Part One, Prologue and Chapter 1 Summary

Sharpe's Sword takes place during the summer of 1812. British forces are fighting the French in the vicinity of Salamanca, Spain. A ruthless French officer named Philippe Leroux uses torture and murder to extract information from those that help the British, and it is the job of Captain Richard Sharpe to stop Leroux.

Colonel Philippe Leroux, a special French soldier who reports directly to Napoleon Bonaparte, has tortured a person for information. He, along with Captain Delmas, flee from the King's German Legion, a group of German cavalry fighting with the British. Leroux knows he must not be captured because he has just discovered the real name of El Mirador, the leader of a network of spies against France. Leroux plans to capture El Mirador, take him to France, and torture him until he gives the...