ON THE ROAD
WITH WELLINGTON |
| CONTENT: The remarkable memoirs of August Schaumann capture the life and adventures of a junior officer in the British Army as he endures the drama and agonies of the fierce struggle in Spain, Portugal and the south of France between 1808 and 1814. Schaumann took part in Sir John Moore's ill-fated campaign in Spain, was present at the 'bloody battle of Talavera', witnessed the battle of Bussaco and invasion of Portugal, fought at Fuentes d'Onoro and Vittoria, and accompanied the Allied forces over the frontier into France itself in 1814. As a commissary, entrusted with gathering supplies as the army advanced, Schaumann was caught up in a host of brawls and skirmishes, and his narrative is all the more valuable for relating the small war of picquets and outposts that went on throughout the conflict but was overshadowed by the more famous battles. He laments the lot of commissaries 'to expose themselves on their various raids to the danger of meeting enemy forces, to shoulder the greatest responsibilities, to be constantly threatened with assassination by enraged natives and to be treated shabbily by the generals.' This is a classic narrative from the pen of a gifted writer and superb observer of the people, places and events on campaign. KEY POINTS: • Includes a sparkling Introduction by Bernard Cornwell • The atmospheric adventures of a German soldier in the British Army • An eyewitness account of the major battles and campaigns of the Peninsular War AUTHOR NOTES: A. L. F. Schaumann enlisted in the King's German Legion, fought throughout the Napoleonic Wars, retired from active service in 1816 and obtained a post as a civil servant in his native town of Hanover. He died in 1840. |
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