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British Sieges of the Peninsular War

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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.