The Peninsular War Atlas (Revised)

Description

The Peninsular War is one of the defining campaigns of the British Army and sealed its reputation for supreme professionalism, heroic obstinacy and sheer perseverance. It made the reputation of Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, and acts as the backdrop to the adventures of Bernard Cornwell's fictional hero Richard Sharpe. The British Army, under Sir John Moore and Wellington, ranged across the plains and mountains of Portugal and Spain and into France, taking part in 15 field actions and four bloody sieges, including Salamanca, Vitoria and Badajoz, but this is only part of the picture. The contribution of the Spanish and Portuguese forces is frequently overlooked, but there were a further 25 field actions and 15 sieges in the Iberian peninsula as part of the savage duel between the French occupiers and native inhabitants. In this newly revised edition of The Peninsular War Atlas, Colonel Nick Lipscombe expands upon his comprehensive, non-partisan examination of the conflict with 164 original maps, accompanied by an authoritative text narrating the war. His 34 years of service in the British Army, including postings in both Spain and Portugal, give him a unique perspective on the conflict. With contributions from Professor Charles Esdaile and the present Duke of Wellington as well as the cooperation of the Spanish and Portuguese authorities, this book is the essential topographical guide to the conflict. The Peninsular War Atlas has been published in collaboration with Peninsular War 200, the organisation established 'to commemorate in a spirit of respect to all and malice to none the 40,000 British (including Irish and foreign-auxiliary) service personnel who lost their lives in the Peninsular War of 1808-14'.

Colonel Nick Lipscombe was born in 1958 in Angers, France. He has a degree in business studies and an MSc in defence studies. He was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1980. During his thirty years in the British Army he has seen considerable operational service with the British and American armies, as well as with NATO and the UN.He was awarded the US Bronze Star in 2006. A keen interest in military history followed his academic studies at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst concentrating on the Napoleonic era and the Peninsular War in particular. He is Chairman of Peninsular War 200, the UK official organisation for the commemoration of the bicentenary of the Peninsular War.

This sensational, 384-page hardback book is handsomely presented in a slip-case. Overall this is an important and essential book for anyone interested in Napoleonic history. -- Toy Soldier & Model Figure '... a prodigious achievement ... I particularly admire the way [Lipscombe gives] such serious treatment to campaigns in which there was no British involvement, and to the relatively minor sieges whose details are usually so obscure. Overall, I do not believe that Lipscombe's effort will ever be surpassed.' -- Richard Holmes From Trevor James (Historical Association website and The Historian) A fascinating exercise in mapping. This is also a way to understand and value the emergence of the Duke of Wellington as a European military tactician. Clearly chronicled and explained. Extremely specialist piece of scholarship.