Wellington's Rifles

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Author :
Publisher : Pen and Sword
ISBN 13 : 1473828546
Total Pages : 215 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (738 download)

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Book Synopsis Wellington's Rifles by : Ray Cusick

Download or read book Wellington's Rifles written by Ray Cusick and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2013-07-10 with total page 215 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Until now there has not been a serious study of the rifle-armed regiments of the British Army that earned such renown in the Peninsular and Waterloo campaigns. Compiled by a former rifleman, Ray Cusick, who has written extensively on the subject, Wellington's Rifles examines the new rifle regiments, how they came about, their development and their actions.??The author also investigates the introduction of rifled muskets into the British Army in the French and Indian wars of the eighteenth century, where they were shunned by the military establishment, to their transition into a key element in Wellington's extraordinarily successful Peninsular army. The training and tactics of the riflemen are explained and each significant engagement in which they were involved is explored in thrilling detail. It was the riflemen of the 95th Regiment that inspired the series of Sharpe books and films. That was the fiction; this is the reality. The publication will be introduced by the renowned Napoleonic historian Ian Fletcher.

Riflemen of Wellington’s Light Division in the Peninsular War

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Author :
Publisher : Frontline Books
ISBN 13 : 1399087436
Total Pages : 325 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (99 download)

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Book Synopsis Riflemen of Wellington’s Light Division in the Peninsular War by : Gareth Glover

Download or read book Riflemen of Wellington’s Light Division in the Peninsular War written by Gareth Glover and published by Frontline Books. This book was released on 2023-11-15 with total page 325 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: No other regiment in Wellington’s Peninsular army can compare with the 95th Rifles. Even before Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe novels and television series, the Rifles were the most famous of all the British Army’s fighting formations. Unlike the red-coated regiments of the Line, the Riflemen were trained to act with a degree of independence, selecting their own targets in battle. As a result, a number of the officers and some of the men were more literate than their counterparts in the Line, or at least were more willing to record their experiences fighting the French. Consequently, many of the finest memoirs of the era have come from the pens of the likes of Harry Smith, Johnny Kincaid and Riflemen Harris and Costello, and have found their places on the shelves of every enthusiast of the era. However, these well-known works were written years after the fighting when memories had faded and were bulked out with incidents borrowed from others and heavily edited with grand descriptions of ‘derring-do’ for their Victorian audience, and heavily constrained by the strict morals of the day. Through many years of research, Gareth Glover has uncovered other memories written by members of the 95th which have never been published before or have not been brought to the attention of the present-day public, that were written at the time. These honestly state what really happened on the battlefields of Spain and Portugal – the suffering, the awkward incidents, the rumors and camp gossip – presenting a very different picture of life in Wellington’s army than the sanitized versions we have been presented with until now. Also included are rare or unpublished memoirs written by members of the staff of the Light Division, enabling the reader to understand the division’s command structure and organization to provide a rounded and realistic vision of this famous fighting force.

Riflemen of Wellington’s Light Division in the Peninsular War

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Author :
Publisher : Frontline Books
ISBN 13 : 1399087452
Total Pages : 257 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (99 download)

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Book Synopsis Riflemen of Wellington’s Light Division in the Peninsular War by : Gareth Glover

Download or read book Riflemen of Wellington’s Light Division in the Peninsular War written by Gareth Glover and published by Frontline Books. This book was released on 2023-11-15 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: No other regiment in Wellington’s Peninsular army can compare with the 95th Rifles. Even before Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe novels and television series, the Rifles were the most famous of all the British Army’s fighting formations. Unlike the red-coated regiments of the Line, the Riflemen were trained to act with a degree of independence, selecting their own targets in battle. As a result, a number of the officers and some of the men were more literate than their counterparts in the Line, or at least were more willing to record their experiences fighting the French. Consequently, many of the finest memoirs of the era have come from the pens of the likes of Harry Smith, Johnny Kincaid and Riflemen Harris and Costello, and have found their places on the shelves of every enthusiast of the era. However, these well-known works were written years after the fighting when memories had faded and were bulked out with incidents borrowed from others and heavily edited with grand descriptions of ‘derring-do’ for their Victorian audience, and heavily constrained by the strict morals of the day. Through many years of research, Gareth Glover has uncovered other memories written by members of the 95th which have never been published before or have not been brought to the attention of the present-day public, that were written at the time. These honestly state what really happened on the battlefields of Spain and Portugal – the suffering, the awkward incidents, the rumors and camp gossip – presenting a very different picture of life in Wellington’s army than the sanitized versions we have been presented with until now. Also included are rare or unpublished memoirs written by members of the staff of the Light Division, enabling the reader to understand the division’s command structure and organization to provide a rounded and realistic vision of this famous fighting force.

