PENINSULAR WAR: Aspects of the Struggle for The Iberian Peninsula

by David Chandler

A collection of penetrating essays by leading historians published to mark the 190th anniversary of the outbreak of the Peninsular War. Subjects include Siege Warfare, the French Experience, Napoleon's German Troops and Wellington's Allies. Ian Fletcher has edited a book that is required reading for all students of the Napoleonic period.

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Peninsular War is one of the more important parts of the Napoleonic period. The book contains short essays on verious aspects of that war. The editor, Ian Fletcher, tackles an overview of the war, a piece on Wellington, and offers some suggestions for further reading. Other topics include the French view of the war as well as that of their many German allies, many of whom didn't really want to be there, and for a very good reason. That good reason is the section by Charles Esdaile on the Spanish guerrillas, in which he discusses their effect on the war. On the other side of the war is the sometimes-cordial treatment of prisoners of war (officers) by the British and French, but rarely the Spanish! The remaining two essays deal with the Portuguese as allies of the British, and my favorite, on the sieges that played a prominent part in the 6-year war.

The Peninsular War is an endlessly fascinating one, one which brings the Duke of Wellington to the main stage along with Napoleon.

[Allan]

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