Peninsular Sketches; by Actors on the Scene. Vol. I‪.‬

Despite the rather prosaic title, these two volumes contain some of the best eye-witness accounts of the Peninsular War. Maxwell wrote a number of books on the Napoleonic Wars himself, the research for which put him in contact with numerous ex-soldiers. In these two volumes, he assembled their accounts and published them as a collection. The accounts are not published in chronological order, but this does not detract from their value: the recollections are taken not just from the officers involved, but also the rank and file soldiers.


In this first volume you will find the following narratives:—


Leaves From The Journal Of A Veteran.


The British Cavalry On The Peninsula.


The British Campaign Of 1809; Under Sir A. Wellesley.


Recollections In Quarters.


Affair Of El Bodon.


The Capture Of Ciudad Rodrigo.


The Storming Of Badajoz.


From The Journal Of Lieut. P. K., 88th Regt.


The Storming Of Badajoz.


The Battle Of Salamanca.


Events Subsequent To The Battle And Advance From Salamanca.


Advance From Salamanca.


William Hamilton Maxwell was an Irish author of prodigious output: his output was varied from historical novels and biographies to local legends of the Cheviots and Irish travelogues. The author's history is slightly shrouded, although he seems to have had some military background in British service. His most enduring works, however, are those he wrote on the military history of the Napoleonic Wars: his biography of the Duke of Wellington is still frequently referred to and quoted from.


Author/Editor — William Hamilton Maxwell (1792-1850)