Recollections Of The Storming Of The Castle Of Badajos

Recollections Of The Storming Of The Castle Of Badajos PDF Author: Captain James MacCarthy
Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing
ISBN: 178289151X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 76

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Book Description
The situation for the Duke of Wellington and his British and Portuguese troops in 1812 was somewhat perilous. Although they had chased Masséna and his French Legions from Spain, overwhelming numbers of enemy troops were still in Spain despite being scattered through the provinces. For Wellington to move forward and take the fight to the enemy, he would have to take the two border fortresses of Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajos, and do so quickly before the bickering French marshals united against him. After capturing Ciudad Rodrigo in a bloody but short siege, the Iron Duke turned his attention on the much more formidable fortress of Badajos, a fortress that they had failed to take before. The few trained Allied engineers were bolstered by volunteer officers like the author Captain MacCarthy, who undertook the dangerous work of the engineers. However, a lack of artillery and shot meant that the task would be exceptionally difficult, and pressed by time Wellington orders an early assault by the best of his infantry over barely practicable breeches. As a diversion, he also orders an attempt to capture the castle of Badajos by escalade - the author himself being part of this diversionary effort. In the event, the breeches prove to be impregnable and after repeated murderous attempts, the defences of Badajos are only breached by the ladder borne assault on the castle. Captain MacCarthy’s short narrative is vividly written filled with the blood and shot of the siege and the castle’s final capture.

Recollections of the Storming of the Castle of Badajos

Recollections of the Storming of the Castle of Badajos PDF Author: Captain MacCarthy
Publisher: Spellmount, Limited Publishers
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 136

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Book Description
The siege and storming of Badajos, from 18 March to 6 April 1812, was one of the bloodiest episodes of the Peninsular War. In conditions resembling the trenches of the First World War, Wellington's infantry dug their way towards the huge medieval walls of the Spanish frontier fortress before storming the place on the night of 6 April. The town had denied them on two previous occasions and it is little wonder that once inside the men went berserk and embarked upon an orgy of rape, pillage and destruction that lasted for a full seventy-two hours. Even the iron hand of Wellington himself could not stop it, and, in the words of one of the great historians of the war, "the disorder subsided, rather than it was quelled." The storming of Badajos was not achieved without huge cost to Wellington, however. Indeed, he watched, helpless, as the flower of his army was smashed upon the breaches. Over forty times did the 4th and Light Divisions attack, and forty times were they beaten back with heavy loss. Fortunately, two other attacks, intended only to distract the French, succeeded. One of them was made by the 3rd Division, who took the Castle of Badajos by escalade, the men scaling the forty feet high walls by means of flimsy ladders. The 3rd Division was guided to its point of attack by James MacCarthy, whose own vivid account of the siege and storming is reproduced here in this facsimile, the latest in the acclaimed Spellmount Library of Military History series. As well as being a graphic account of the siege, MacCarthy's book is both extremely rare and is much sought after by students of the Peninsular War and by book collectors alike. -- Dust jacket.

Recollections Of The Storming Of The Castle Of Badajos

Recollections Of The Storming Of The Castle Of Badajos PDF Author: Captain James MacCarthy
Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing
ISBN: 178289151X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 76

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Book Description
The situation for the Duke of Wellington and his British and Portuguese troops in 1812 was somewhat perilous. Although they had chased Masséna and his French Legions from Spain, overwhelming numbers of enemy troops were still in Spain despite being scattered through the provinces. For Wellington to move forward and take the fight to the enemy, he would have to take the two border fortresses of Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajos, and do so quickly before the bickering French marshals united against him. After capturing Ciudad Rodrigo in a bloody but short siege, the Iron Duke turned his attention on the much more formidable fortress of Badajos, a fortress that they had failed to take before. The few trained Allied engineers were bolstered by volunteer officers like the author Captain MacCarthy, who undertook the dangerous work of the engineers. However, a lack of artillery and shot meant that the task would be exceptionally difficult, and pressed by time Wellington orders an early assault by the best of his infantry over barely practicable breeches. As a diversion, he also orders an attempt to capture the castle of Badajos by escalade - the author himself being part of this diversionary effort. In the event, the breeches prove to be impregnable and after repeated murderous attempts, the defences of Badajos are only breached by the ladder borne assault on the castle. Captain MacCarthy’s short narrative is vividly written filled with the blood and shot of the siege and the castle’s final capture.

