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Fields of fire: Battlefields of the Peninsular War
A heavily illustrated account of Wellington's campaigns against Napoleon's commanders in Spain and Portugal, supplemented by a stunning collection of photographs of the battlefields as they appear today.
176 pages, Hardcover
First published October 21, 1994
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 16, 2019
I enjoyed reading the narative about the Peninsular War in the first half, but it is the last half containing many pictures, old and new, which make it really interesting. One of my favorites is the 2-hour battle for the bridge over the Bidassoa at Vera by the 95th Rifles, who were heavily outnumbered. I think people who read a great deal of history about war get used to black and white maps or none at all. Many of the places are just names. This book puts a 'face' to the names. I'm not saying it is of high scholarly writing, but it is entertaining.
December 19, 2022
This is simply a fantastic book. Ian Fletcher literally takes you on a tour of the many battlefields and sieges of the Napoleonic Peninsula War, complete with color photos of key points.
As an old battlefield romper myself, I completely agree with Mr. Fletcher in that you truly do not know a battlefield until you walk the ground.
The book starts off with a succinct description of the Peninsular War, as experienced by Wellington and his soldiers. Just a note here, the author is a total fan of Wellington and the exploits of his army, so, by no means is this a deep book discussing the French, Spanish and Portuguese side in equal measure with the British. I’m ok with that. It’s tight focus makes it an easy read.
But the heart of the book is the 40 full page color plates that he uses to highlight specific actions in great detail. Such as the fortress at Almedia, Rolica, Vimerio, Busaco, the Lines of Torres Vedras, Albuera, the battles in Pyrenees, etc., etc. While using Google Earth I can literally take the tour with this book in hand.
This is a slim volume, 164 pages, of which about 50 are taken up with photos, but it’s a joy to read.
This book was printed in 1994, so, it’s going on 30 years now, but In my opinion it holds up well. If you can find this slim volume, go ahead and get it, you will not be disappointed!
As an old battlefield romper myself, I completely agree with Mr. Fletcher in that you truly do not know a battlefield until you walk the ground.
The book starts off with a succinct description of the Peninsular War, as experienced by Wellington and his soldiers. Just a note here, the author is a total fan of Wellington and the exploits of his army, so, by no means is this a deep book discussing the French, Spanish and Portuguese side in equal measure with the British. I’m ok with that. It’s tight focus makes it an easy read.
But the heart of the book is the 40 full page color plates that he uses to highlight specific actions in great detail. Such as the fortress at Almedia, Rolica, Vimerio, Busaco, the Lines of Torres Vedras, Albuera, the battles in Pyrenees, etc., etc. While using Google Earth I can literally take the tour with this book in hand.
This is a slim volume, 164 pages, of which about 50 are taken up with photos, but it’s a joy to read.
This book was printed in 1994, so, it’s going on 30 years now, but In my opinion it holds up well. If you can find this slim volume, go ahead and get it, you will not be disappointed!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews