Michael Hogan (fictional character)

Michael Hogan is a fictional character who appears in the Sharpe series of novels by Bernard Cornwell.

Career

Hogan is a Royal Engineers officer — while the Purchase System still allowed many British infantry and cavalry officers to buy commissions in the early 19th century, all other British military branches, including the engineers, the Royal Navy, and the Royal Artillery, promoted by seniority or merit. Unfortunately, this meant promotion was rather slow, and Hogan is still a Captain in 1808, despite his long service and abilities.

Born in Ireland of presumed Catholic ancestry, his life before he encounters Sharpe is rather unclear. It is implied that he has spent time in India and Gibraltar, before joining the British garrison in Lisbon in 1808 following the British capture of the Portuguese capital after Vimeiro. It is in the Peninsular War that he first encounters Lieutenant Richard Sharpe, and becomes his friend. Through he first appears briefly at the end of "Sharpe's Rifles", the first story in which he plays a major role is "Sharpe's Havoc", which is set around the British capture of Oporto in Spring 1809.

During 1808 Hogan becomes involved with intelligence work. Using his talents as an engineer to map the countryside, and making contact with the anti-French resistance in Spain and Portugal. Within a short space of time he had made himself utterly indispensable to Lord Wellington, to whom he becomes a right-hand man. Hogan is promoted to Major in 1809, and thereafter appears to head the British intelligence network in the Iberian Peninsula. This was at a time when there was no formal military intelligence unit. Hogan's position is a good example of the sort of ad hoc arrangements that were used by British armies in the field in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Through at times his role in intelligence can lead him to be rather duplicitous, he remains a good friend to Sharpe throughout the series. At various times he aids Sharpe by protecting him from official censure, protecting Sharpe's career and even at one point helping save Sharpe from a hanging.

In "Sharpe's Siege", by which time he has been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, Hogan succumbs to fever in Bordeaux, at the beginning of 1814 despite the efforts of Jane Sharpe to care for him. Even in his fatally feverish state, he tried to warn Sharpe of a plot by Pierre Ducos to lure Sharpe into a trap.

Irish heritage

Unlike Sergeant Patrick Harper, Hogan does not wear his Irish nationalism on his sleeve, nor does he demonstrate any great anti-English sentiment. Although a proud Irishman, he does not allow it to interfere with his job - in "Sharpe's Battle" he orders Sharpe to kill an Irish Priest, and nationalist, because he had been working as a French agent. On the other hand he is clearly proud of his heritage, and for many years carried around a box of Irish earth around with him, so that if he died he could be buried in 'Irish soil'.

Hogan was portrayed by Scottish actor Brian Cox in the Sharpe TV series, through he played a much reduced role and appeared in only two episodes.

References

*Adkin, M: "The Sharpe Companion", London, 1998.