Wellington's Light Division in the Peninsular War

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Author :
Publisher : Frontline Books
ISBN 13 : 1526758911
Total Pages : 357 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (267 download)

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Book Synopsis Wellington's Light Division in the Peninsular War by : Robert Burnham

Download or read book Wellington's Light Division in the Peninsular War written by Robert Burnham and published by Frontline Books. This book was released on 2020-12-14 with total page 357 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A detailed and riveting account of the Light Division and its three regiments, 43rd and 52nd Light Infantry and the 95th Rifles . . . An important book.” —Firetrench In February 1810, Wellington formed what became the most famous unit in the Peninsular War: the Light Division. Formed around the 43rd and 52nd Light Infantry and the 95th Rifles, the exploits of these three regiments is legendary. Over the next 50 months, the division would fight and win glory in almost every battle and siege of the Peninsular War. How the division achieved its fame began on the border of Spain and Portugal where it served as a screen between Wellington’s Army and the French. When it came time pull back from the border, the division endured a harrowing retreat with a relentless enemy at their heels. It was during this eventful year it developed an esprit-de-corps and a belief in its leaders and itself that was unrivaled in Wellington’s Army. Wellington’s Light Division in the Peninsular War uses over 100 primary sources—many never published before—to recount the numerous skirmishes, combats, and battles, as well as the hardships of a year of duty on the front lines. Others are from long-forgotten books published over 150 years ago. It is through the words of the officers and men who served with it that this major, and long-anticipated study of the first critical year of the Light Division is told. “Given the limited scope of the book, covering only one year of the Peninsular campaign, the depth of the study is truly remarkable . . . An excellent history of the Light Division ‘Warts and All.’”—The Napoleon Series

RIFLEMEN OF WELLINGTON S LIGHT DIVISION IN THE PENINSULAR WAR

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781399087421
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (874 download)

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Book Synopsis RIFLEMEN OF WELLINGTON S LIGHT DIVISION IN THE PENINSULAR WAR by : GARETH. GLOVER

Download or read book RIFLEMEN OF WELLINGTON S LIGHT DIVISION IN THE PENINSULAR WAR written by GARETH. GLOVER and published by . This book was released on 2023 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

The Light Division in the Peninsular War, 1808–1811

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Author :
Publisher : Pen and Sword Military
ISBN 13 : 1526757338
Total Pages : 444 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (267 download)

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Book Synopsis The Light Division in the Peninsular War, 1808–1811 by : Tim Saunders

Download or read book The Light Division in the Peninsular War, 1808–1811 written by Tim Saunders and published by Pen and Sword Military. This book was released on 2020-03-30 with total page 444 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This regimental history chronicles the legendary exploits of the British Army’s Light Division against Napoleon in Spain and Portugal. From the outset of the Peninsular campaigns in 1808, the Light Division achieved results way beyond their scant numbers. But it was during the epic winter retreat to La Corunna that they showed their metal. Returning to the Peninsula months later, the irascible Brigadier Robert Craufurd led the Light Brigade on a terrible march to meet General Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, at Talavera. The Light Division played significant roles in the Battle of the River Côa, where the riflemen fought hard to escape Marshal Ney’s trap; the Battle of Buçaco Ridge, the Battle of Salamanca, and many others. More than a simple series of battle scenes, however, this history of the Light Division provides a wider picture of campaigning during the Napoleonic Wars and sheds light on the life of a 19th century light infantry soldier.

Wellington's Rifles

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Author :
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1631440217
Total Pages : 216 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (314 download)

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Book Synopsis Wellington's Rifles by : Ray Cusick

Download or read book Wellington's Rifles written by Ray Cusick and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2015-01-27 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Until now there has not been a serious study of the rifle-armed regiments of the British Army that earned such renown in the Peninsular and Waterloo campaigns. Compiled by a former rifleman, Ray Cusick, who has written extensively on the subject, Wellington’s Rifles examines the new rifle regiments, how they came about, their development, and their actions. The author also investigates the introduction of rifled muskets into the British Army in the French and Indian wars of the eighteenth century, where they were shunned by the military establishment, to their transition into a key element in Wellington’s extraordinarily successful Peninsular army. The training and tactics of the riflemen are explained and each significant engagement in which they were involved is explored in thrilling detail. It was the riflemen of the 95th Regiment who inspired Bernard Cornewell’s famous series of Richard Sharpe books. That was the fiction—here is the reality. Featuring a foreword by renowned Napoleonic historian Ian Fletcher, Wellington’s Rifles is an authoritative account of the early history of rifle regiments in the British Army. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

