Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2296366 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 272 pages

Customer Reviews

Infinitely readable, excellent research, and an excitingly truth-revealing, historically challenging book!
This most excellent book is a magnificently written and researched story of the Irish militia in the first period of its existence, the turbulent era of the French revolutionary wars from 1793 to 1802. It is certainly of interest to scholars, students and afficianados of history as well as those who have read Bernard Cornwell's "Sharpe"series of books written about the same time frame and which encompasses, in part, the some of the reality presented in Nelson's elegant and incisively researched history of historical military battles and leaders of the period.

"The Irish Militia" sets the militia in its context as a part of the British Army of the time and comments on the poor training and discipline of this force as it confronted the French. The book also examines the organization and make-up of the militia, as well as dealing with weapons, commissions, leadership, religion of the men, and the men who joined either as balloted men or volunteers.
Nelson reconsiders the operational performance of the militia and shows how it withstood the 1798 rebellion which it ultimately defeated. Lapses of discipline are not glossed over, nor are the attempts by the United Irishmen to suborn the force, but neither are the numerous examples of personal bravery and unit steadfastness. The result is a detailed and fascinating account, meticulously researched, written by a soldier about soldiers who have been largely misrepresented and forgotten in Ireland. It is an excellent and informative read that will dispell historical misconceptions about the subject.

Then, about the author:

Ivan Nelson LLB, BA, PhD, is a retired army officer and graduate of the Queen's University of Belfast and a careful, most dillegent and resourceful scholar of History.




About the author:

Ivan Nelson LLB, BA, PhD, is a retired army officer and graduate of the Queen's University of Belfast.