British Sieges of the Peninsular War [Hardcover]

Frederick Myatt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2003

Wellington's army was hopelessly outnumbered by the French and the only way they could keep the field was to concentrate their supply system around captured city fortresses such as Badajoz, Ciudad Rodrigo, Almarez, Salamance, Madrid, Burgos and San Sebastian. The author gives a detailed account of the weaponry, fortifications, engineering and tactics employed.

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About the Author

Frederick Myatt won the Military Cross in Burma in 1944 whilst in command of the Gold Coast Regiment. On leaving the army in 1968 he was appointed curator of The Weapons Museum at the School of Infantry at Warminster. He was the author of numerous works of military history, including The Soldier's Trade, Peninsular General and The British Infantry 1600-1945. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Spellmount Publishers; illustrated edition edition (January 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0946771596
• ISBN-13: 978-0946771592
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,834,235 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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4.0 out of 5 stars More Courage Than Skill...., March 15, 2010

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This review is from: British Sieges of the Peninsular War (Paperback)

Frederick Myatt's "British Sieges of the Peninsular War" is a concise, thoughtful and highly readable account of the formal sieges conducted by Lord Wellington's Anglo-Portuguese Army during the Peninsular War. Wellington's Army famously survived years of mobile warfare against the superior numbers of the Imperial French Army, but endured a painful learning curve and mixed results in siege warfare.

Myatt begins with an explanatory chapter on Napoleonic era siegecraft, augmented by a short glossary of terms in the back of the book. He then describes the three separate siege campaigns against Badajos and the siege of Ciudad Rodrigo. Three minor siege actions are covered in a single chapter before Myatt plunges into an extended examination of Burgos in 1812. He concludes with the dramatic siege of San Sabastian in 1813.

Myatt is evenhanded in his examination of Wellington's successes and failures. Wellington had limited experience of formal sieges and a small corps of engineers to plan and execute them. All his siege actions save San Sabastian were conducted under significant time duress. The raw courage of his troops often overcame shortages of time and resources. Myatt details the shortfalls that made Badajos a near disaster and Burgos a failure.

This book was first published in 1995; the contents hold up well despite Myatt's confusing Wellington's superb quartermaster George Murray with the General John Murray who lost his siege train at Tarragona in 1813. "British Sieges of the Peninsular War" is richly illustrated with maps, prints, and sketches, and is highly recommended to students of that conflict.