WELLINGTON 1812 - The Sieges of Cuidad Rodrigo, Badajoz & Burgos and the Battle of Salamanca

1-198040

Well illustrated throughout with almost 30 Bob Marrion color uniform plates.

The early months of 1812 saw Wellington successfully besiege and storm both Cuidad Rodrigo and Badajoz securing his lines of communication and opening up the route into Spain. Immediately facing him was Marmont's Army of Portugal. After a series of maneuvers, on 22 July Wellington saw his chance and in one of his most famous and brilliant battles he routed the French army at Salamanca. At the end of the month he entered Madrid.

He now decided to follow Marmont's Army but the fortified castle at Burgos would not fall and as news of the movements of other French armies reached him, Wellington decided to withdraw. Falling back to Salamanca and with several French armies coming together he was forced to continue the withdrawal and finished the year back where he had started -- the Portuguese border.

The year that had started so promisingly for the Allies with the storming of Cuidad Rodrigo and Badajoz and the crushing defeat of the French at Salamanca, had gone on to witness the frustration at Burgos and the retreat back almost to Portugal with the breakdown of discipline, at least in parts of the Allied army.

Balanced against this, Wellington's maneuvers had dominated much of Spain with an army that was probably no more than a quarter of the number of French soldiers in the theater of operations. Wellington had not been defeated in battle and his casualties were minimal compared with those of his enemy. Perhaps more significantly the French morale had been shattered by the Allied victory of Salamanca and they would not fight with their old confidence again.