A British Rifle Man

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Author :
Publisher : Naval & Military Press
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 432 pages
Book Rating : 4.F/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis A British Rifle Man by : George Simmons

Download or read book A British Rifle Man written by George Simmons and published by Naval & Military Press. This book was released on 1899 with total page 432 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the best and most justly famous of the many memoirs of a serving British soldier during the Napoleonic Wars. Born in Beverley in east Yorkshire, George Simmons began his military life in 1805 as Assistant Surgeon in the LIncoln Militia. He subsequently joined the 95th Rifles in order to help pay for his younger brothers education. Simmons served throughout the thick of the Peninsular War under Wellington, doing his duty as a Rifleman in six campaigns up to 1814, and seeing action at the sieges of Ciudad Roderigo and Badajoz and the battles of Salamanca, Vittoria, and finally of Waterloo. He was thrice severely wounded, but survived to write these memoirs, which were basaed on the letters he sent home to his impecunious but doting parents.

The Light Division in the Peninsular War, 1811–1814

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Author :
Publisher : Pen and Sword Military
ISBN 13 : 1526770148
Total Pages : 504 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (267 download)

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Book Synopsis The Light Division in the Peninsular War, 1811–1814 by : Tim Saunders

Download or read book The Light Division in the Peninsular War, 1811–1814 written by Tim Saunders and published by Pen and Sword Military. This book was released on 2023-09-30 with total page 504 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "...this is an excellent partner to the original volume, very well presented by experienced military men, with a clear tactical eye and it is extremely well illustrated. It comes highly recommended." — The Napoleon Series By the middle of 1811, Brigadier General Robert Craufurd’s Light Division was emerging as the elite of the Peninsular Army and Wellington was seeking opportunities to go over to the offensive, following the expulsion of Marshal Masséna from Portugal. After a period of outpost duty for the Light Division on the familiar ground of the Spanish borders, Wellington seized ‘the keys to Spain’ in the epic sieges of Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz. Still reeling from the loss of General Craufurd, ‘The Division’ led the army against Marshal Marmont and after a protracted period of marching and counter marching, the French were finally brought to battle at Salamanca. As a result of King Joseph being driven out of Madrid, the French marshals united and in the autumn of 1812, the British were driven back to Ciudad Rodrigo in another gruelling retreat. With news of Napoleon’s disaster in Russia and with reinforcements from Britain, Wellington prepared his army to drive the French from the Peninsular. A lightening march across Spain to cut the Great Road found King Joseph and Marshal Jourdan at Vitoria and the resulting battle, in which the Light Division fought their way into the heart of the French position, was a triumph of arms for Wellington’s light troops. The pursuit into the Pyrenees, had a sting in the tail when Marshal Soult mounted counter offensives in an attempt to relieve San Sebastian and Pamplona. Having thrown the French back and with the Sixth Coalition intact, the Light Division fought their way through the mountains and into Napoleon’s France. With the allies closing in on all sides, the French fought on into 1814 and the Light Bobs had further fighting before the spoils of peace in a war-weary France could be enjoyed.

Wellington's Rifles

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (124 download)

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Book Synopsis Wellington's Rifles by : Raymond P. Cusick

Download or read book Wellington's Rifles written by Raymond P. Cusick and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Wellington's Light Division and the Defence of Portugal

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Author :
Publisher : Frontline Books
ISBN 13 : 1399060619
Total Pages : 270 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (99 download)

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Book Synopsis Wellington's Light Division and the Defence of Portugal by : Robert Burnham

