Featured battle : Algeciras [2]

Part of The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars

Date : 12 July 1801 - 13 July 1801

After the engagement on the 5th July the Franco-Spanish force in Algeciras was reinforced to 9 ships of the line, 3 frigates and one gun boat. After refitting at Gibraltar the British returned with 5 ships of the line, 2 frigates and 3 smaller vessels. Before the British got into the bay the Franco-Spanish made for sea heading for Cadiz. A stern chase was then on and the fastest British ship, the Superb, was allowed to go on alone. Other British ships came up as they could and the Franco-Spanish suffered severe losses. The action closed about 0500 hrs on the 13th with the remains of the Franco-Spanish fleet getting into Cadiz.

Marching Fighting Dying.

Gareth Glover
This is a super read and those who, like me, are Gareth Glover fans will welcome this as a classic. The author has undertaken wide ranging research into primary sources and most of the text consists of excerpts from letters home from the Peninsular. There is very little about the battles as the bulk of the book is about activities off the battlefield e.g. the journey by ship or the entertainment when in winter quarters. The stories are entertaining and fascinating and lead one to gain a deeper insight into life in Wellington’s army. Here is the unvarnished detail of what the troops did and felt about it.
It would be enough to be an ‘interesting’ book but it is more important than just that. The substance of the correspondence brings into question many previously held ‘understandings’ of soldiering in the Napoleonic wars. The brief concluding paragraphs to each chapter and the summary Conclusion chapter are valuable correctors to many ‘widely accepted views’. This book is a big step towards historical truth.
We highly recommend it to all levels of readership.

Pen & Sword Military, 2021