Sir John Fortescue holds a pre-eminent place amongst British military historians, his enduring fame and legacy resting mainly on his life’s work “The History of the British Army”, issued in 20 volumes, which took him some 30 years to complete. In scope and breadth it is such that no modern scholar has attempted to cover such a large and diverse subject in its entirety; but Sir John did so and with aplomb, leading to a readable and comprehensive study. According to Professor of Military History Brian Bond, the work was “the product of indefatigable research in original documents, a determination to present a clear, accurate, and readable narrative of military operations, and a close personal knowledge of the battlefields, which enabled him to elucidate his account with excellent maps. Most important, however, was his motivation: namely, a lifelong affection for the old, long-service, pre-Cardwell army, the spirit of the regiments of which it largely consisted, and the value of its traditions to the nation. An important part of his task was to distil and inculcate these soldierly virtues which, in his conservative view, contrasted sharply with the unedifying character of politicians who habitually meddled in military matters.” ODNB. This seventh volume covers the period from 1809-1810, after a disastrous raid into French held Holland, the British government decided to use all their power to the strike at Napoleon at his weakest point, Portugal and Spain. After the British foray into Spain in 1809 culminating the bloody victory at Talavera, the British troops retreated into Portugal before the overwhelming French numbers. Inflicting a punishing check to the French invasion force under Masséna at Bussaco, the British army marched to the massive and impenetrable lines of Torres Vedras close to Lisbon. BROAD ARROW.—"This is a worthy successor to the volumes which have preceded it, and the whole forms a great work by a great, an impartial, and a bold writer,"

Volume 12 in the 20-book set of writings from Thomas Jefferson, this text includes the letters the president wrote after his return to the United States from France in 1789 until his death in 1826. This volume also includesan essay entitledJefferson's Passports to Immorality by George Graham Vest, a former senator from Missouri.

This book describes the creation of a wargames' army and provides essential guidance for someone starting out in wargaming through to the more experienced gamer. With over 290 colour photographs, it describes how the armies of the main nations - France, Britain, Russia, Prussia and Austria - were organized. It illustrates the uniforms and battle formations using computer-aided plans. Practical modelling techniques are demonstrated from basic to more advanced. It provides detailed painting guides with accompanying step-by-step photographs, and finally, there is a chapter on the flags carried by these five armies during the wars.

The Franco-Austrian War of 1809 was NapoleonÍs last victorious war. He would win many battles in his future campaigns, but never again would one of EuropeÍs great powers lie broken at his feet. In this respect 1809 represents a high point of the First Empire yet at the same time NapoleonÍs armies were declining in quality and he was beginning to display the corrosive flaws that contributed to his downfall five years later. In this volume Gill tackles the political background to the war and the opening battles of Abensberg, EggmÙhl and Regensberg. He explores the motivations that prompted Austria to launch an offensive against France while Napoleon and many of his veterans were distracted in Spain. Though surprised by the timing of the Austrian attack on the 10th April, the French Emperor completely reversed a dire strategic situation with stunning blows that he called his ïmost brilliant and most skillful maneuversÍ. Following a breathless pursuit down the Danube valley, Napoleon occupied the palaces of the Habsburgs for the second time in four years. Basing his work on years of primary research and battlefield visits, Gill provides a thorough analysis replete with spectacular combat, diplomatic intrigue and the illustrious cast of characters that populated this extraordinary age. The concluding volumes will take the war to its conclusion, including NapoleonÍs first unequivocal repulse at the Battle of Espern-Essling, the titanic Battle of Wagram and the neglected struggle at Znaim that led to armistice.