Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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.

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.

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.

In this paperback edition of Charles Oman's definitive study of the Peninsular War, the end game for control of the Iberian Peninsula begins. The Duke of Wellington's magnificent victory at Salamanca and the subsequent (temporary) liberation of Madrid shocked the French Imperial Forces into finally concentrating their scattered contingents. In the face of this mounting danger, Wellington became engaged in, even obcessed by, the siege of a minor French fortress at Burgos. While Wellington loitered, the separate halves of his army were each menaced by larger, gathering French formations. Wellington, coming alive at last to the danger, skillfully withdrew his army to safer ground on the Portugueses frontier. The numerically superior French were unable to force a decisive battle.

Oman suggests that Wellington lacked the forces to truly follow up on the operational possibilities open to him after Salamanca. It appears also that the siege of Burgos was one of the very occasions during the Peninsular War when Wellington's intelligence operation failed to provide timely warning of French movements. Despite the apparent setback, Wellington saved his army to fight another day, while the French lost control of much of Spain by concentrating their forces against him.

In the spring of 1813, Wellington flanked the French out of their positions on the Portuguese border and into a wholesale retreat to preserve their lines of communication with France. The French stood for battle at Victoria, where Wellington's Anglo-Portuguese-Spanish Army inflicted a crushing defeat.

In this, the sixth of a seven volume history, Oman is a polished master of both his subject and his prose. His examination of Wellington's generalship is forthright and balanced, highlighting both his skill at operational level planning and his less than sure hand conducting sieges. A highlight of this volume is Oman's accoutn of the Battle of the Pyrenees, almost unique for its clear narrative of a confused multi-day fight along the mountainous French-Spanish border. This volume and series are highly recommended to dedicated students of the Napoleonic Wars. The casual reader without background in the conflict may find this volume a challenging read.

Volume III of Charles Oman's seminal work covers the "central crisis" of the Peninsular War. Napoleon's France makes a supreme effort to consolidate its conquest of Spain and to drive the British Army out of Portugal, and fails. Stubborn Spanish resistance outlasts both battlefield defeats and painful shortfalls in organization and leadership. Portugal withstands a full-blooded French invasion led by the experienced Marshal Massena. The key to Portugal's survival is Welligton's cold-eyed understanding of what a successful defense will require, and his patience and ruthlessness in carrying out his plan. His skillful use of the Anglo-Portuguese Army and his far-sighted mobilization of the whole resources of the Kingdom of Portugal is just enough to cause a French defeat. Highlights of this volume include the great Anglo-Portuguese defensive victory at Bussaco, and the defense of the Lines of Torres Vedras. Oman provides a balanced yet detailed narrative at the operational level of war of events in both Portugal and Spain. Those looking for vivid battlefield should seek elsewhere; Oman is not a master of the battlefield tactics of the period, nor is that his primary focus. This volume was first published in 1908; readers should be forewarned that Oman writes in an older style that takes some getting used to. This series by Oman on the Peninsular War continues to be the standard work against which all others are measured.

In this, the fourth volume of Oman's definitive history of the Peninsular War, the author truly hits his stride. More recent histories may have new details or the benefit of different perspective, but Oman's multivolume series is still the starting point for all serious study of this conflict. Oman writes in a older style that takes a little getting used to, but he has a superb understanding of the strategic and operational levels of war. His work captures the broad sweep and complexity of a key phase of the Napoleonic Wars. If the narrative tends to be British-centric in places, he does provide evenhanded coverage of all the major players, whether British, French, Portuguese, or Spanish. His narrative in early books on tactical detail was sometimes a little vague; in the descriptions of the key battles of Fuentes de Onoro and Albuera, he has made good that earlier weakness.
This series is highly recommended for the serious student with lots of time to read. The casual reader may find it both long and challenging.

This is the first of a seven volume history of the Peninsular War in Spain and Portugal between the forces of Napoleonic France and Great Britain, Portugal, and Spain. Oman's account, although dated, is still the definitive account of this long conflict. This first volume recounts the background to the French invasion, the French conquest of Portugal and Spain, and the results, which included insurrection in Spain and British intervention in Portugal. Arthur Wellesley, later the Duke of Wellington, makes his initial appearance in the war at the head of a small British expeditionary force which ultimately displaces the French from Portugal. A larger figure in this first volume is Sir John Moore, who took over leadership of the British expeditionary force and led the ill-fated campaign in Spain. Oman does a superb job capturing the complexities of the conflict at the strategic and operational levels of war. In particular, Oman does an excellent job laying out the conflicts within Spanish ranks which seriously hamstrung their resistance to French occupation. His tactical narrative is adequate; those fascinated by the cut and thrust of battle narratives will do better with other authors. This first volume provides much necessary but sometimes tedious background to the War; although Oman's interest in the British intervention is obvious, he is evenhanded in covering events in Spain. Those undertaking the whole series will find that Oman's writing quality improves with each succeeding volume. This volume is highly recommended to the serious student of the Napoleonic Wars and of the history of the British Army. Possession of a good map of the Iberian Peninsula will supplement the smaller maps included in the text.

To the end of almost hundred years, the work of Sir Charles Oman keeps on being essential to the study of the Peninsular War 1807-1814. Few campaigns were analysed by such clarity. It is right that some more modern works are essential for a deep study of this subject but, with difficulty, these works will be used well without the prior knowledge of the work of Sir Charles Oman.

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.