Peninsular Wars - A Battle Field Guide

[Darrell]

Well ... as is the case with Victorian (or if you dare - Pre-Victorian) Medals ... you just have to keep going further and further back in time. Usually this costs more and more money.

Well, the next step for me are the Napoleon Wars (specifically the Peninsular Wars of 1809-1814) that involved Britain, Spain and Portugal vs. France.

I decided to grab this book (as recently advertised in the Medal News). If you are a new student to this period, this is a great book. Doesn't go into microscopic detail of battle strategy, but everything is laid out in chronological order and has some decent maps and describes the campaigns very well.

It was easy to read and a worthy addition to the library.

The first pictures are scans of the Front and Back of the Book, the last is the Medal News synopsis from the DEC/JAN 2010 issue.

[Darrell]

.

[Tim O'Keefe]

Hi Darrell

Have studied the Peninsula War in great detail.

Here are few more books You might like to read if You like the Peninsula Campaign.

"Wellington the Years of the Sword" by Elizabeth Longford. Unique look from the English point of view, very informative and easy to read. Covers India to Waterloo.

Even better is the David Gates work, "The Spanish Ulcer" very balanced yet horrific look at this pivotal time in history. Great detail on the marches and battles without the bias found in most books on this subject. Orders of Battle and maps are very well done. Sir Charles Oman has a great series too.

"A Boy in the Peninsula" from Robert Blakely. Memoirs from an Officer in the 28th Foot. Eyewitness accounts to the dreadful fighting from 1808 to 1814. His unit was at just about every battle. Badajoz is very well covered.

"In the Peninsula with a French Hussar" from Albert Jean Michel de Rocha. Fascinating look at a French cavalry officers life. Again his memoirs when he was in the 2nd Hussars. Lots of skirmishes with the Spanish Guerillas.

Of course the "Memoirs of Baron de Marbot" two volume set from an officer that served in the French cavalry and several Marshall's staff. Covers the entire Napoleonic wars and was an eyewitness to Marshall Lannes death.
Abit over the top at times but very informative to the life of an officer in the first Empire.

And my fav, "Adventures with the Connaught Rangers" by William Grattan. This Irish unit in the English Army was always given the toughest assignments, yet out fought the French and was led by General Picton for many years. Eyewitness accounts of some of the most terrible fighting in the Peninsula.
Including Fuentes de Onoro when the French Grenadiers were driven up the chimneys of the town in trying to escape the Rangers Bayonet attack....
Also shows the lighter side of soldering in a foreign land in great detail.

Hope this will interest some of you WWII guys into exploring the earlier first truly World War...the Napoleonic Wars.

Never forget !
Tim

[Darrell]

Tim, good summary of some other books on the subject. Thanks for sharing