Book Description
Charles Hamilton Smith's illustrations of soldiers of the British Army are a faithful and delightful record of how Wellington's troops were uniformed and equipped. Wellington's Army presents a collection of these sought after plates in a special, large format and provides a superb evocation of British military uniforms during the closing years of the Peninsular War and at the epic battle of Waterloo. The plates, drawn from life and completed in 1814, cover all the branches of service including line infantry; light infantry and rifles; heavy and light cavalry; general officers; foreign troops; artillery and engineers; and cadets and veterans. Each plate is accompanied by an incisive text by the leading expert on Wellington's troops - Philip Haythornthwaite - which discusses the unit in question, the uniform and its significant features. Wellington's Army also includes an extensive introduction analyzing the evolution of the British Army of the period and examining the colorful life of Charles Hamilton Smith.
Book Description
Wellington's celebrated Peninsular army played a vital role in the defeat of Napoleon's French forces in Portugal and Spain. It is one of the most famous armies in military history. Yet the last large-scale examination of its structure and operation was written by Sir Charles Oman as long ago as 1913, and since then so much new material has come to light that a fresh account is long overdue.
This important new study, which uses Oman's pioneering work as a foundation, provides a wide-ranging survey of the latest research into the subject, and it is a major contribution to the history of the Peninsular War.
Customer Reviews:
Inside Wellington's Peninsular army.......2007-10-11
I was looking for a book that would finally offer me insight in the quality of the men and officers of this army, optimistic from the fact that Rory Muir is one of the authors.
Instead I found so much paper and no opinion. To describe a general by listing his qualifications, tells me nothing. Same for the units.
Disappointing book for me.
One for the Dedicated Student.......2007-06-23
The exploits of Wellington's Peninsular Army in Portugal, Spain, and Southern France during 1808-1814 are justly famous and have been rather thoroughly explored by a variety of scholars and popular historians. It is therefore a genuine pleasure when a book advertising new research and new insights actually lives up to its billing.
"Inside Wellington's Peninsular Army 1808-1814" contains seven essays and a special appendix, authored by four writers, the most prominent being Rory Muir. Muir provides the introductory essay, a well-written summary of the importance of Wellington and his army to the conflict. Ron McGuigan explores the ad hoc nature of the "disposable force" that became the British core of Wellington's army in the second essay. In the third essay, Robert Burnham provides a brief description of intelligence-gathering activities by selected British officers.
The fourth essay, by Howie Muir, may be the most interesting to students of the Peninsular War. In it, Muir captures how the seniority of British units and of commanders drove an habitual spatial placement of units on the battlefield, literally their "order of battle." This habitual arrangement, nowadays used only for formal parades, once served as the standard operating procedure for ordering units in and out of combat. In an army guided by voice command and couriers, this procedure imparted necessary predictability, and its use provides insight into how several battle unfolded during the Peninsular War. Muir uses Talavera, Albuera, and Toulouse as case studies. As an example, Muir's finding offers a plausible explanation for why Major General Stewart's 2nd Divisions took an hour to reposition itself at Albuera over an distance that represented perhaps a 15 minute walk. Muir's essay provides insight into the perogatives of rank and Wellington's requirement to carefully manage the placement of senior officers. Ron McGuigan's follow-on essay notes the general officers who served with Wellington and the units with which they were habitually associated.
Robert Burnham describes the British Army's challenges in keeping the ranks of Wellington's army filled and its experimentation with various more or less innovative solutions. This particular essay has some relevance for an American Army striving to keep sufficient forces deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. In a separate essay, Burnham notes the remarkable bridging work done by British engineers in a theater of war with few permanent bridges and limited building materials. A closing appendix lists the memoirs associated with the British units that served in Portugal and Spain.
This book is very highly recommended to the dedicated student of the British Army and its participation in the Peninsular War. This volume is not obviously meant to be popular history for the general reader, who may find the material less interesting and difficult to follow.
A One of a Kind Book.......2007-06-18
If you're like me, you've gotten tired of the Napoleonic books that simply rehash the same subjects, regurgitating the same information from the same sources. You've probably felt that pang of disappointment and wasted money when you've ordered a `new' book on say Waterloo, only to find the very same accounts with the very same pictures from another publisher. If so, I know you will find INSIDE WELLINGTON'S ARMY an exciting and refreshing change. If you are longing for new research, a deeper understanding, and broader perspectives on the Peninsular war, then INSIDE WELLINGTON'S ARMY is the answer.
