After the glorious victory of Vittoria, Wellington followed the retreating French army to the very borders of La Belle France itself. Facing him and his army of British, Portuguese and Spanish troops were significant physical barriers to progress toward the final resolution of the conflict in the Peninsula which had raged since 1808. The Pyrenees mountain range alone would have been a significant obstacle, added to the number of defensible river lines that lay beyond it, and faced with the enemy now commanded by Marshal Soult, a man far more able than the deposed King Joseph. And so, as the Allied army assume the offensive, much hard fighting would have to be done before they set foot on la Bell France and take the fight into Napoleon’s own lands. This book forms part of General Beatson’s trilogy dealing with the campaigns in and around the Pyrenees during late 1813 and 1814. They are rightly acknowledged as the standard works on these campaigns and provide an insight into the later, often ignored stages of the Peninsular War. An acclaimed classic of Military History. Author — Major-General Finlay Cochrane Beatson C.B. (1855-1933)
'The author has done a quite outstanding job of editing and footnoting this rare memoir . . . this will be of genuine interest to the Peninsular War historian or enthusiast.' Philip Haythornthwaite John Vandeleur's letters home to his mother are a lively and engaging account of active service during the Napoleonic Wars, recounting everything from day-to-day life on campaign to the experience of pitched battle at Vitoria and Waterloo. As first a light infantryman and then a light cavalryman, Vandeleur was frequently on the outposts of Wellington's forces, in frequent contact with the French and often obliged to live a rough-and-ready lifestyle as a result. The conditions that he endured, and the camaraderie that sustained him, are vividly recounted in this fascinating collection – previously only available in an extremely rare private publication over a century ago. Expertly edited and enhanced with contemporary documents and commentary by Andrew Bamford, this is an outstanding contribution to our understanding of the Peninsular War and Waterloo campaign.
August Schaumann was a natural born storyteller. He describes his Peninsular adventures so vividly that you get the feeling that you are there, riding next to him dodging French cavalry patrols and conquering the hearts and bodies of Spanish and Portuguese ladies. But who was August Schaumann? He was born in Hanover in 1778. At the age of 16 he was compelled to join the army against his will, but he eventually rose through the ranks to the rank of junior-subaltern. In 1799 his father, a severe and harsh man, removed his son from the army and procured him a position at the postal service. In 1803 he left his home in Hanover and proceeded to England where he was employed as a clerk at a Newcastle firm. In 1807 he decided to move to Russia. He never made it there because heavy storms forced him to take refuge in Goteborg, Sweden. Here too he found a brief employment as a clerk. When the English fleet sailed back to England after its Swedish expedition in 1808 August boarded one of its ships and was taken to England to start a new career as war commissary in the Kings German Legion. On the 28th August 1808 August Schaumann set foot on the shores of Maceira Bay in Portugal. From here on he tells us in great detail and in a style that captivates the reader about his Peninsular adventures. As a war commissary Schaumann saw, did, and lived it all. Not only does he tell us about his perilous and difficult duties as a commissary, but he also tells us about his numerous romantic adventures and about life in Spanish and Portuguese billets. Because he was a keen observer and a great storyteller he was able to describe some of the great battles of the Peninsular War and the invasion of France in 1814. He also describes the gruesome retreat from Coruna, the endless marches and counter marches, and the hardships that the common soldiers had to endure in a way that puts you, the reader, right in the middle of it. August ended his military career in 1816 and returned to his native town of Hanover where he obtained a post as civil servant. He died in 1840. I have enjoyed these memoirs very much. Not only because they give a very precise and clear picture of the military operations that Schaumann was involved in, but also --and foremost-- because they give an insight into aspects of the Napoleonic Wars that dont get much attention in other memoirs. I am referring to the logistic problems that all Napoleonic and in particular the British army faced in those days and how the civilian population of Spain and Portugal lived and coped during this dark period of their history.
The Poetical gazette; the official organ of the Poetry society and a review of poetical affairs, nos. 4-7 issued as supplements to the Academy, v. 79, Oct. 15, Nov. 5, Dec. 3 and 31, 1910
Salamanca was the most decisive battle of the entire Peninsular War. This detailed, illustrated volume recounts its progression, alongside full-colour maps and illustrations. Wellington smashed Marmont's French Army and his pursuit of its shattered remnants led to the famous cavalry charge of the King's German Legion at Garcia Hernandez. There would be two more years of sieges and hard fighting before the Iron Duke crossed the Pyrenees into France but from Salamanca the British and their Portuguese and Spanish allies always had the upper hand. Ian Fletcher examines this important battle in detail and also discusses the campaign which led up to it.
