Sharpe’s Eagle characters

Appears from the start

A lieutenant raised from the ranks who commands a small detachment of the 95th Rifles in Wellesley's army. Sharpe has earned the loyalty of his riflemen, but his commission and future remain vulnerable whenever wealthy officers choose to treat him as socially inferior.

Appears from the start

A powerful Irish rifleman who once resisted Sharpe's command and is now his most reliable friend. Harper combines physical strength with sound judgment and acts as the informal leader through whom the other riflemen measure an officer.

Appears from the start

The wealthy and politically protected colonel of the South Essex. Simmerson prizes status, parade-ground display, and obedience to his authority, presenting his inexperienced regiment as proof of his own military importance.

First appears in chapter 2

An experienced officer serving with the South Essex despite its colonel's shortcomings. Lennox understands what fire and cavalry can do to an unsteady battalion and treats the attached riflemen as soldiers rather than social inferiors.

First appears in chapter 2

An exploring officer who gathers intelligence and carries confidential instructions for Wellesley. Hogan values Sharpe's ability to move among ordinary soldiers, notice practical details, and act decisively beyond the formal chain of command.

First appears in chapter 3

Simmerson's nephew and an officer in the South Essex. Gibbons relies on family protection and gentlemanly status, regarding Sharpe's promotion from the ranks as an offense against the order that should keep men like them apart.

First appears in chapter 3

A South Essex officer and companion of Gibbons. Berry shares his contempt for Sharpe and is willing to turn social hostility into direct provocation while trusting Simmerson's influence to shield him.

First appears in chapter 4

A beautiful young woman making her way amid the army in Portugal and Spain. Josefina is socially exposed but adept at finding protection, and she understands that affection, money, and an officer's status can each offer a different kind of security.

Also known as Sir Arthur Wellesley

First appears in chapter 5

The commander of the British army in the Peninsula and the general who gave Sharpe his first commission. Wellesley expects regiments to perform regardless of their colonels' influence and is prepared to reward useful competence when he sees it.

First appears in chapter 7

A steady South Essex officer who sees the regiment's real condition more clearly than Simmerson does. Forrest tries to preserve discipline and protect the battalion from the consequences of its colonel's vanity.

First appears in chapter 9

An American-born officer in the South Essex, older and more practical than the young gentlemen around Simmerson. Leroy judges Sharpe chiefly by battlefield performance and works to make an ill-prepared regiment effective before it meets the French army.

First appears in chapter 14

A German cavalry officer serving in British pay. Lossow is an energetic professional whose mounted troops can provide speed and striking power that Sharpe's infantry lacks.