INSIDE WELLINTON'S ARMY is a unique series of studies, providing research on important and misunderstood topics not found anywhere else. The book's stated purpose is to supplement existing histories, particularly Oman's 1913 study "Wellington's Army 1809-1814", which offered a distillation of much what Oman had learned while researching his multi-volume work on the history of the Peninsular war. The authors have succeeded admirably.
The seven substantial chapters cover such topics as the origin of Wellington's army in the Peninsula. By the end of the war, Wellington commanded the largest British army in history, for far longer than any other expeditionary force. The how's and why's of its creation explains a great deal, not only why Wellington could win so consistently with the army, but also British military thinking and organization for the rest of the Nineteenth Century.
The Chapters on British feats of military bridging and how the British kept their units up to strength provide detailed information, tables and period pictures seen nowhere else. The variety and number of `firsts' in bridging carried out by the British is amazing, as are the numerous original pictures and engineering diagrams provided with the text. Anyone who has read about the Peninsular war knows how important bridging was for the Spanish campaigns, but this is the first it has been written about in any detail, let alone the lush data provided in the book.
The chapter on the British Army's `order of battle', is equally fascinating, a must for anyone interested in the military practices of the day. This study of the system used to organize an army in a battle line during the Peninsular war reveals how the place of honor and seniority provided the structure for movement, battle, morale and discipline. This often misunderstood set of practices dictated who would command what units where in the battle line, providing a set of structural tools for an army commander in creating a winning set of battle tactics. This system of custom and is examined in detail, it's practicality and uses in the field, as well as the continuity in operations that the Peninsular army shared with those armies that went before and after it. And of course, the same methods used for a `customary battle-array' by the British were very similar to those of other nations during the Napoleonic wars.
The authors have spent years of study to produce their individual chapters, offering a depth of knowledge and wealth of information found in few other works on the British army and the Peninsular war. If you are looking for some more than `the same-old, same-old' in Napoleonic history, you can't go wrong with INSIDE WELLINGTON'S ARMY.
Book Description
A nineteenth-century Band of Brothers
The 95th Rifles was one of history's great fighting units, and Mark Urban brings them and the Napoleonic War gloriously to life in this unique chronicle. Focusing especially on six soldiers in the first battalion, Urban tells the Rifles’ story from May 25, 1809, when they shipped out to join Wellington’s army in Spain, through the battle of Waterloo in June 1815. Drawing on diaries, letters, and other personal accounts, Urban has fashioned a vivid narrative that allows readers to feel the thrill and horror of famous battles, the hardship of the march across Europe, the bravery and camaraderie of a nineteenthcentury Band of Brothers whose innovative tactics created the modern notion of infantryman.
Customer Reviews:
Almost as Exiting as a Richard Sharpe Novel!.......2007-10-04
This is a pacey history of the 95th Rifle Battalion from the commencement of their Peninsular Campaign through to the final climatic Battle of Waterloo. The Author draws on Letters etc from a number of Officers & other ranks to add a personal feel for the times.
Great battle descriptions & some very enlightening information on "Black Bob" the commander of the Light Division.
I would recommend this book to all history fans of the Napoleonic War & of the Sharpe TV & Book series.
Wellington's Rifles.......2007-01-06
This is a really good read! Granted I'm a Napoleonic buff, but this is the second book I've read by Mark Urban (The Man Who Broke Napoleon's Codes). I'm really impressed by the readability and detail of his work, and that does not always go together in non-fiction.
A Rifleman's View of the Peninsular War.......2006-11-13
Mark Urban's excellent "Wellington's Rifles" is an innovative history of the 95th Rifle Regiment and especially of its first battalion duirng 1809-1814 in the Peninsular War. Urban's comprehensive research into the memoires, diaries, and letters of members of the regiment during its time in Portugal and Spain has produced an account told from the point of view of the riflemen themselves. This account is very much analogous to Stephen Ambrose's "Band of Brothers" in exploring not only the battle history of the unit but also its internal chemistry and why it was consistently such an effective unit.