Download or read book Wellington's Light Division and the Defence of Portugal written by Robert Burnham and published by Frontline Books. This book was released on 2024-05-30 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There are many books on Wellington’s campaigns during the Peninsular War. Yet very few examine the pivotal year of 1811, when he went on the offensive and forced Napoleon’s armies back over 300 kilometers, from the doors of Lisbon to the Spanish border. For two months he pursued the retreating French, fighting skirmishes and rearguards virtually the whole way. The French finally halted at the Spanish border and turned on Wellington in early May, where an epic three-day battle was fought at Fuentes de Oñoro. The rest of the year, Wellington defended the border while making plans to liberate Spain in 1811. Wellington’s Light Division and the defense of Portugal looks at the famed Light Division as it led the pursuit of the French and was involved in almost every combat and battle fought that year. The book also explores the stalemate of January and February 1811, where the division maintained outposts overlooking French positions in the vicinity of Santarem, as well as the pursuit of the French Army back to Spain in March and April, when the division fought many skirmishes, combats, and small battles, often on its own. These include the actions at Pombal, Condeixa, Redinha, Casal Novo, Foz d’Arouce, Freixada, and Sabugal. May saw the Light Division in a desperate fight at Fuentes de Oñoro, where for much of the battle it held the army’s right flank. For the rest of the year the Light Division was in the vicinity of Ciudad Rodrigo where it occupied ground that it held for much of 1810, where it served as Wellington’s advance outposts. The assumed similar positions and were engaged at Fuente Guinaldo and El Bodon. In addition to these fights, the book will examine the changes in the organization of the division, with the addition of new battalions and release of other units. It will also go into great detail on the problems it had with command and control – with its leading officers exhausted, requesting permission to return home to recuperate. Drawing on diaries, letters, and memoirs, the authors tell the story of the officers and men who fought in the division. Many of these sources have never been published before.

The Redcoats of Wellington’s Light Division in the Peninsular War

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Author :
Publisher : Frontline Books
ISBN 13 : 1399084992
Total Pages : 282 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (99 download)

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Book Synopsis The Redcoats of Wellington’s Light Division in the Peninsular War by : Gareth Glover

Download or read book The Redcoats of Wellington’s Light Division in the Peninsular War written by Gareth Glover and published by Frontline Books. This book was released on 2023-02-16 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Light Division is rightly regarded as the most famous force within Wellington’s army in the Peninsular War. Often the first into every battle and the last to withdraw, the men of the Light Division were trained to act independently and think for themselves as well as operating in their battalion formations. The regiments which comprised the Light Division were present at almost every battle, large or small, throughout the Peninsular War. Many people, however, associate the Light Division with the men of the 95th Rifles, wearing in the distinctive green uniforms made famous in the Sharpe novels. What is less understood is that the majority of the Light Division actually consisted of troops dressed in the traditional red uniforms. These were men who, although equally capable of skirmishing as light infantry, actually spent the vast majority of their time formed as regular infantry, fighting in line, column or square. The 95th Rifles has literally a dozen or more memorialists including many famous ones such as Kincaid, Harry Smith, Harris, Costello, Leach, Simmons and others, who have been published and republished countless times. But the 52nd Foot – the first of the regiments of the Light Division to be trained as light infantry – has, until now, been largely unrepresented. After decades of research, Gareth Glover has unearthed a collection of short memoirs from soldiers of the 52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment which have never been published before and one previously published, but now virtually unobtainable. This collection will undoubtedly add an essential element to our understanding of the role of the Light Division both in battle and on campaign.

Wellington's Light Division and the Defence of Portugal

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Author :
Publisher : Frontline Books
ISBN 13 : 1399060597
Total Pages : 222 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (99 download)

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Book Synopsis Wellington's Light Division and the Defence of Portugal by : Robert Burnham

Download or read book Wellington's Light Division and the Defence of Portugal written by Robert Burnham and published by Frontline Books. This book was released on 2024-05-30 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There are many books on Wellington’s campaigns during the Peninsular War. Yet very few examine the pivotal year of 1811, when he went on the offensive and forced Napoleon’s armies back over 300 kilometers, from the doors of Lisbon to the Spanish border. For two months he pursued the retreating French, fighting skirmishes and rearguards virtually the whole way. The French finally halted at the Spanish border and turned on Wellington in early May, where an epic three-day battle was fought at Fuentes de Oñoro. The rest of the year, Wellington defended the border while making plans to liberate Spain in 1811. Wellington’s Light Division and the defense of Portugal looks at the famed Light Division as it led the pursuit of the French and was involved in almost every combat and battle fought that year. The book also explores the stalemate of January and February 1811, where the division maintained outposts overlooking French positions in the vicinity of Santarem, as well as the pursuit of the French Army back to Spain in March and April, when the division fought many skirmishes, combats, and small battles, often on its own. These include the actions at Pombal, Condeixa, Redinha, Casal Novo, Foz d’Arouce, Freixada, and Sabugal. May saw the Light Division in a desperate fight at Fuentes de Oñoro, where for much of the battle it held the army’s right flank. For the rest of the year the Light Division was in the vicinity of Ciudad Rodrigo where it occupied ground that it held for much of 1810, where it served as Wellington’s advance outposts. The assumed similar positions and were engaged at Fuente Guinaldo and El Bodon. In addition to these fights, the book will examine the changes in the organization of the division, with the addition of new battalions and release of other units. It will also go into great detail on the problems it had with command and control – with its leading officers exhausted, requesting permission to return home to recuperate. Drawing on diaries, letters, and memoirs, the authors tell the story of the officers and men who fought in the division. Many of these sources have never been published before.

