July 22, 1812. Salamanca, Spain. Frustrated at their first advance, British forces under Wellington's command have spent the last four days maneuvering and retreating from the French army. Patient and cautious, Wellington is determined not to make a fatal mistake. He glimpses a moment of opportunity and grasps it, committing all of his troops to a sudden devastating attack. At the end of the day, the French army is broken, panic-stricken, and reeling; Wellington has achieved the finest victory of his brilliant military career.
This book examines in unprecedented detail the battle of...

The British army reached the apogee of its success in the war against Napoleon, and in particular in the famous campaigns in the Peninsula, while under Wellington's command. Yet many aspects of how it achieved its victories have been ignored. This book breaks new ground in a series of meticulous studies which reveal the hidden mechanisms that lie behind triumphs such as Salamanca and Vitoria. At the same time it places Wellington's campaigns in their strategic context and explains how he achieved his success. The principles underlying the organization of Wellington's army are uncovered in a...