Urban paints an honest, warts and all picture of the First Battalion of the 95th. We meet its officers and soldiers under the best and worst of conditions, and find that the Rifles were composed of very normal human beings made into a nearly unbreakable unit by tough but effective training, good leadership, and a well-founded sense that they were special. At the same time, they were prone to the same challenges and temptations as other units. The 95th suffered hunger and cold at the distant end of supply lines, endured incredible marches over the primitive roads of Iberia, survived sometimes horrific wounds on the battlefield, and participated in less than honorable events such as the pillaging that followed the storming of Badajoz in 1812. Urban focuses on several individuals who served for extended periods in the Peninsular War, providing a thread of continuity through the account.
The 95th represented a departure from the standard tactics of the era, of units maneuvering and firing in mass. The Rifles were trained to fight in extended order as light infantry and were issued the Baker Rifle, which made them deadly effective individual sharpshooters at much greater range than their infantry counterparts. As Urban makes clear in his epilogue, the Rifles were the precusor to the modern infantry units of the British and American armies.
This book is very highly recommended to students of the history of the British Army and to students of the military art.
The Real Riflemen.......2006-11-02
Having read just about every Sharpe book by Bernard Cornwell, I wanted to learn about the real 95th Rifles. Mark Urban wrote a readable history of the Rifles, and throughout the book also focused on several individual Riflemem. I do wish, however, that he had drawn some maps of the battles rather than use unreadable copies of old maps.
Wonderful and Informative.......2006-04-19
I freely admit that I'm not some Napoleonic expert who keeps a sabre next to my desk & a shako on my mantle. I've been a fan of Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe series for years. I kept meaning to start reading books on the actual Peninsula Campaign and it just so happens this is the first book. That was great luck because this book is wonderful.
Mark Urban keeps the focus extremely narrow. He talks about the Rifle's involvement in the Peninsula and Waterloo and not much else. Huge battles and huge sections of battles are ignored because the 95th just wasn't there. This almost obessive focus results in undiluted information. You get a sense of what it was really like to serve & fight based on great research and fantastic writing. The way he tracked certain personalities across the years gave the book a "story" to hang it's information from. It all worked out to be an enjoyable read that was just dripping with good information.
The reality of the 95th's existence was as interesting, if not more so, than Cornwell's Sharpe. If you're a fan, you need to read this.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent uniform guide.......2006-05-11
Filled with color pictures. These series and Brassey's are the best for uniforms.
Wellington's Legendary Army faithfully reconstructed¡¡¡¡.......2005-08-17
One of the best resource for Uniforms of the British army on the Napoleonic Wars, fully illustrated with color photograph of Re-enactors of the Wellington's Army, recreating the everyday life of the infantry, cavalry, artillery and staff. Great description of the photos by Mr. Neil Leonard, the book is only 95 pages but you would find the most famous redcoat regiments(the 95th "rifle" regiment) plus the German Units(only two photos)
I would prefer to see one book for the Infantry and another for Cavalry and Artillery but may be in another publication, also another title dedicated to the Victorian Soldier. Too small for my taste but many beautiful color photos. Wellington's Legendary Army faithfully reconstructed¡¡¡¡¡¡ GREAT BUY, sadly out print.There are more book on the Europa Militaria Specials series dedicated to the Napoleonic Army;
Napoleon's Line Infantry and Artillery
Napoleon's Imperial Guard
Napoleon's Line Cavalry
German Napoleonic Armies
You'll enjoy the details of weapons, equipment and uniforms. After reading it you would want to join one of this regiment for sure. Highly recommended¡¡¡ For those interested in researching deeper look for the Philip Haythornthwaite "Wellington's Army: The Uniforms of the British Soldier, 1812-1815" and the Osprey Men-at-Arms series, look for the new titles dedicated to the Peninsular War "Wellington's Peninsula Regiments" by Mike Chappell.
Customer Reviews:
An above average addition to the uniform debate for Napoleonic wars.......2005-12-24
Ian Fletcher is a renowned scholar of Napoleonic Wars history and in this volune published in the Brassey's series, attempts to outline the likely uniforms worn during the Napoleonic Wars by Wellington's army.
He points out the problems right from the start - the lack of real pictorial evidence of what was worn, the fact that uniforms altered markedly, the documentary evidence available, including contemporary references to the 'rag tag' army which marched down the Champs Elysee following Waterloo - a short campaign and already they looked bedraggled. He makes the valid comparison to the Peninsular War where one contemporary notes the horror expressed by 'martinets' who came out to the Peninsular from London expecting all to be dressed uniformly to find everyone had done what they could to stay dressed.
