Wellington's Light Division in the Peninsular War

The Formation, Campaigns & Battles of Wellington's Famous Fighting Force, 1810

Robert Burnham

• Publisher: Frontline Books
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN: 9781526758903
• eBook ISBN: 9781526758910
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: 19th Century History
• Index: History

"A detailed and riveting account of the Light Division and its three regiments, 43rd and 52nd Light Infantry and the 95th Rifles . . . An important book." — Firetrench
In February 1810, Wellington formed what became the most famous unit in the Peninsular War: the Light Division. Formed around the 43rd and 52nd Light Infantry and the 95th Rifles, the exploits of these three regiments is legendary. Over the next 50 months, the division would fight and win glory in almost every battle and siege of the Peninsular War.
How the division achieved its fame began on the border of Spain and Portugal where it served as a screen between Wellington's Army and the French. When it came time pull back from the border, the division endured a harrowing retreat with a relentless enemy at their heels. It was during this eventful year it developed an esprit-de-corps and a belief in its leaders and itself that was unrivaled in Wellington's Army.
Wellington's Light Division in the Peninsular War uses over 100 primary sources—many never published before—to recount the numerous skirmishes, combats, and battles, as well as the hardships of a year of duty on the front lines. Others are from long-forgotten books published over 150 years ago. It is through the words of the officers and men who served with it that this major, and long-anticipated study of the first critical year of the Light Division is told.
"Given the limited scope of the book, covering only one year of the Peninsular campaign, the depth of the study is truly remarkable . . . An excellent history of the Light Division 'Warts and All.'"— The Napoleon Series

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• List of Illustrations
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Abbreviations and Key to Map Symbols
• List of Maps
• Chapter 1 The Origins of the Light Division
• Chapter 2 The Birth of the Light Division, 1 January–18 March 1810
• Chapter 3 Barba del Puerco, 19–31 March 1810
• Chapter 4 23 March–30 April 1810
• Chapter 5 May 1810
• Chapter 6 The War of the Infantry Outposts, June 1810
• Chapter 7 The War of the Cavalry Outposts, July 1810
• Chapter 8 The Fight on the Côa River, 24 July 1810
• Chapter 9 The Casualties at the Côa
• Chapter 10 Fallout from the Action on the Côa
• Chapter 11 25 July–25 September 1810
• Chapter 12 The Battle of Busaco, 26–27 September 1810
• Chapter 13 The Retreat to Lisbon, 28 September–10 October 1810
• Chapter 14 The Lines of Torres Vedras, 11 October–14 November 1810
• Chapter 15 The Pursuit of the French to Santarém, 15 November–31 December 1810
• Chapter 16 What Happened to Them
• Appendix I Strength of the Light Division, February–December 1810
• Appendix II Gazetteer of Place Names
• Appendix III Locations of Bridges and Fords across the Agueda and Azaba Rivers
• Appendix IV General Craufurd’s After-Action Report on the Combat at Villa de Puerco
• Appendix V General Craufurd’s Report on the Combat of the Côa
• Bibliography
• Plate section