suspicious of his motives. El Católico, his men and a Spanish officer arrive the same night and lodge a claim for the gold on behalf of the Spanish government. Unable to contact Wellington, as the
telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...
is destroyed by French artillery before a message can be sent, Cox orders Sharpe to surrender the gold to El Católico and join the garrison. That night, there is a final showdown between Sharpe and El Católico on the roof of a building adjacent to where the gold is stored. Sharpe, knowing that El Católico is a far superior swordsman, in desperation lets El Católico stab him through the leg with his
rapier A rapier () or is a type of sword with a slender and sharply-pointed two-edged blade that was popular in Western Europe, both for civilian use (dueling and self-defense) and as a military side arm, throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. Impor ...
, but prevents him from extracting the weapon. With El Católico effectively disarmed, Sharpe first knocks him unconscious, then cuts his throat. This, however, has no bearing on Cox insistence on giving the gold to the partisans, so in desperation, Sharpe decides to blow up the fortress's
magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...
. A stray French shell ignites the gunpowder trail he laid to the magazine. The ensuing massive explosion killing hundreds of the garrison, including Kearsey. With his ammunition gone and part of his fortifications in ruins, Cox is forced to surrender. Sharpe and Lossow depart with their men and the gold before the French forces enter. Teresa returns to the partisans; with El Católico dead, she is likely to take over command. When Sharpe delivers the gold (less what he gives Teresa and keeps for himself and his men), he learns that it is to pay for the construction of the enormous defensive
Lines of Torres Vedras The Lines of Torres Vedras were lines of forts and other military defences built in secrecy to defend Lisbon during the Peninsular War. Named after the nearby town of Torres Vedras, they were ordered by Arthur Wellesley, Viscount Wellington, ...
, which form an impregnable barrier between
Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...
Masséna's army and
Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
. Hogan reassures Sharpe that the gold was more necessary to Wellington than Almeida. Sharpe is granted a month's leave by Wellington, so he takes the opportunity to renew his acquaintance with Josefina LaCosta, who has set herself up in Lisbon as an exclusive
courtesan Courtesan, in modern usage, is a euphemism for a "kept" mistress (lover), mistress or prostitute, particularly one with wealthy, powerful, or influential clients. The term historically referred to a courtier, a person who attended the Royal cour ...
. When she complains after Sharpe chases away her latest client, a wealthy lieutenant, Sharpe laughs and drops gold coins, showing that he has enough of "Sharpe's gold" for her.


Characters

* Richard Sharpe — Captain in the British army, officer of rifles *Sergeant
Patrick Harper Sharpe is a series of historical fiction stories by Bernard Cornwell centred on the character of Richard Sharpe. Cornwell's series (composed of several novels and short stories) charts Sharpe's progress in the British Army during the Napoleonic ...
— sergeant in the British army, close friend and ally to Sharpe *Major Michael Hogan – Wellington's intelligence-gathering officer *Major Kearsey – one of Major Hogan's exploring officers *Colonel Joaquín 'El Católico' Jovellanos – local partisan commander *
Teresa Moreno Sharpe is a series of historical fiction stories by Bernard Cornwell centred on the character of Richard Sharpe. Cornwell's series (composed of several novels and short stories) charts Sharpe's progress in the British Army during the Napoleonic ...
— Partisan leader *Ramon Moreno – Teresa's brother


References or allusions


References to actual history, geography and current science

Sharpe's story continues to be "intimately linked" with the real-life story of Sir Arthur Wellesley, who appears again in this book. Here the Duke is suffering from money worries as Cornwell states he "knew that money kept an army efficient". Although El Catolico and his treasure trove are literary inventions, the guerrillas and gold alluded to in this novel were an important part of the war against France ("the twin allies of British victory"); Cornwell admits that the "Sharpe books do not do justice to the guerillas". The books tells a fictionalised account of the destruction of Almeida which, as Cornwell notes "conveniently for a writer of fiction", remains a mystery. The
Lines of Torres Vedras The Lines of Torres Vedras were lines of forts and other military defences built in secrecy to defend Lisbon during the Peninsular War. Named after the nearby town of Torres Vedras, they were ordered by Arthur Wellesley, Viscount Wellington, ...
mentioned at the end of the novel are also a historical reality. Both sites were visited by the author during his research for the novel.


References in other works

The character of
Teresa Moreno Sharpe is a series of historical fiction stories by Bernard Cornwell centred on the character of Richard Sharpe. Cornwell's series (composed of several novels and short stories) charts Sharpe's progress in the British Army during the Napoleonic ...
, who is introduced in this novel, goes on to play an important role in the following books of the series. She and Sharpe become lovers in this novel, though Sharpe's return to Josefina at the end of the novel prompt the reader to speculate on the degree of attraction between him and Teresa. The characters of Josefina and Claud Hardy were introduced in Cornwell's previous novel ''
Sharpe's Eagle ''Sharpe's Eagle'' is a historical novel in the Richard Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell, first published in 1981. The story is set in July 1809, in the midst of the Talavera Campaign during the Peninsular War. It was the first Sharpe novel ...
''. The Lines of Torres Vedras are better described in ''
Sharpe's Escape ''Sharpe's Escape'' is the twenty-third (tenth in chronological order) historical novel in the Richard Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell, published in 2004. Sharpe is embroiled in the British retreat through Portugal in 1810 from the defence ...
''.


Adaptation

A 1993 TV adaptation of the same name was produced by
Central Independent Television ITV Central, previously known as Central Independent Television, Carlton Central, ITV1 for Central England and commonly referred to as simply Central, is the Independent Television franchisee for the Midlands. It was created following the rest ...
for the
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
network in the UK starring
Sean Bean Sean Bean (born Shaun Mark Bean on 17 April 1959) is an English actor. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Bean made his professional debut in a theatre production of ''Romeo and Juliet'' in 1983. Retaining his Yorkshire ac ...
and
Daragh O'Malley Daragh Gerard Marion O'Malley (born 25 May 1954) is an Irish actor, director and producer. He was born in Dublin, Ireland. Among many TV appearances O'Malley is known for his portrayal of Patrick Harper in the series '' Sharpe'' (1993–2009), ...
although this bore little resemblance to the novel.


Publication history

* 1981, UK, HarperCollins , 1 December 1981, Hardback * 1982, USA, Viking Press , 1 January 1982, Hardback * 1995, UK, HarperCollins , 1 December 1995, Paperback * 2004, USA, Signet , 3 August 2004, Paperback This is Bernard Cornwell's second novel and according to the author the hardest to write. It was written as a warm-up for his "series of tales about the adventures of a British rifleman in the
Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
". It was published in the same year, and just ten months after, the first novel.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharpe's Gold (Novel) 1981 British novels
Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
Fiction set in 1810 William Collins, Sons books