British Sieges of the Peninsular War, 1811-13

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. .