Very nice alliteration. I applaud you.

You make some good points. I think most of your complaints would have to be answered by the needs and conventions of literature, though there may be some truth to Sharpe's (and the average British soldier's) low state in the eyes of others. One of my personal favorite parts in the Sharpe books is the historical note at the end of each one, where Cornwell clarifies the boundary between fact and fiction, and explains how he slipped Sharpe into the center of the action in each story.

Ajax