The Spanish Army In The Peninsular War (war, Armed Forces And Society)

Charles J. Esdaile has researched a very timely topic and has written a text that is smooth to read and at a level that can be highly recommended not only to amateur military historians and university undergraduates, but also to all members of graduate research departments in history. Esdaile has set out to write a book which first explains the “readiness position” of the ancien régime army in Spain and the reforms attempted by Godoy, a man who, although not particularly brilliant (some have said not even bright), did as well as could be expected given the political milieu of the Spanish Court in the years from 1792 until the fall of Charles IV in 1808. The rest of this book (chapter 3, “The Army and the Revolution, May-September 1808”; chapter 4, “The War of the Junta Central ”; and chapter 5, “The Army of the Liberals, 1810-1814”) is devoted to an unfolding drama concerning the Spanish Royal Army as it staggers, and sometimes fights, its way through to 1814 which saw liberation from the French and the return of the Spanish Bourbons.The second part of the book is written in a more relaxed, even racy style, that is often so absorbing that it approaches the level of a good “thriller. ” Those reading on this subject for the first time will wonder from time to time, as the text unfolds, if the Spanish Army, or Spain itself, will survive at all! Contents Maps Preface Acknowledgements 1 The Spanish army under the ancien régime 2 The era of Godoy, 1792-1808 3 The army and the revolution, May—September 1808 4 The war of the Junta Central 5 The army and the liberals, 1810—14 Epilogue: 1814 and after Appendix 1: Order of battle of the Spanish Army, 1788 Appendix 2: Order of battle of the Spanish Army, 1808 Appendix 3: Regiments of new creation, 1808 Appendix 4: Order of battle of the Spanish Army, 1814 Select bibliography Index Hardcover; Fine; Dust Jacket - Very Good; All five volumes are pristine - clean, sound and unmarked, with blue boards and gilt trim. Mylar protected dust jackets show sunning on the spines, occasional chipping at spine heads, else clean and sound. Phipps' monumental work on the military history of the First French Republic and Napoleonic Wars. Each volume contains several fold-out maps, various paginations.