The Recollections of Rifleman Harris

The Recollections of Rifleman Harris provide a rare insight into the life of an enlisted man in Wellington’s army.

Many published diaries and letters from the Napoleonic Wars come from officers and so Benjamin Harris’ book gives a unique voice to the frequently forgotten soldier.

Harris served with the famous 95th Rifles from 1803 to 1814, in which he saw action in Denmark, the Netherlands, and the Iberian Peninsula during the Peninsular War, where he fought in the battles of Rolica, Vimeiro and Corunna.

His Recollections offer the reader a look into what it was like to fight as a soldier during the Napoleonic wars: how they were recruited and trained, what strategies they used on the frontlines to combat the French forces, and how they entertained themselves between bouts of conflict.

This book is essential reading for anyone interested in 19th century military history and for those who wish to hear the story of the Napoleonic War from a man who fought in it from the front.

Benjamin Harris was a British infantryman who served in the British army during the Napoleonic Wars. He is most widely remembered today as the author of a memoir of his time in the army entitled The Recollections of Rifleman Harris which was first published in 1848. Harris passed away in 1858.