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

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:—


March To Madrid, And Retreat From Burgos.


The Battle Of Vittoria.


Advance From Vittoria.


The Battles Of The Pyrenees.


The British Cavalry On The Peninsula.


The Action In Front Of Bayonne.


"Take The Hill Before Dark!"


Reminiscences Of Bayonne.


A Night In The Peninsular War


Recollections Of The Late War In Spain And Portugal.


Recollections Of The Peninsula


Dolores — An Incident In The Peninsular War.


Journey To Head-Quarters Near Burgos.


Seven Weeks' Captivity In St. Sebastian, In 1813


Arroyo De Molino


The Twenty-Ninth At Albuera.


Out-Post Anecdotes, Etc.


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)