Philip Haythornthwaite is one of the most distinguished and prolific writers on the military history of the Napoleonic era. He has long been established as an authority on the major battles of the time, in particular those fought in the Iberian peninsula, and he has made a special study of the armies and the soldiers who confronted each other across Europe during 15 years of almost continuous warfare. His many previous books include: The Peninsular War: The Complete Companion to the Iberian Campaigns 1807-14; The Armies of Wellington; Waterloo Men: The Experience of Battle, 16-18 June 1815; Die Hard! Famous Napoleonic Battles; The Napoleonic Source Book; Who Was Who in the Napoleonic Wars; Wellington's Army: The Uniforms of the British Soldier 1812-1815 and Waterloo Armies.

What was a British soldiers life like during the Napoleonic Wars? How was he recruited and trained? How did he live on home service and during service abroad? And what was his experience of battle? In this landmark book Philip Haythornthwaite traces the career of a British soldier from enlistment, through the key stages of his path through the military system, including combat, all the way to his eventual discharge. His fascinating account shows how varied the recruits of the day were, from urban dwellers and weavers to plowboys and laborers, and they came from all regions of the British Isles including Ireland and Scotland. Some of them may have justified the Duke of Wellingtons famous description of them as the scum of the earth. Yet these common soldiers were capable of extraordinary feats on campaign and on the battlefield that eventually turned the course of the war against Napoleon.