SHARPE ATTEMPTS THE IMPOSSIBLE - TO CAPTURE A GOLD EAGLE, THE FRENCH ARMY'S MOST HONORED PRIZE. Lt. Sharpe, soon to be Captain Sharpe, bold, professional, and ruthless, prepares to lead his men against the armies of Napoleon at Talavera in what will be the bloodiest battle of the war. Sharpe has earned his captaincy, but there are others - such as the foppish Lieutenant Gibbons and his uncle, Colonel Henry Simmerson - who have bought their commissions despite their incompetence. After their cowardly loss of the regiment's colors, their resentment toward the upstart Sharpe turns to treachery, and Sharpe must fight to redeem the honor of his regiment.