Fletcher rightly points out that in modern recreations of single charges of cavalry the uniforms suffered wear including lost buttons - imagine that over a series of battles, weeks and months. In short, it is difficult to know just what was worn in battle over a series of months and years given that uniforms were essentially peripatetic due ot their hard use.
However using contemporary sources he illustrates and describes in great detail just what was worn. Illustrated in colour and b/w it is a reasonable reference work but not ideal - there would be no way to recreate a uniform in complete detail, but it would give you the fundamental detail to do the basics.
A nice addition to the Napoleonic wars library, and has good references to other books to assist.
Lack of color prints.......2000-09-19
While the book is well written and very informative, it is sorely lacking in color plates. Color plates are essential in a book dealing with uniforms. Black and white pictures just don't cut it for uniform descriptions. There are only about 5 or six color plates in the entire thing.
Amin
Book Description
A fascinating collection of miscellanea about Wellington's never-defeated forces that fought in more than sixty battles in India, Denmark, the Peninsula, France and Belgium. Linked to Bernand Cornwell's bestselling series of novels about Richard Sharpe, and officer in the elite 95th Rifles, this is an essential guide to one of the most successful- and important- armies that Britain has ever fielded.
Features:
7 The regiments and corps; the commanders; army discipline and punishment
7 The enemy in India, Portugal, Spain and France; the campaigns and battles
7 Uniforms; transport; wounding and death
Customer Reviews:
militaria.......2007-01-18
An interesting book full of misc. facts. Not really a history but great to browse through and discover bits of information.
Amazon.com
Allan Mallinson wastes no time getting the reader into the thick of things: by page 2 of this novel, set during the Napoleonic wars, protagonist Coronet Matthew Hervey of the 6th Light Dragoons is up to his neck in battle and blood. By page 8, he's on his way to a court martial, the result of his own hasty temper and the politics of the military. Though the young soldier's career is never in serious danger, Mallinson uses the episode effectively to make a point about 19th-century military life:
Anyone who thought that survival in this war depended merely on fighting the enemy was naïve in the extreme. Jealousy, snobbery, intrigue, and patronage were the preoccupations of men of ambition in the Marquess of Wellington's army; and Hervey and others like him, decent officers with little but the ability to recommend them, were increasingly resentful of Wellington's indifference to it all. Indeed, many believed he actively connived at it.
Politics and infighting within the ranks are, indeed, important elements in A Close Run Thing, which follows the fortunes of young Matthew Hervey, his regiment, and Wellington's army through the last year of the Napoleonic wars. What makes the novel so fascinating is that the most dangerous enemies are seldom the ones being fought on the battlefield. There are the villains--General "Black Jack" Slade, for example, "as incompetent an officer as was ever placed in command of a brigade of cavalry"; and to a lesser degree, Wellington himself, who seems indifferent to the system of patronage that kept people like Slade in positions of power. And there are the heroes--Hervey and his commanding officer, Major Joseph Edmonds, among others. As war's fortunes take them from France to Ireland and back again to the continent and an insignificant Belgian village called Waterloo, Mallinson paints a vivid portrait not only of military life but of the European political milieu.
In his note at the beginning of A Close Run Thing, Mallinson writes that he's long been a fan of Patrick O'Brian 's naval fictions set during the Napoleonic wars and that he "began to fret for anything remotely comparable for the cavalry of that period." Though one might wish Matthew Hervey had been more fully developed as a character, à la O'Brian's Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin, Mallinson writes a battlefield scene with the same brio and encyclopedic knowledge that O'Brian brings to his engagements at sea. From the details of charging a French battery of guns to the peculiar ailments of a cavalry horse, Mallinson, himself a serving officer in a British cavalry regiment, knows his subject inside and out. This is a book sure to appeal to military-history buffs and readers looking for a ripping good adventure tale alike. --Alix Wilber
Book Description
In the tradition of Patrick O'Brian's beloved historical military adventures comes the first in a dashing new series featuring Cornet Matthew Hervey, a young cavalry officer in Wellington's army of 1815.
A Close Run Thing
For two decades, since the French Revolution, England and her allies have fought a seemingly endless war to loosen Bonaparte's stranglehold on Europe. Matthew Hervey, a twenty-three-year-old parson's son, has risen through the ranks of His Majesty's cavalry to a junior command in the 6th Light Dragoons.
