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Wellington's Engineers: Military Engineering in the Peninsular War 1808-1814
The role of the Royal Engineers in the Peninsular War has long been neglected and often misunderstood, and Mark Thompson's history is the first full account of their work and of the contribution they made throughout the conflict. He draws on his unrivaled collection of the engineers' letters and diaries in order to tell, in vivid detail, the story of the war as they experienced it. His narrative describes their role in all the major operations between 1808 and 1814, and it demonstrates the extraordinary range of tasks they undertook, from surveys and reconnaissance to the building of roads and bridges, siege works and field fortifications. Deeply researched, his study will be fascinating reading for anyone who is interested in the history of military engineering and a important text for readers who are keen to broaden their understanding of the Peninsular War."
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
256 pages, Hardcover
Published August 19, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 19, 2023
4.5 stars rounded up to 5
This book turned out to be quite a surprise. First of all it was not dry at all, and it was quite informative about a subjective that I had little knowledge of. It basically concerns Britain's Royal Engineers, the Royal Staff Corps, and the Royal Military Artificers/Royal Sappers and Miners (after 1812) who served in the Peninsula, supplying scientific knowledge to the building of fortifications, bridges, roads, maps and many other essential necessities of war.
The Royal Engineers are the main focus with a lesser view of engineers of the King's German Legion, Spain and Portugal. Early on in the war, it became obvious that good maps were needed so reconaissance helped provide them. 'Scientific soldiers' as they were often known soon became invaluable for their services. Probably the two areas that they were most famous for were fortifications, especially the Lines of Torres Vedras which defied the French in 1810, and later in the war bridge building using pontoons to cross the great rivers of northern Spain/southern France.
I found this book to be a pleasure to read. I learned about the many engineers such as Sir Richard Fletcher who gave their lives while enabling the British Army to defeat the French. Obviously, the field soldiers and artillery did most of the fighting, but they wouldn't have been successful without the skills and courage of the engineers and artificers.
This book turned out to be quite a surprise. First of all it was not dry at all, and it was quite informative about a subjective that I had little knowledge of. It basically concerns Britain's Royal Engineers, the Royal Staff Corps, and the Royal Military Artificers/Royal Sappers and Miners (after 1812) who served in the Peninsula, supplying scientific knowledge to the building of fortifications, bridges, roads, maps and many other essential necessities of war.
The Royal Engineers are the main focus with a lesser view of engineers of the King's German Legion, Spain and Portugal. Early on in the war, it became obvious that good maps were needed so reconaissance helped provide them. 'Scientific soldiers' as they were often known soon became invaluable for their services. Probably the two areas that they were most famous for were fortifications, especially the Lines of Torres Vedras which defied the French in 1810, and later in the war bridge building using pontoons to cross the great rivers of northern Spain/southern France.
I found this book to be a pleasure to read. I learned about the many engineers such as Sir Richard Fletcher who gave their lives while enabling the British Army to defeat the French. Obviously, the field soldiers and artillery did most of the fighting, but they wouldn't have been successful without the skills and courage of the engineers and artificers.
November 20, 2022
I've been reading about the Peninsular War on and off for fifty years and, although the number of books on the war has grown exponentially in recent years, I have wondered what there is that is really new to be said. This book certainly proves that there are still unexplored avenues, even in this popular theatre of war. It follows a chronological path through the war - so far so conventional - but does it so entirely through the prism of British military engineering and the activities of the Royal Engineers; the Royal Staff Corps, Royal Military Artificers, Royal Sappers and Miners, Quartermaster General's Department and Portuguese Engineers also get honourable mentions.
Topics that are often glossed over in other books - the Lines of Torres Vedras, the various sieges, and the frequent need for bridging (plus occasional demolition), mapping and surveying - are dealt with in great detail, whereas field battles that often take up pages of other books are barely mentioned if there was no direct engineering involvement (e.g. the actual battle of Salamanca just warrants a couple of sentences). There is great detail on the conduct of sieges, including the need for bridging, the availability (or lack) of siege trains and the shortages of skilled labour until the formation of the RSM. All absolutely fascinating as are the appendices on military bridging, surveying and reconnaissance and education within the Board of Ordnance.
Alongside the nitty-gritty of military engineering are accounts of the various Royal Engineers who made all these things happen, often in the face of huge obstacles (physical and organisational), with their ingenuity and also rivalries and professional jealousies. There is also much on their relationships with the Duke himself who, as one can well imagine, had his own strong views on how things should be done. He was not always right!
There is little to criticise the book for, it is thoroughly researched, well written and readable, with just a few irritating typos. You may expect me to criticise its lack of maps - a frequent bugbear of mine - but I think that given how well-mapped the campaign is in so many books, this is not a problem; even a road atlas at your elbow would be helpful.
A fine book, paying long overdue tribute to the officers (and associates) of the Royal Engineers, without whom Wellington's army could hardly have triumphed in the Peninsula!
Topics that are often glossed over in other books - the Lines of Torres Vedras, the various sieges, and the frequent need for bridging (plus occasional demolition), mapping and surveying - are dealt with in great detail, whereas field battles that often take up pages of other books are barely mentioned if there was no direct engineering involvement (e.g. the actual battle of Salamanca just warrants a couple of sentences). There is great detail on the conduct of sieges, including the need for bridging, the availability (or lack) of siege trains and the shortages of skilled labour until the formation of the RSM. All absolutely fascinating as are the appendices on military bridging, surveying and reconnaissance and education within the Board of Ordnance.
