Wellington's masterpiece: The battle and campaign of Salamanca,

by Peter Young

The Battle of Salamanca saw an Anglo-Portuguese army under the Duke of Wellington defeat Marshal Auguste Marmont's French forces among the hills around Arapiles, south of Salamanca, Spain on 22 July 1812 during the Peninsular War. A Spanish division was also present but took no part in the battle. The battle involved a succession of flanking manoeuvres in oblique order, initiated by the British heavy cavalry brigade and Pakenham's 3rd division, and continued by the cavalry and the 4th, 5th and 6th divisions. These attacks resulted in a rout of the French left wing. Both Marmont and his deputy commander, General Bonet, received shrapnel wounds in the first few minutes of firing. Confusion amongst the French command may have been decisive in creating an opportunity, which Wellington successfully seized and exploited.

335 pages, Hardcover

First published September 21, 2015

About the author

Brigadier Peter Young, DSO, MC & 2 bars was a British soldier & WWII veteran. He served with the Commandos during that war, ultimately commanding a Brigade. After the war, he commanded a regiment on secondment to the Jordanian Arab Legion. After his retirement from the army, he became a lecturer at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and eventually also a well-respected author of books on Military History, particularly with reference to the Second World War, the English Civil War & the Napoleonic Wars.

Reviews

[Elliot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wellington’s Masterpiece was an enjoyable read from which I learned a lot. Although there are a myriad of books about the Peninsular War, I chose to read this one because I didn’t know much in detail about the battle of Salamanca, and because this one was available at the library. I haven’t read any other single books on the Salamanca campaign, so I don’t have any books to compare this one to. However, I would not hesitate to recommend Wellington’s Masterpiece to anyone wanting to learn about the battle and campaign of Salamanca.

As the title implies, the story of the campaign and battle is told almost entirely from the British perspective. Wellington is idolized to a high degree as well. I found it odd, for example, that Young always referred to Wellington as ‘the Peer’. While the one-sidedness prevents this book from becoming a truly excellent history, Young does an excellent job at describing the British army of this time. Here are two excerpts that I particularly liked,

“So far as one may generalize, it is probable that Wellington’s soldiers were hardier than those of the present day and possibly more courageous physically; at the same time they were undoubtedly less well-educated and imaginative than their modern counterparts; they were self-reliant and prize courage as the greatest of virtues; they were loyal to each other, capable of greeting hardship and misfortune with a jest; but they were merciless to weaklings. They regarded life as, at best, uncertain, and believed it was better to live well than to live long” (55).

“Hence, the officers of a regiment tended to be a mixture of young and wealthy officers with good connections, who could buy their way speedily up the military tree, gentlemen of small means who had difficulty in buying their way up and therefore spend long periods in their ranks, and rankers who had to live on their pay and had very little chance of promotion. If the mixture was right, this could produce quite an effective amalgam; but where, as in the cavalry, the amateurs tended to outnumber too greatly the professionals, the results could be less than fortunate” (46).


Another of the book’s drawbacks was its lack of focus. Young spends the first 73 pages on a variety of introductory topics ranging from a brief history of the Peninsular War up to 1811, small biographies of Wellington, John Gaspard Le Marchant, and Edward Pakenham, and more. Many of these were quite interesting, particularly the section on Le Marchant, but I could see some people just wanting to get to the details of the campaign. Additionally, throughout the narrative Young will include excerpts or details of little importance. These anecdotes certainly flesh out the story, but they also make the text unfocused. I didn’t mind so much, but I suppose others might.

The account of the campaign itself is excellent. Young starts with the siege of Ciudad Rodrigo, and then moves onto Badajoz. His analysis of both sieges was very good, although I think he let off the sack of Badajoz too lightly and didn’t focus enough on the lack of a siege train. Young describes the movements of the armies around Salamanca very well. I was easily able to understand Marmont’s and Wellington’s intentions and actions, and how Marmont out-maneuvered Wellington before the battle.

The account of the battle of Salamanca was one of the better accounts that I have read recently. Aided by the maps, I was able to understand exactly what was happening at all times. Young includes a number of first hand accounts during the battle, and these aided, rather than detracted (as they sometimes do) from my comprehension. While told mostly from the British point of view, Young gives much credit to the French (and the Portuguese, but not the Spanish). I thought his analysis on why Marmont blundered into the battle was very plausible.

One interesting aspect of this book is the number of black and white illustrations: 55 in total. Most notable were the 20 drawings by Lt. Colonel Frank Wilson which are based on contemporary sources. These add a bit of flavor to the narrative which was appreciated. I’ve uploaded a couple pictures if you’re interested in seeing them. There are nine maps in total, and while not spectacular, they were more than adequate.

To end this long, rambling review I’ll simply say that this was a very good book on the Salamanca campaign – and a fun read for me.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent analysis of the campaign in the Peninsular culminating in the Battle of Salamanca. Clearly and engagingly written.