Book seven in the sabre-rattling Napoleonic Horsemen series.
With the rest of Europe subservient to Emperor Napoleon, he sends his best Marshals to Portugal to rid himself of the annoyance that is Sir Arthur Wellesley. Thanks to an uncooperative parliament, the Viscount has little chance of defeating the French with their superior numbers and so he constructs a devilishly complicated series of defences north of Lisbon.
While they are being built Major Matthews and his sergeant have to travel behind enemy lines to discover the size of the problem. There Major Matthews’ past comes back to haunt him and he risks all to gather the information which General Wellesley needs.
As Viscount Wellesley and his resilient army try to fend off the tentacles of the French army they have to fight battles in the most uncompromising of landscapes. The Light Division’s defence of the Côa, the Battle of Bussaco and the bloody Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro are just three of the actions in which Major Matthews and Sergeant Sharp fight for Sir Arthur Wellesley!
I really enjoy writing this series as I was always fascinated by the Napoleonic wars. I enjoyed wargaming the battles of the period when time allowed and I have seen the magnificent collection of figures and costumes owned by Ron Ringrose who worked on the TV Sharpe series. I am working my way steadily through the Peninsular War and this tome deals with the battles of Bussaco and Fuentes de Onoro.
One of the descendants of the Duke said of the defences Wellington and Richard Fletcher built, that had the battle been a traditional one then it would have ranked as one of the greatest victories of all time. The Anglo-Portuguese lost a few hundred men while the French Army of Portugal lost 20,000! There were few actual engagements but the Portuguese winter and the terrain cost the French dear.
