by John Marsden
Warwick, Eng.: Helion / Philadelphia: Casemate, 2021. Pp. 192+.
Illus., maps, tables, notes, biblio. $44.95 paper. ISBN: 1913118983
A Remarkable – and Neglected – Episode of the Napoleonic Wars
This is an account of one of the most unusual and little studied events of the Napoleonic Wars, yet an episode that had an important role in the development of the Peninsular Campaign.
In 1808, Napoleon “borrowed” 14,000 troops from Spain for service in Denmark. A significant portion of the best troops in the Spanish Army. But soon after, his attempt to install his brother as king of Spain sparked a brutal and widespread popular uprising. Britain, suddenly allied with Spain, organized the rescue of part of this army, which subsequently took part in the protracted Peninsular War, while those left behind mostly perished during Napoleon’s Russian fiasco.
This book, by British historian Marsden, is the first English account of this remarkable episode. Marsden’s treatment of the planning and execution of the rescue is quite good, and covers some impressive operations under very trying conditions. So too is his coverage of the subsequent movements and actions of the men of the “Division del Norte”, and their role in the war in Spain. In the process, we also get a rare sympathetic look at the Spanish Army of the times, which has usually been rather scornfully treated, and woefully neglected in accounts of the wars.
A volume in the Helion series “From Reason to Revolution”, Napoleon’s Stolen Army is good read for anyone with an interest in the Napoleonic wars and particularly the role of the Spanish Army in the wars.
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