Battles & Sieges of the Peninsular War - W H Fitchett

The Peninsular War, fought in Spain and Portugal in the early years of the nineteenth century has long fascinated students of the Napoleonic Wars-particularly those who are keenly interested in the campaigns of the British Army under the leadership of the 'great captain of the age'-the Duke of Wellington. From the reverses of the heroic retreat and evacuation at Corunna to the scenes of great sieges and bloody assaults such as Cuidad Rodrigo, Badajos and San Sebastian, the 'old peninsular army' clad in faded scarlet and rifle green fought and marched under the most arduous conditions under scorching sun and through freezing winters. Gradually, through brilliant generalship and superlative soldiering, Napoleon's French Army was pushed back over the Pyrenees into its homeland-where the final battles for the fall of an empire would be fought. This book takes the reader through the principal engagements of the Peninsular War making it ideal for both the casual reader and the student of the times.