REDCOATS OF WELLINGTON'S LIGHT DIVISION IN THE PENINSULAR WAR

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781399084963
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (849 download)

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Book Synopsis REDCOATS OF WELLINGTON'S LIGHT DIVISION IN THE PENINSULAR WAR by : GARETH. GLOVER

Download or read book REDCOATS OF WELLINGTON'S LIGHT DIVISION IN THE PENINSULAR WAR written by GARETH. GLOVER and published by . This book was released on 2023 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Wellington's Rifles

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Author :
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN 13 : 0802718167
Total Pages : 388 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (27 download)

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Book Synopsis Wellington's Rifles by : Mark Urban

Download or read book Wellington's Rifles written by Mark Urban and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2009-05-26 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The 95th Rifles was one of history's great fighting units, and Mark Urban brings them and the Napoleonic War gloriously to life in this unique chronicle. Focusing especially on six soldiers in the first battalion, Urban tells the Rifles' story from May 25, 1809, when they shipped out to join Wellington's army in Spain, through the battle of Waterloo in June 1815. Drawing on diaries, letters, and other personal accounts, Urban has fashioned a vivid narrative that allows readers to feel the thrill and horror of famous battles, the hardship of the march across Europe, the bravery and camaraderie of a nineteenthcentury Band of Brothers whose innovative tactics created the modern notion of infantryman.

A British Rifle Man

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Author :
Publisher : DigiCat
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 315 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (596 download)

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Book Synopsis A British Rifle Man by : George Simmons

Download or read book A British Rifle Man written by George Simmons and published by DigiCat. This book was released on 2022-09-04 with total page 315 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "A British Rifle Man" (The Journals and Correspondence of Major George Simmons, Rifle Brigade, During the Peninsular War and the Campaign of Waterloo) by George Simmons. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

The Light Division in the Peninsular War, 1808–1811

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Author :
Publisher : Pen and Sword Military
ISBN 13 : 1526757354
Total Pages : 232 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (267 download)

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Book Synopsis The Light Division in the Peninsular War, 1808–1811 by : Tim Saunders

Download or read book The Light Division in the Peninsular War, 1808–1811 written by Tim Saunders and published by Pen and Sword Military. This book was released on 2020-03-30 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Histories of the Light Division have tended to be incomplete, being based on memoirs of a few well known diarists, principally from the 95th Rifles. The authors of this book, the first volume of two, have sought memoirs from across the division, including the artillery, the King’s German Hussars and others to complete a broader history of Wellington’s elite division. Light infantry was not new a concept in 1803, but at Shorncliffe Camp Sir John Moore developed a progressive ethos, set of tactics and training for the newly converted light infantry regiments. With the 95th Rifles they were melded into a brigade that was to form the basis of the incomparable Light Division. From the outset of the Peninsular campaigns in 1808 they delivered results way beyond their scant numbers, but it was during the epic winter retreat to La Corunna that they showed their metal. Returning to the Peninsular months later, the irascible Brigadier Craufurd led the Light Brigade in terrible march to reach Wellington at Talavera; heavily laden and in the heat of summer. Over the winter of 1809/10, Craufurd,s battalions, now elevated to the status of a division, provided the army’s outposts. This was work that Craufurd excelled in and actions abounded, including the Combat on the Côa, where the division fought hard to escape Marshal Ney’s trap. In 1810, with Wellington withdrawing to the Lines of Torres Vedra, the Light Division played a significant part in the battle of Buçaco Ridge, while the following year they drove Marshal Masséna’s army back into Spain having fought almost daily actions en route. This history of the Light Division is not simply a series of set piece battles but provides a wider picture of campaigning and what it was to be a light infantry soldier.