Torn by ambition and ensnared in the intrigues of Wellington's army, Matthew struggles to shape his destiny, but his efforts are about to be cast to the winds of fate. For amid the clash of armies, he will find himself a catalyst in the battle of the century...near the small Belgian village of Waterloo.
Customer Reviews:
A Well Done Thing.......2006-10-17
It has been said that this series does for the horse cavalry what Patrick O'Brian did for fighting sail. That much is true. He takes a particular field of endeavor, the British cavalry, and crafts a good story from a hero engaged in that endeavor. Also like O'Brian, he tends to be a bit more cerebral than your average action/adventure writer. He makes allusions to classical literature, throws around phrases from other languages and uses the technical jargon of the cavalry with abandon. He does this all without making the reader work too terribly much.
The story is of a young coronet of the light dragoons. He is a capable young man with high ideals and has been fighting with the peninsular army under Wellington. His ideals come at a price, however. They earn him the enmity of an incompetent general much higher up the food chain. By a feat of daring, he manages to overcome an enemy force and save a battle but doing so allows the general's baggage to be pilfered. That does not sit well with the general and our hero is marked for trouble. The general does manage to make a bit of trouble for the young man but his ideals and standards help him get out of it. Having earned the respect of other in high places helps as well.
The story begins during the final drive of the Peninsular campaign. When Napoleon abdicates, the hero's regiment is sent to Ireland. To his chagrin, so is the incompetent general. Again, ideals put him in harms way and help him out again, also with the help of those in high places. The peace does not last too long, though. Napoleon escapes and the regiment is back on its way to Flanders where attrition due to casualties makes a hero and a commander out of our hero.
The story is somewhat predictable but no less enjoyable for that. It is well done and ends with the promise of more to come.
A Close Run "Second".......2006-06-29
If you can't believe that Aubrey and Maturin will never set sail again, Mallinson offers another perspective on the romantic Napoleonic era. Not as literary as O'Brian, and without much of the political intrigue. This hero doesn't have as many endearing character flaws as that seafaring duo, but M. Hervey is a truer than blue paragon of honor and ambition. You'll root for him.
The first in a splendid series.......2005-04-30
This is the first book of Allan Mallinson's steadily-growing series of Matthew Hervey novels, and the place to start. Like all really good novels, while well plotted, these splendid books are character-driven, and it is not very long into each book that one begins to be involved with Hervey, the main character, and with the individuals around him.
A Close Run Thing is a wonderfully clear, engaging telling of the battle of Waterloo, and events leading up to it, as well as, of course, the main character's life and growth. The battle scenes are as well-written as one will find, and Mallinson makes the action comprehendible - no easy task (he also has fun introducing the Iron Duke as a minor character, and manages to hit the man's character "to the life.")
Where many such novels fail is in the use of language. Mallinson has succeeded admirably in making his people speak the language of their times, as well as reacting in the way such people - officers, men, gentry - would have done.
The actions, gear, drill... all are detailed, accurate, and easy to follow.
This is a superb start to a series that improves with each volume. In later books, Hervey takes on a reflective wisdom which may reflect Mallinson's own life, and by the end of the series (as it now is - I hope there will be many more), Matthew Hervey is a valued friend.
It is a neat "coincidence" that one of the reviews quoted on the jacket is by Patrick O'Brian. Readers who appreciate the O'Brian books will surely enjoy these, while those who are not interested in naval maters, or simply looking for a rewarding read, will find in all of the Mallinson books writing which engages the mind and keeps the attention.
Highly recommended!
Sure he is no Bernard Cornwell............2005-02-04
Sure he is no Bernard Cornwell.....But he is not that bad either. This book actually was something of a breath of fresh air considering my favorite adventure authors have been slipping recently. In fact, I've been trying to think I don't know of an author that has ever written a fictional book about the Napoleonic cavalry before.
Very good and well written with characters you can get attached to.
Overall-All I know is, I want more. If you are a Bernard Cornwell fan or a Patrick O'Brian fan do yourself a favor and check this guy out.
First rate historical fiction with a welcome twist.......2002-10-30
Nearly everyone agrees that Mr. Mallinson's extensive research and intimate personal knowledge of the life of a cavalry officer make this an engaging read. However, one aspect of this novel that has not been discussed much is the role of the Christian faith of the main character, Matthew Hervey and several supporting characters (from fellow soldiers to his pastor father and brother). Like many in England in the early 19th century, Hervey is a devout Christian. Hervey is written as one who views the world from a Protestant Christian perspective, and who strives to be faithful on the battlefield, at home, or wherever he may be. He is shown praying on the battlefield, quoting scripture, and meditating on Christian ethics and morality. The portrayal is honest and not in the least polemical. Christianity and Christians are not caricatured, but portrayed faithfully and engagingly. Thank you Mr. Mallinson for this welcome twist.
