Peninsular War IV - The Armies of 1808 (Orders of Battle) [Print Replica] Kindle Edition

Soon after participating with France in the invasion of Portugal, Spain found herself the subject of Napoleon’s plans to subdue the country and incorporate it into his empire. French troops in Spain had occupied key positions without explaining why to their allies and some 60-100,000 Imperial troops were by now stationed in the country when alliance with Spain effectively ended. Following national unrest and a mutiny that deposed the Spanish prime minister, Manuel Godoy, the Spanish King, Charles IV was forced to abdicate in favour of his son Ferdinand. Rioting broke out in Madrid on 2nd May and a few days later, Napoleon forced both Charles and Ferdinand to relinquish all claims to the throne. The Spanish junta in Madrid was next ordered to request that Napoleon place his brother Joseph on the throne of Spain. Revolt now quickly spread across all parts of the country as the ruling junta set about organising armies and raising volunteers with which to resist imperial designs.French counter insurgency plans were set in motion and numerous army corps were given orders to capture strategic locations and crush the rebellion before it could gain pace. By mid-July, a French force under Maréchal Bessières defeated two combined Spanish armies at Medina de Rioseco and thereby secured northern Spain. But a few days later in the southern region of Andalusia, a French force composed largely of reserves and conscripts under the command of Général de division Dupont, was decisively defeated and forced to surrender at Bailén. The result of this defeat was that the French strategy in Spain completely collapsed. Madrid was abandoned and all French forces withdrew behind the river Ebro in north-eastern Spain. Emboldened by Spanish success, British troops under Lieutenant-General Arthur Wellesley, landed in Portugal and succeeded in ousting the French Army of Portugal under Général de division Junot following the battle of Vimeiro on 17th August.Stunned into action by the deteriorating situation in Spain and the loss of Portugal, Napoleon ordered veteran troops and the Imperial Guard to join those defending the Ebro. Some 278,000 men were soon available and began their offensive in November. A double envelopment of the 80,000 or so Spanish troops in the region – a mix of volunteers, militia and regulars – were defeated in a series of victories including Tudela and Somosierra, the result of which was the recapture of Madrid and the apparent stabilising of the situation in Spain by the end of the year. Future events however, would see the war drag on for six years which served to drain imperial resources and lead Napoleon to refer to it as ‘his Spanish ulcer’.This thirty-second volume in the Orders of Battle series covers the French and Spanish armies present at four of the key confrontations that took place between July and November 1808, Medina de Rioseco, Bailén, Tudela and Somosierra. As with previous volumes in the series, an outline of the armies and a brief synopsis of the battles are included along with a detailed representation of the corps, commanders, battalions, squadrons and artillery batteries present. Use has been made of numerous available orders of battle to ensure accuracy by cross referencing and drawing on the best elements of each to produce the most complete record. Extensive research has also been made of the uniforms worn and the flag standards carried by the individual units to give an accurate visual interpretation of the way each would have appeared on the battlefield. A scale of 1:10 has been used to help visualise a precise image of the comparative size of each unit. Finally, the text describing the units, their strength and commanders completes what it is hoped will be the most informative record available. Read more