Volume 153 of the series From Reason to Revolution 1721-1815 is a comprehensive study of French heavy cavalry in Spain, from its beginnings, when provisional squadrons were formed, to the withdrawal of the 13th Cuirassiers from Spain in 1814. It draws heavily on contemporary sources, including previously unpublished memoirs of the cuirassiers themselves. It brilliantly fills a gap in the historiography of the Spanish War of Independence and will be of interest to anyone fascinated by the Napoleonic era. The nature of the terrain in Spain and the multitude of fronts and types of warfare were not particularly conducive to cavalry action. In Central Europe, most of Napoleon's heavy cavalry attacks may have been aimed at breaking through massed infantry columns, but the cuirassiers quickly adapted to the bitter warfare waged in Spain and delivered the coup de grâce in many actions. All their opponents feared them when the cry The cuirassiers are coming! went through the ranks.
Author
Lapray, Olivier
Title
Napoleons Cuirassiers in Spain
Details
English text, paperback, 10 bw- and 12 colour illustrations, 21 maps. 229 pages.
State
new
Subtitle
The History of the 13th Cuirassiers Regiment (1808–1814)
