A History of the Peninsular War 1807-1809: From the Treaty of Fontainebleau to the Battle of Corunna [Hardcover]

Charles William Chadwick Oman (Author), Sir Oman Charles (Author), Sir Charles Oman (Author)

Book Description

Series: History of the Peninsular War | Publication Date: May 1999

The first part of Oman's classic history provides the background to the war and its origins, and covers the early stages of the conflict. Introducing the subject and many of its main players, this volume recounts the French invasion of Portugal and the forcible deposition of the Spanish royal family, the beginning of Spanish popular resistance, the arrival of the British in the Iberian Peninsula, the first victories of Sir Arthur Wellesley (the future Duke of Wellington), Napoleon's personal participation in the Spanish campaign, the French surrender at Baylen, and Sir John Moore's terrible retreat, ending with his death in the hour of victory at the Battle of Corunna.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Sir Charles Oman was one of Britain's greatest and most celebrated historians. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 656 pages
• Publisher: Greenhill Pr (May 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1853672149
• ISBN-13: 978-1853672149
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 2.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,608,632 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exhaustively complete history of the subject., August 23, 1998

By 

Nathan Williams ([e-mail]) (Las Cruces, NM) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A History of the Peninsular War 1807-1809: From the Treaty of Fontainebleau to the Battle of Corunna (Hardcover)

Oman is the definitive tactical and operational description of the British and French campaigns in the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. It's also among the best descriptions in the English language of the realities of early 19th century ground combat.

My reading was of the original volumes in the 1970s; I'm most pleased that these unmatched references have been re-printed.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolute MUST-HAVE for any serious student of the Napoleonic Wars, July 16, 2006

By 

Utah Blaine (Somewhere on Trexalon in District 268) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A History of the Peninsular War Volume 1 (Paperback)

This is a reprint of the first of Charles Oman's masterful seven volume History of the Peninsular War, and covers the period from the initiation of hostilities to Moore's retreat to Corunna. Quite simple, this is the definitive English language reference on the Peninsular War, and nobody can call themselves a serious student of this era without having read this series. This first volume was published in 1902, the seventh in 1935, and although there has been mountains written since about the campaigns, the battles, and the soldiers in English, French, and Spanish, this is still the undisputed masterwork, and the standard by which all others are compared.

Virtually all of the political, military, and economic issues related to the campaigns are presented in these volumes. Every major battle is described in minute detail by Oman. He personally travelled to virtually every battlefield in Spain and Portugal to better understand the lay of the land for himself. Even more than in central Europe, the terrain played a critical role in the Peninsula, and Oman made every effort to understand how it affected the outcome. There are detailed orders of battle for all combatants and maps for all battles. The maps are large, color foldout format for the more significant battles. Political events are also described, particularly as they relate to the military sphere.

There are some drawbacks/limitations to all the books in this series. First, there is a HEAVY pro-British bias in outlook in all these books. I got the impression that Oman considered the French to be largely incompetent. These books to not present a balanced view, or even seriously try to explain the French perspective of the campaigns. The Spanish are also presented as largely irrelevant, although most of the fighting was in Spain! Second, there are few details of the guerilla operations. This may be the first war in which guerilla operations (what we would today call fourth generation war) played an important (decisive?) role. Oman doesn't omit discussion of these entirely, but they are certainly downplayed. I think that a more detailed discussion of guerilla leaders, operations, and their relationship with the larger military campaigns would have been a great addition to an already long series. Third, like virtually all English military historians, this is a virtual hagiography of Wellington. Don't let this in anyway prevent you from buying these. This series is certainly not the end all on the subject, but it is still, after 70+ years, the best that has ever been written about it.

The original typeface (from the early 20th century editions) has been preserved in this modern re-publication. This really give the text an authentic feel. Seven volumes of 600+ pages each may seem like a lot of reading, but Oman wrote with a easily readable and absorbing prose. This series is obviously a bit of a time commitment, but I would recommend this to even someone with a passing interest in the epoch. I should mention that I first read this serious about 15 years ago, I decided that I didn't know enough about the Peninsular War and borrowed each volume from the library. I've since bought the reprinted volumes (a complete collection of the original volumes is a wee-bit expensive, if you can find them), and re-read sections regularly. If you can believe it, I felt that even after seven volumes, there were many topics that Oman didn't cover in enough detail (see above)!

In short, if you are a serious student of the Napoleonic Wars, you must read this series of books. You will not regret the money or the time spent. I would give this series 6 stars if I could. Outstanding.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Spanish and the British strike back!, September 26, 2004

By 

D. S. Thurlow (Alaska) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A History of the Peninsular War, Volume II: January to September 1809: From the Battle of Corunna to the End of the Talavera Campaign (Paperback)

This is the second volume of Oman's essential seven part history of the Peninsular War, picking up the story after the evacuation of Sir John Moore's British force from Corunna. It provides a comprehensive account at an operational level of war of the struggles of the Spanish to form a coherent resistence to the French invasion of Spain, and of the French to complete their conquest of Spain and Portugal. The last portion of this volume includes the return of a British expeditionary force, led by Sir Arthur Wellesley, to the Iberian Peninsula. Oman's discussion of Wellesley's vision of his mission is remarkable both for its clarity and for the manner in which it frames the subsequent British campaigning. Oman's scholarship is somewhat dated (this volume was originally published in 1903). He is not especially strong on tactical details; those seeking a blow-by-blow account of battles will do better elsewhere. Overall, this volume is highly recommended to the reader with a serious interest in this phase of the Napoleonic Wars. It will also be of interest to military scholars looking for historical information on the challenges of coalition warfare and stability operations.