Sir Charles Oman's classic 7-volume History of the Peninsular War is one of the most important histories of the period ever written. The work of a brilliant historian and writer, it presents a large amount of detailed and valuable information in a very readable style. Between August 1813 and the end of hostilities in April 1814, Napoleon's forces were finally expelled from the Iberian Peninsula. Wellington's army invaded southern France, only halting its operations when news was received of Napoleon's abdication. The events covered in this volume include the British siege and capture of St Sebastian; the final campaigning in eastern Spain; Wellington's invasion of France; and the last actions of the war in the Battle of Toulouse and the French sortie from Bayonne. A chapter on the place of the Peninsular War in history concludes Oman's monumental work.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The End of a Long War,
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This review is from: Hist Pen War V7 1813-14-Hardbound (Hardcover)
This is the conclusion of Charles Oman's definitive study of the Peninsular War. In it, the Duke of Wellington, at the head of an Anglo-Portuguese-Spanish Army, crosses the French border as part of a larger Allied coalition effort to close out Napoleon's reign as Emperor of France. Wellington's campaign is paced by a series of on-again, off-again negotiations between Napoleon and the Allied coalition. A series of victories by Wellington's army over the forces of French Marshal Soult are therefore never quite decisive. Wellington's army faced formidable challenges fighting on the offensive inside France on difficult terrain amid a nominally hostile population. Wellington's task is made infinitely easier by Marshal Soult's seeming inability to manage his army in close combat. Soult is also plagued by the slow wasting of what had once been a veteran army, as enthusiasm for Napoleon dwindles in France.
Oman's mastery of his subject and his prose is complete. The narrative flows smoothly. His retelling of the second siege of San Sabastian is remarkably vivid, capturing both the heroism and the horror of the final storm of that fortress. His account of the multi-day Battle of the Nive is clear and easy to follow, while highlighting the remarkable tenacity of the British and Portuguese infantry battalions who withstood a series of French counterattacks at unequal odds. Oman's trace of the series of combats across southern France is clearer than any recent study. The primary focus of this book is the confrontation between Wellington's army and the principal French army under Marshal Soult, but Oman does not neglect the campaign in Catalonia or the political background to the last nine months of the Peninsular War. There is a nice concluding essay about the fates of the more prominent generals after the war, as well as an acknowledgement of the messy end of the conflict in Spain. In Volume VII, Oman implicitly assumes that readers are already familiar with the history of the Peninsular War up to through the fall of 1813 and the Battle of the Pyrenees . Oman wastes no time recapping the story nor does he reintroduce personalities from earlier volumes. There is just a slight sense that Oman was pushing to complete a project that had already taken nearly thirty years. This volume and series are highly recommended to dedicated readers of the Napoleonic Wars. The casual reader without background of the conflict may find this volume the wrong place to start.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Complete Story,
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This review is from: Hist Pen War V7 1813-14-Hardbound (Hardcover)
Sir Charles Oman's comprehensive seven volume history of the Peninsular War is the yardstick by which any other history of this theatre must be measured. It is exhaustive in detail and in breadth of coverage. If it happened, it is in one of these volumes. Napoleon may have considered Spain a side show, but as results turned out it was a bleeding ulcer. French losses here, combined with the 1812 campaign, placed a strain on the Empire which could not be overcome by even the best generalship. Any true student of the Napoleonic Wars should find these books and read them. They are essential to a complete understanding of the conflict.
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Conclusion of the Peninsular War,
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This review is from: A History of the Peninsular War, Volume VII: August 1813 to April 14, 1814: St Sebastian's Capture, Wellington's Invasion of France, Battles of Nive, Orthez, Toulouse (Paperback)
This is the wonderfully affordable paperback version of Volume VII of Charles Oman's definitive study of the Peninsular War. In it, the Duke of Wellington, at the head of an Anglo-Portuguese-Spanish Army, crosses the French border as part of a larger Allied coalition campaign to end Napoleon's reign as Empereor of France. Wellington's campaign is paced by the on-again, off-again negotiations between Napoleon and the Coalition. A series of victories by Wellington's Army over the forces of French Marshal Soult are therefore never quite decisive. Wellington's Army, in addition, faced formidable challenges conducting an offensive inside France over difficult terrain and against a nominally hostile population. However, Wellington's task is made easier by Marshal Soult's seeming inability to manage his army in close combat, and by the slow wasting of what had once been a veteran French Army, as enthusiasm for Napoleon begins to dwindle.
Oman's mastery of his subject and of his prose is complete. The narrative flows smoothly. His retelling of the second siege of San Sebastian is remarkably vivid, capturing both the heroism and the horror of the final Allied storming of that fortress. His account of the confusing multi-day Battle of the Nive is clear and easy to follow. Oman highlights the remarkable tenacity of British and Portuguese infantry battalions that withstood a series of French counterattacks at unequal odds. Oman's narrative of the campaign across southern France is clearer than any other studies this reader is familiar with. The primary focus of this book is the confrontation between Wellington's Army and the French Army under Marshal Soult. However, Oman does not neglect the campaign in Catalonia or the political background to the last nine months of the Peninsular War. Oman includes a nice concluding essay about the fates of the more prominent generals after the war, as well as an acknowledgement of the messy end of the conflict in Spain. In this volume, the last of seven, Oman assumes that readers are already familiar with the history of the Peninsular War up through the fall of 1813 and the Battle of the Pyrenees. Oman does not recap the story, nor does he reintroduce personalities from earlier volumes. There is just a slight sense that Oman was pushing to finish a project that had already taken nearly thirty years. This volume and series are highly recommended to dedicated readers of the Peninsular War and the Napoleonic era. The casual reader without background in the conflict may find this volume the wrong place to start.
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