The novel is presented in standard British English, using British spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Such is familiar enough to any American reader that the differences between American and British English should pose no special obstacle to comprehension. In general the writing is accessible to high-school level readers. Sentence and paragraph construction are typical and present a fairly even texture throughout. The language of the novel is generally informal and very readable and captures the exciting essence of close-quarters combat without placing undue stress on grammatical construction. Language occasionally wanders into the technical aspects of early nineteenth century infantry combat; defenses are described in technical terms; small arms are described in methods assuming passing familiarity, and field cannon are discussed in technical terms, but such descriptions are not central to the narrative and form an exceptionally enjoyable aspect of the book's realistic and historic texture. Indeed, were such passages absent, the book's tone of authenticity would suffer markedly.
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