[Divall] has written an excellent history of the campaign, as seen not by the commanders, but by the junior officers and men who fought there. She quotes extensively from almost 50 sets of memoirs, letters, and diaries to bring to life the experiences of the soldiers who fought on both sides. Many sources were written shortly after the events and there is a sense of immediacy that draws the reader into the action. Ms. Divall does not just use British sources, but also French ones. Among them are numerous quotes from Captain Hippolyte d’Espinchal of the 2nd French Hussars, who was actively involved in many of the key events of the pursuit of the British. As would be expected, the description of the events as seen by a French writer who witnessed it was often different than by a British soldier who was there. The author tries to stay neutral and gives both sides’ perspective when describing the events. If there was a contradiction, she makes an effort to reconcile the differences.

The Napoleon Series

Wellington acknowledged the military mistakes that had been made and described the retreat as his 'worst scrape'. And that's the comment that Napoleonic Wars' specialist Carole Divall had taken for the title of this latest book.

Ashford Herald

This is Carole Divall’s third book, the first two having dealt in detail with the 30th Regiment, and this time she concentrate’s on the latter stages of Wellington’s campaign of 1812, from his advance from Madrid on Burgos and his subsequent retreat.

Using letters and memoirs from participants on both the British and French sides Carole paints a vivid picture of this pivotal campaign, one where Wellington showed what the British forces could do, but also showed it at its worst during the retreat. It led ultimately to the successful campaign of 1813 and the French being pushed out of Spain.

Carole has presented in this book part of a campaign which has been largely overshadowed by Wellington’s victories at Salamanca and Vittoria.

This is an excellent book that fills a gap in the usual telling of the war in Spain and Portugal and one worth having for anyone interested in the war in Spain.

Crown and Empire

An English teacher with a special interest in military history, particularly that of the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars, Divall has become an expert on regimental history, the workings of Wellington’s army and aspects of the key campaigns.

In Wellington’s Worst Scrape, she reconstructs the series of extraordinary events in close detail and brings together many primary sources, creating a vivid and enthralling account of what happened and why.

Divall weaves together Wellington’s despatches with the eyewitness testimonies of British and Portuguese officers and men, civilians and the French.

The result is a fascinating, multi-layered impression of the siege of Burgos itself and the sequence of manoeuvres that preceded it.

Using authentic detail, she describes the tense decision-making, the allied misjudgements and the headlong retreat that followed as the British fled from two French armies which threatened to trap and destroy them.

Wellington’s Worst Scrape provides an illuminating and exciting in-depth study of a pivotal and neglected episode in the tough Peninsular War as well an immaculately researched insight into the character of the fighting at every level, and into the strengths and weaknesses of Wellington’s command.

A welcome and erudite addition to the forgotten pages of British military history.

Lancashire Evening Post