The Independent Companies of Foreigners are widely regarded as the worst examples of foreign units in the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars. They were formed, in the last years of these wars, to receive French deserters who had come over to the British in Spain. Each company was intended to serve separately in the garrisons of the West Indies. Instead two of them were used in an active role on the East Coast of America a " this did not turn out well. Drawing of British, French and American sources, this book provides a fuller picture of the men, why the units were formed, why they were used as they were and what actually happened. Judgement can then be made whether the bad reputation of the units, and the soldiers in them, is justified.

A St Helena Who's Who details the island of St Helena and its administration, including military, naval and civil offices as well as the overall population in the 1820s and expenses. A must have for Napoleon historians, this comprehensive book chronicles the residents of Longwood, the 'Who's Who' of St Helena and what flag-ships were stationed there. As well as listing the regiments based on the island such as the 53rd Foot Regiment (2nd Battalion) and artillery and engineers, Napoleon's visitors to the island are recorded as well as the chronology of his death, the construction of his tomb and reports on the post-mortem examination. Also, Sir Hudson Lowe and the East India Company involvement in the island are exhaustively covered as are stories of military figures, marriages and the abolition of slavery.

Why do people wage war? How can wars be won? How has warfare been an engine of change for human civilization-for better and for worse? In this book Paul Schuurman shows how some of the best Western minds between 1650 and 1900 tried to answer these questions in an epoch when European developments became a matter of global concern. In eight wide-ranging chapters he discusses the key concepts that philosophers and generals of this era developed to grasp and influence the dramatic and horrific phenomenon of war. Their concepts remain fresh and relevant down to the present day.