Average customer rating:
- A Companion Volume to Oman's great history of the Peninsular War
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Wellington's Army 1809-1814
Charles Oman
Manufacturer: Greenhill Books
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ASIN: 1853676772 |
Book Description
This book gives an unparalleled insight into the organization, day-to-day life and psychology of Wellington's army, focusing on the characters that Wellington believed could go anywhere and do anything'. Wellington's Army examines both the leaders and the led; the daily life, manners and customs of the Peninsular Army are explored, drawing on dispatches, general orders and records of court martial, and, to a greater extent, non-official information such as diaries, memoirs and letters. A great deal of literature was produced during this period, written by both commissioned and non-commissioned soldiers. For the soldiers, the campaign became a battle against the Revolution, a kind of crusade, and an attempt to thwart the triple-headed monster of Republicanism, Atheism and Sedition. The soldiers of Wellington's army were fighting for all that made life worth living - religion, morality, constitution, laws and liberty.
Customer Reviews:
A Companion Volume to Oman's great history of the Peninsular War.......2006-04-25
British historian Charles Oman spend thirty years writing "The History of the Peninsular War." Although now somewhat dated, Oman's seven volume study may still be the best English language narrative history of the Peninsular War. Oman chose to include a significant collection of supporting materials on the British Army in a companion volume: "Wellington's Army 1809-1814."
In "Wellington's Army," Oman sketches the leadership, organization, tactics, and details about the life of the long-serving British field army in the Iberian Peninsula. His topics include Wellington's use of his infantry and cavalry, his conduct of supply and of sieges, and the means by which he disciplined his force.
Oman's long immersion in the correspondence and memoirs of the Peninsular Army leads to many worthwhile insights, including why Wellington was respected but not loved by his troops and why his army was so successful for so long against superior numbers of French forces. One example is Wellington's insistance on campaigning from an established supply chain, which allowed his army to remain concentrated in the field far longer than his French adversaries. The French Army of the time depended on forage and pillage for supply, and when concentrated into a large mass, quickly exhausted the available local supplies and was forced to disperse.
Oman provides useful insight into the manning of Wellington's army through the rotation of first and second battalions under the regimental system. An appendix documents why Britain strained to field Wellington's relatively small army in the Peninsula, given the competing demands of the world wide British Empire.
Oman does not spare Wellington's Army its faults. The conduct of siege warfare was never its strong suite. Wellington's force lacked engineers and sometimes the artillery and the time to conduct proper sieges. It was successful at Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz thanks to the bravery of its soldiers, not its technique, and failed at Burgos for want of serious preparation.
This book is highly recommended to students of the Peninsular War and of Wellington as a commander. The casual reader with some background in the British Army will also find this a worthwhile book. Oman's writing style is clear and readable. This Greenhill reprint is wonderfully priced and contains a small number of prints and all the excellent appendices of the original.
Book Description
At the beginning of the Napoleonic period the British Army's record left something to be desired. During the Peninsular War, however, Wellington led and trained an army that never knew a major defeat on the field. Even Wellington himself described his army as 'able to go anywhere or do anything'. This book examines the formidable British Army which played an integral part in stalling Napoleon's advance, focusing on the staff, infantry, cavalry, artillery and sieges and sappers. Numerous illustrations, including eight colour plates, vividly depict the weaponry and uniforms of Wellington's Peninsular Army.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent!!.......2005-07-02
This is one of Ospreys very best early efforts. So if you want to be introduced to one of Britains best fighting Armies then get this one asap! I can not praise this book highly enough!
Book Description
This highly detailed study provides a clear account of how the British Army was organised, who commanded it, and how it functioned in the field during the Peninsular War. Focusing principally on infantry, cavalry and artillery, including foreign units in British pay, it provides a detailed and comprehensive order of battle. Doctrine, training, tactics and equipment are discussed in depth, and medical services and engineers are also covered. Concise biographical details of key commanders, over 60 unit tree diagrams, organisational tables, plus numerous illustrations make this an essential reference work for students of this period.
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