Talavera 1809

Wellington’s lightning strike into Spain

Talavera 1809 cover

Description

A highly illustrated account of the battle of Talavera in 1809, one of the major battles of the Peninsular War.

The battle of Talavera in 1809 was one of the major battles of the Peninsular War and Arthur Wellesley's first victory in Spain itself, following which he was created Viscount Wellington of Talavera and Wellington. Although Wellesely's forces were outnumbered, and a sizeable contingent of the Spanish ran away, he had chosen a superb defensive position and was able to beat off successive French attacks, though at a heavy cost in terms of casualties.

Although the French had withdrawn leaving Wellesley the master of the field, his high casualties and approaching French reinforcements led to Wellesley withdrawing to Portugal. His foray into Spain had an enormous effect on Spanish morale as they realized they were not alone in the struggle. British redcoats had had got to within 70km of Madrid, and they would return in future years.

With full-colour maps, as well as contemporary prints and illustrations, this detailed yet concise volume examines the battle in detail.

Table of Contents

Origins of the campaign
Chronology
Opposing commanders
Opposing forces
Opposing plans
The Talavera campaign
Aftermath
The battlefield today

Further reading
Index

Product details

Published Mar 20 2013
Format Ebook (PDF)
Edition 1st
Extent 96
ISBN 9781780961811
Imprint Osprey Publishing
Illustrations 30 b/w; 42 col
Series Campaign
Short code CAM 253
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

René Chartrand

RENÉ CHARTRAND was born in Montreal and educated i…

Illustrator

Graham Turner

Graham Turner is a leading historical artist, spec…

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