"This book is a fabulous eye-opener about the early part of the Peninsular War, seen through the eyes of a particularly intelligent young man who is able to speak the truth as he witnessed it."

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The Napoleonic Guide

This book describes the life and adventures of August Schaumann, who rose through the ranks to become a junior subaltern in the King’s German Legion, as he serves in the Iberian Peninsula and southern France 1808-1814. As a commissary Schaumann was entrusted with gathering supplies; in his account he provides a picture of the military operations in which he was involved and offers insights into some aspects of the Napoleonic Wars that generally do not receive much attention. He laments, for example, the lot of commissaries who were often exposed to the enemy on their foraging raids, risked being killed by angry natives, or were treated somewhat shabbily by senior officers. He also reveals the logistical problems that both sides faced in this era and how the civilian populations of Spain and Portugal coped during this period of their history. First published in 1999, this 2015 400 page edition features an introduction by Bernard Cornwell, author of the Sharpe series of novels.

Stuart Asquith, Author

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