Despite the bewildering number of tomes devoted to the Napoleonic wars, much basic data as been hitherto unavailable to anyone other than the most ardent scholars. McGuigan and Burnham have collected a tremendous treasure trove of information in a readily accessible form. Other books may tell you how many regiments were sent on the expedition to Hanover in 1805, but The British Army against Napoleon will tell you where every single regiment in the British army was stationed, who were their...

A collection of brief biographies of the over sixty men who served as brigade commanders under Wellington during the Peninsula War & the Waterloo campaign.Recent research into the Duke of Wellington's armies during the Peninsular War and the Waterloo campaign has enhanced our understanding of the men he led, and this new biographical guide to his brigade commanders is a valuable contribution to this growing field. Ron McGuigan and Robert Burnham have investigated t...

In 1812, Wellington’s campaign into Spain saw early victories, a triumphant entry into Madrid, and a grueling retreat, with the Light Division heavily engaged throughout.After evicting the French from Portugal in 1811, the Duke of Wellington went on the offensive, having decided to attack into Spain and liberate the country. To do this, however, he first had to capture the key border fortresses of Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz. By doing this he would secure the main r...

No other regiment in Wellington's Peninsular army can compare with the 95th Rifles. Even before Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe novels and television series, the Rifles were the most famous of all the British Army's fighting formations. Unlike the red-coated regiments of the Line, the Riflemen were trained to act with a degree of independence, selecting their own targets in battle. As a result, a number of the officers and some of the men were more literate than their counterparts in the Line, o...

A unique and unfiltered perspective on the Napier brothers' firsthand experiences during the Peninsular War, revealed through their private letters.The Napier family are famous for their military exploits in the Peninsular War. Charles served in the 50th and 102nd Foot, George in the 52nd and 71st Foot and William (the famous historian of the Peninsular War) who served with the 43rd Foot. Two or three of them were always serving in the Peninsula at any given time a...

The Light Division is rightly regarded as the most famous force within Wellington's army in the Peninsular War. Often the first into every battle and the last to withdraw, the men of the Light Division were trained to act independently and think for themselves as well as operating in their battalion formations. The regiments which comprised the Light Division were present at almost every battle, large or small, throughout the Peninsular War. Many people, however, associate the Light Divisi...

There are many books on Wellington's campaigns during the Peninsular War. Yet very few examine the pivotal year of 1811, when he went on the offensive and forced Napoleon's armies back over 300 kilometers, from the doors of Lisbon to the Spanish border. For two months he pursued the retreating French, fighting skirmishes and rearguards virtually the whole way. The French finally halted at the Spanish border and turned on Wellington in early May, where an epic three-day battle was fought at...

"A detailed and riveting account of the Light Division and its three regiments, 43rd and 52nd Light Infantry and the 95th Rifles . . . An important book." — FiretrenchIn February 1810, Wellington formed what became the most famous unit in the Peninsular War: the Light Division. Formed around the 43rd and 52nd Light Infantry and the 95th Rifles, the exploits of these three regiments is legendary. Over the next 50 months, the division would fight and win glor...

During the Waterloo Campaign, Wellington had only one division that was composed entirely of British infantry, the 1st Division. This consisted of two brigades of the most famous regiments of the British Army the three regiments of Guards.The exploits of the Guards at Waterloo have passed into legend. On that day, Wellington entrusted the most crucial part of his line to the men he knew would hold their position at all cost. That vital position was the Chteau d'Hougoumont, and those men we...

"This book should appeal to anyone with an interest in the Napoleonic Wars, and especially those with a particular enthusiasm for the Peninsular War." —The Napoleonic Wars ForumThe assault was failing. Wellington's men had stormed the walls of the great frontier fortress of Badajoz only to be beaten back with terrible losses. Then on the keep of the old castle the French flag was torn down and a British officer's red jacket was hauled up the flagpole. It was the sig...

This comprehensive military history details the generals, organization and movements of Napoleon's cavalry through the Peninsular War.In Charging Against Wellington, historian Robert Burnham draws on primary sources, manuals, memoirs, and regimental histories to reveal the experiences and activities of the French officers and soldiers who fought the British Army in Spain and Portugal.Burnham presents biographies of eighty French generals, focusing ...

Some of the most famous memoirs of Britain's long war against Napoleon have come from the pens of members of Wellington's Light Division, but many wonderful accounts were never published and have sat in archives, libraries, museums, and private collections, forgotten for 200 years. The regiments of the Light Division, and its predecessor, the Light Brigade, were involved in almost every major battle and skirmish fought by Wellington and Sir John Moore in the Peninsular War. Unlike the line...