Glover, Gareth With Wellington's Cavalry

The Letters & Journals of the Luard & Dalbiac brothers during the Peninsular and Waterloo Campaigns

Volume 158 of the series From Reason to Revolution 1721-1815. The 4th Dragoon Regiment was involved in virtually every battle of the Spanish War of Independence from 1809 to 1814. It was a family regiment, with John and George Luard, Charles and George Dalbiac, Tom Fenton, and John Dalton all related to each other and serving at the same time. They left behind diaries and letters describing life in a cavalry regiment on the Iberian Peninsula and detailing the many actions they experienced. What makes With Wellington's Cavalry so extraordinary, however, is the fact that John Luard was also a talented artist and made numerous sketches of the places they visited on their journey across the peninsula, the people they met, and the battles they fought. All of these sketches are included in the book and convey a vivid picture of life in a cavalry regiment. At the time of Waterloo, the Luard brothers were serving in other cavalry regiments, but both survived unscathed and left behind magnificent descriptions of their role in this significant battle. The wealth of detail and numerous images make With Wellington's Cavalry a fascinating study of the impact of such a protracted conflict on relationships and give the reader a deep understanding of what it was really like to be there.