Peninsular Eyewitnesses: The Experience of War in Spain and Portugal 1808-1813

by Charles J. Esdaile

Many books have been written about the British struggle against Napoleon in the Peninsula. A few recent studies have given a broader view of the ebb and flow of a long war that had a shattering impact on Spain and Portugal and marked the history of all the nations involved. But none of these books has concentrated on how these momentous events were perceived and understood by the people who experienced them. Charles Esdaile has brought together a vivid selection of contemporary accounts of every aspect of the war to create a panoramic yet minutely detailed picture of those years of turmoil. The story is told through memoirs, letters and eyewitness testimony from all sides. Instead of generals and statesmen, we mostly hear from less-well-known figures - junior officers and ordinary soldiers and civilians who recorded their immediate experience of the conflict.

Genres: History

304 pages, Hardcover

First published September 30, 2008

Reviews

[Jonathan Hopkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good use made of contemporary eyewitness accounts, some of which were familiar and others not. I particularly liked the appendix detailing lives of many of the individuals mentioned in the text.
More readable than the same author's 'The Peninsular War'.

[Rob Markley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I expected this to be repetitious of other Peninsular material I'm already familiar with and thus dry reading at times... however it was not! Excellent read managing to truly bring fresh perspective yet again. Esdaile is one of the best historians out there!

[lukas · Rating 5 out of 5]

výborná kniha plná prameňov! super!