British Sieges of the Peninsular War, 1811-13
by Frederick Myatt
- Used
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Very Good/Very Good
- ISBN 10
- 0946771596
- ISBN 13
- 9780946771592
- Seller
-
ELY, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Phillimore & Co Ltd. Very Good/Very Good. 1987. Hard Cover. 4to 0946771596 Dust jacket complete, unclipped. Original cloth boards with bright gilt titling on spine. Previous owner's book plate on f. paste down. . Numerous colour and b/w photographs / illustrations. Maps. 200 pages clean and tight. Dimensions: 28.3 x 22.1 x 2.1 cm. Although the Peninsular War continues to be of great interest to students of military history there is a distinct tendency to regard the various siege operations which occurred as being of less interest than the great battles fought in the open field. This however is not true of siege warfare in the Napoleonic era, particularly in Spain where the circumstances were unusual. The British Army under Wellington was hopelessly outnumbered by the French and could only keep the field at all by virtue of their superior supply system which enabled them to remain concentrated, whereas the French, who lived off the country were compelled to disperse widely in order to survive. They were nevertheless capable of rapid concentrations for a particular object, so that any siege operation conducted by the British inevitably ran the risk of being overwhelmed by sheer weight of numbers of the relieving force. As a result, Wellington's main preoccupation was not how long it would take to bring a siege to a successful conclusion by normal means but rather what chance he had of snatching success before the French overcame their supply problems and arrived in front of him. It is only by realising this that we understand his need for speed. Short cuts were always dangerous in siege warfare yet without them he would have lost many opportunities. The seizure of fortresses as firm bases was vital in what was essentially a war of mobility, and the British commander did not hesitate to take risks (even though they involved greatly increased casualties) if he thought that the end justified the means. .
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Details
- Bookseller
- CHARLES BOSSOM (GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 142912
- Title
- British Sieges of the Peninsular War, 1811-13
- Author
- Frederick Myatt
- Format/Binding
- Hard Cover
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good/Very Good
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10
- 0946771596
- ISBN 13
- 9780946771592
- Publisher
- Phillimore & Co Ltd
- Place of Publication
- Tonbridge, Kent, United Kingdom
- Date Published
- 1987
Terms of Sale
CHARLES BOSSOM
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged. Please contact me if you have any problem with your order by e-mail charles.bossom@googlemail.com
About the Seller
CHARLES BOSSOM
Biblio member since 2010
ELY, Cambridgeshire
About CHARLES BOSSOM
Charles Bossom has worked in the Book Trade since 1963, commencing at WH Smith Oxford and retiring in 1999 as Regional Manager Central England. The Charles Bossom bookselling business was started in early 2000. We offer a changing selection of old and out-of-print books in a wide range of subjects. We frequently add new items to our stock so visit us regularly.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Tight
- Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Plate
- Full page illustration or photograph. Plates are printed separately from the text of the book, and bound in at production. I.e.,...