The War in the Peninsula and Recollections of the Storming of the Castle of Badajos

The War in the Peninsula and Recollections of the Storming of the Castle of Badajos PDF Author: Lieutenant Robert Knowles
Publisher: The History Press
ISBN: 0750980117
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 213

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Book Description
Lieutenant Knowles served in the 7th (Royal) Fusiliers 1811-1813, seeing action in several battles, being wounded at the storming of Badajoz and at the battle of Salamanca. He was killed at Roncesvalles on 25 July 1813 during the Battle of the Pyrenees. By combining the overall picture as painted by Lt Knowles with the specific, bloody narrative of the storming of the Castle by Captain MacCarthy in one volume, this work is not only fantastic value for money but also offers the discerning reader a whole new perspective on the campaign. What did these two men – of different temperaments – make of events? Wellington had watched helplessly at Badajos as the flower of his army was smashed against the ramparts of Badajos: the 4th and Light Divisions attacked no less than 40 times. When they finally succeeded, an orgy of rape, pillage and destruction followed that even the Iron Duke could not quell. What did both men have to say about this? Both of these rare classics are essential reading for students of the period.

Histories of War

Histories of War PDF Author: Jeremy Black
Publisher: Pen and Sword Military
ISBN: 1036101509
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 269

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Book Description
A global account of histories of war, from Antiquity to the present day, this thoughtful book shows how the varied modes of representation record political, cultural and social developments as well as military events. Covers all forms of discussion and commemoration from statuary to scholarship, films to novels. Important not only to those interested in the history of war but also to those concerned with culture and history in general. This erudite volume on the theory and practice of military history will interest a wide readership including both professional historians of war and those concerned with its broader philosophical dimension. The author - a well established authority in European history - has provided an informed, rigorous analysis of a difficult topic. It will delight those who seek enlightenment of the historian's craft, military or otherwise.

Catalogue of the Library of the Royal United Service Institution, (to April 30th, 1889.)

Catalogue of the Library of the Royal United Service Institution, (to April 30th, 1889.) PDF Author: Royal United Service Institution (Great Britain). Library
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Military art and science
Languages : en
Pages : 856

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Book Description


Catalogue of the Library of the Royal United Service Institution

Catalogue of the Library of the Royal United Service Institution PDF Author: Royal United Service Institution (Great Britain). Library
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Military art and science
Languages : en
Pages : 392

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Fortifications and Siegecraft

Fortifications and Siegecraft PDF Author: Jeremy Black
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1538109697
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 327

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Book Description
As centers for defense and bases for attack since ancient times, fortifications are a crucial aspect of military history. Indeed, as Jeremy Black shows, the history of fortifications is a global history of humanity itself. Moreover, their remains offer a still potent, often dramatic testimony to the past, notably through the strength of the sites, the power of the works, and the vast resources they required. This compelling book explores not only the history of fortifications themselves, but also the real and potential threat to them posed by siegecraft. Tracing the interaction of attack and defense over time, Black situates the evolution of fortifications within the wider development of governments, societies, and cultures. Moreover, his examination of the future of these installations, as well as of potential methods of destroying them, only reaffirms their omnipresence in human history—and their continued importance. Fortifications are not simply relics of the past, but rather elements fundamental to military and social interaction across the world today.

Colburn's United Service Magazine and Naval and Military Journal

Colburn's United Service Magazine and Naval and Military Journal PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Military art and science
Languages : en
Pages : 806

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Peninsular Eyewitnesses

Peninsular Eyewitnesses PDF Author: Charles Esdaile
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1473817153
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 612

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Book Description
Many books have been written about the British struggle against Napoleon in the Peninsula. A few recent studies have given a broader view of the ebb and flow of a long war that had a shattering impact on Spain and Portugal and marked the history of all the nations involved. But none of these books has concentrated on how these momentous events were perceived and understood by the people who experienced them. Charles Esdaile has brought together a vivid selection of contemporary accounts of every aspect of the war to create a panoramic yet minutely detailed picture of those years of turmoil. The story is told through memoirs, letters and eyewitness testimony from all sides. Instead of generals and statesmen, we mostly hear from less-well-known figures - junior officers and ordinary soldiers and civilians who recorded their immediate experience of the conflict.

Colburn's United Service Magazine and Naval Military Journal

Colburn's United Service Magazine and Naval Military Journal PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Military art and science
Languages : en
Pages : 580

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Book Description