A History of the Peninsular War facts for kids
Volume 1 book jacket 1995 republication
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| Author | Sir Charles Oman |
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| Country | United Kingdom |
| Subject | History, Napoleonic Wars |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Publisher | Clarendon Press (1st edition), Greenhill Books (republished), Stackpole Books (republished) |
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Publication date
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1902-1930, 1995-1997, 2004 (paperback) |
| Media type | Print, e book, world wide web |
| ISBN | 9781853672149 |
| OCLC | 264957178 |
A History of the Peninsular War is a huge history book series. It has seven volumes, or parts. Sir Charles Oman wrote it. The books tell the story of the Peninsular War (1807-1814). This war happened in Spain and Portugal during the Napoleonic Wars. Clarendon Press published the first book in 1902. The last book came out in 1930.
Contents
About This Seven-Volume History
This seven-volume history is known for being very detailed and well-researched. Sir Charles Oman focused mainly on the military events of the war. He also wrote about the people involved, not just army groups. He included important leaders and soldiers from Spain, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and France.
Oman's writing style is easy to read. He tells the story well and sometimes adds humor. He made sure to include all the important facts about the many events he covered.
How Oman Did His Research
For his research, Oman looked at everything he could find. He found old diaries, personal stories, military messages, and official orders. He also read old newspapers and looked through national archives. He even visited the actual places where battles happened. This helped him describe the land accurately. His deep research also showed how well he understood the people and their decisions.
Why Oman Wrote This History
Many people think Oman was fair in his writing. One main reason he wrote this history was to correct another historian's work. Sir William Francis Patrick Napier had written his own six-volume book. Oman felt Napier's account was biased. He thought Napier made Spanish defeats seem worse and Spanish successes seem smaller. Napier also didn't give enough credit to the strong Spanish resistance. Oman also wrote his history because many new sources had become available since Napier's book was published.
It took Oman almost 30 years to write all seven volumes. This shows how hard he worked and how much he read. He personally visited almost all of Wellington's battlefields. The books also include extra sections, lists of casualties, and clear maps.
Timeline of the Volumes
The seven volumes of this history were published over many years:
- Volume 1 came out in 1902. It covers the years 1807–1809. Its title is "Treaty of Fontainebleau to Corunna." You can find it online.
- Volume 2 was published in 1903. It covers January to September 1809. It is called "Corunna to end of Talavera campaign."
- Volume 3 was published in 1908. It covers September 1809 to December 1810. Its title is "Ocana, Cadiz, Bussaco, Torres Vedras."
- Volume 4 came out in 1911. It covers December 1810 to December 1811. It is called "Massséna's retreat, Fuentes de Onoro, Albuera, Tarragon."
- Volume 5 was published in 1914. It covers October 1811 to August 1812. Its title is "Valencia, Ciudad Rodrigo, Badajoz, Salamanca, Madrid."
- Volume 6 came out in 1922. It covers September 1812 to August 1813. It is called "Siege of Burgos, retreat from Burgos, Vittoria, Pyrenees."
- Volume 7 was published in 1930. It covers August 1813 to April 1814. Its title is "St Sebastian, invasion of France, Nivelle..."
Greenhill Books and Stackpole Books later republished all seven volumes. This happened between 1995 and 1997.
Wellington's Army Book
While researching his main history, Oman collected other notes. These notes were not directly related to A History of the Peninsular War. So, he used them to write another book. This book was called "Wellington's Army 1809-1814." It was first published in 1913. It describes how Wellington's army was set up. It also talks about their daily life and how the soldiers thought and felt during the Peninsular War.
