Wellington's Early Peninsula Campaigns: a Serving Officer's History 1808-1811, (Paperback)

An infantry officer's view of the war in Spain and Portugal

This book concerns the history, as it was experienced by the author, of Wellingtons campaigns in Spain and Portugal to the point that the French general, Massena, having been brought to a stalemate beneath the Lines at Torres Vedras and unable to sustain his army began his retreat back into Spain closely followed by the now replenished British and their allies under Wellington. John Fane, the author, was heir to the earldom of Westmorland. As was the practice of his time he had moved from regiment to regiment from the time of his joining the army in 1803 as ensign in the 11th Foot to the 7th, 23rd, 2nd West India Regiment, 91st and back to the 7th again. By 1811 he was Lt. Colonel of the 63rd Foot. Clearly well educated as one would expect of his station, Fane is able to combine his own experiences with an overview of the campaign generally and has thus left posterity with an invaluable source work on this interesting period of military history. This book is rare on the antiquarian market but is available in this affordable Leonaur edition in softcover and hardcover with dust jacket.