Alongside the nitty-gritty of military engineering are accounts of the various Royal Engineers who made all these things happen, often in the face of huge obstacles (physical and organisational), with their ingenuity and also rivalries and professional jealousies. There is also much on their relationships with the Duke himself who, as one can well imagine, had his own strong views on how things should be done. He was not always right!
There is little to criticise the book for, it is thoroughly researched, well written and readable, with just a few irritating typos. You may expect me to criticise its lack of maps - a frequent bugbear of mine - but I think that given how well-mapped the campaign is in so many books, this is not a problem; even a road atlas at your elbow would be helpful.
A fine book, paying long overdue tribute to the officers (and associates) of the Royal Engineers, without whom Wellington's army could hardly have triumphed in the Peninsula!
November 6, 2017
Be sure there is some very interesting and worthwhile material here - the product of significant research. I'd quibble that it was a little disjointed at times e.g. very early it speaks of the professionalism of the RE and then in the Corunna campaign mentions the problems with blowing bridges... then only at the very end of the book discusses that their field training was inadequate as evidenced by these bridge destruction problems! However overall the book is crippled by three other issues which further work would have rectified. Firstly the complete absence of maps and plans of fortresses etc. Naturally the market for this book would already have access to such, nevertheless the text is nonsensical when it references a bastion, a river, a town and no image! Secondly Thompson needed to exhibit at least a fundamental understanding of the technical aspects of engineering - as an academic he probably didn't have this himself so he should have talked to people. Thirdly the topic cried out for at least passing comparison between British and French engineering issues and resources and there is nothing. Potential five stars falls to three- great pity.
July 22, 2017
This book covers an area of the Peninsular War which is generally ignored. Thomson looks at the role played by trained engineers from the Royal Engineers, Royal Artillery and Royal Staff Corps from the first landing in 1808 through to the final shots during the siege at Bayonne. He covers the wide range of activities from surveying through bridge breaking and making and road building to the construction of siege works and looks at the people behind them. He does not delve deeply into the details of the engineering works, but does include plenty of illustrations (many contemporary) of the works. The main flaw is the poor sub-editing - there are typos and incomplete sentences scattered through the work which break the flow of reading.
March 15, 2016
A number of good titles regarding the Peninsular War of 1808 – 1814 have been published over the years, but few – if any – have examined the role of the military engineers during the conflict. Yet, as any military expert will know, the presence of ‘scientific’ soldiers is essential to a successful campaign, whether it was one fought on the Napoleonic battlefields of over 200 years ago or those of today. With that in mind, this title from Mark S. Thompson is a particularly welcome addition to the current literature.
The author considers the work of the Allied engineers under the command of Sir Arthur Wellesley, the future Duke of Wellington, in a chronological order. That is, he begins in 1808 and examines each year in turn until the conflict’s end in 1814. As one might expect, all the British sieges of the Peninsular War are included, as are the issues of bridge building (and demolition) etc., but perhaps the main gem of this work is the chapter examining the Lines of Torres Vedras. The majority of books on the war mention this amazing feat of engineering, but few go into the depth that Thompson’s does. At the end of the title the reader is presented with a number of fascinating appendices that go into greater detail regarding certain aspects of military engineering, including: reconnaissance, surveying, bridging and education, amongst others.
Overall, Thompson has produced an excellent, scholarly piece of work that offers the reader a thorough analysis of Wellington’s engineers throughout the Peninsular War. The book is well-written and, despite its academic nature, easy to read. The only caveat the reviewer would place on this work is to recommend that the potential reader reads a general history of the war before this title, since Thompson focusses on the role of the engineers rather than the campaign itself, and prior knowledge of the conflict is beneficial. For those already familiar with the war, Wellington’s Engineers is a must-read. The book deserves a five out of five star rating.
The author considers the work of the Allied engineers under the command of Sir Arthur Wellesley, the future Duke of Wellington, in a chronological order. That is, he begins in 1808 and examines each year in turn until the conflict’s end in 1814. As one might expect, all the British sieges of the Peninsular War are included, as are the issues of bridge building (and demolition) etc., but perhaps the main gem of this work is the chapter examining the Lines of Torres Vedras. The majority of books on the war mention this amazing feat of engineering, but few go into the depth that Thompson’s does. At the end of the title the reader is presented with a number of fascinating appendices that go into greater detail regarding certain aspects of military engineering, including: reconnaissance, surveying, bridging and education, amongst others.
Overall, Thompson has produced an excellent, scholarly piece of work that offers the reader a thorough analysis of Wellington’s engineers throughout the Peninsular War. The book is well-written and, despite its academic nature, easy to read. The only caveat the reviewer would place on this work is to recommend that the potential reader reads a general history of the war before this title, since Thompson focusses on the role of the engineers rather than the campaign itself, and prior knowledge of the conflict is beneficial. For those already familiar with the war, Wellington’s Engineers is a must-read. The book deserves a five out of five star rating.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews