Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Wellington and the Lines of Torres Vedras: The Defence of Portugal during the Peninsular War, 1807-1814
    Kesselsdorf 1745: Decision in the Fight for Silesia
    The Lilies & The Thistle: French Troops in the Jacobite '45
    Ebook series3 titles

    From Reason to Revolution Series

    By Andrew Bamford, Mark S. Thompson, Alexander Querengässer and David C. Bonk

    ()

    About this series

    When one thinks of the wars of the eighteenth century, one thinks of the significant clashes of great military powers: the War of the Spanish Succession and the Battles of Blenheim and Malplaquet, the Great Northern War and the Battles of Narva and Poltava, the War of the Austrian Succession and Fontenoy, the Seven Years War with Roßbach, Leuthen and Zorndorf, or the American War of Independence with Saratoga and Yorktown. All of these engagements appear again and again in the lists of the great battles of world history, and there are reasons why they deserve a place in them. Yet none of them brought an end to the war in which they were fought. Not so the Battle of Kesselsdorf, which is largely forgotten today and will probably never find its way into an anthology of world- historically significant battles yet surely deserves such a place. For the immediate consequence of the victory of the Prussian army under Leopold von Anhalt-Dessau over a Saxon army on the heights near Kesselsdorf was the peace agreement at Dresden. In it, Austria once again renounced its claims to the province of Silesia, which had been lost to Prussia in the First Silesian War. In addition, Prussia rose to the rank of the great European powers and became the regional hegemon in northern Germany, while ambitious Electoral Saxony lost considerable political importance in the Empire and in Europe.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHelion and Company
    Release dateJul 31, 2018
    Wellington and the Lines of Torres Vedras: The Defence of Portugal during the Peninsular War, 1807-1814
    Kesselsdorf 1745: Decision in the Fight for Silesia
    The Lilies & The Thistle: French Troops in the Jacobite '45

    Titles in the series (3)

    • 24

      The Lilies & The Thistle: French Troops in the Jacobite '45
      The Lilies & The Thistle: French Troops in the Jacobite '45

      The Lilies & The Thistle: French Troops in the Jacobite '45

      Andrew Bamford
      1/5 - 1 rating
      1/5 - 1 rating

      The Jacobite Rising of 1745 could not have taken place without French support. French ships carried Charles Edward Stuart to Scotland, French gold financed his campaign, and French weapons equipped many of his troops. Yet the actual French military contribution to the campaign was small, and its role is frequently neglected. This book seeks to redress this balance by looking in detail at the French military contribution to the Jacobite ’45: the first detachment of troops to sail with the Prince – who instead of landing in Scotland found themselves caught up in an intense naval battle; the staff officers and professionals who helped Charles organize his army on modern European lines; and the Irish and Scots regulars who fought with distinction at Inverurie, Falkrik, and Culloden. As with many aspects of the ’45, myths and misconceptions aplenty have arisen about the nature and significance of the French contribution. New archival research enables a better picture to be obtained than ever before of the men who made up the rank and file of this contingent, and of the background and fates of those who led them. New analysis is offered, too, as to details of the uniforms worn by the detachments serving in Scotland, reconsidering existing sources and also bringing out new information. Taken together, the result is to fill an important gap in our understanding of these dramatic events, one of the last occasions that foreign troops fought on British soil.

      The Jacobite Rising of 1745 could not have taken place without French support. French ships carried Charles Edward Stuart to Scotland, French gold financed his campaign, and French weapons equipped many of his troops. Yet the actual French military contribution to the campaign was small, and its role is frequently neglected. This book seeks to redress this balance by looking in detail at the French military contribution to the Jacobite ’45: the first detachment of troops to sail with the Prince – who instead of landing in Scotland found themselves caught up in an intense naval battle; the staff officers and professionals who helped Charles organize his army on modern European lines; and the Irish and Scots regulars who fought with distinction at Inverurie, Falkrik, and Culloden. As with many aspects of the ’45, myths and misconceptions aplenty have arisen about the nature and significance of the French contribution. New archival research enables a better picture to be obtained than ever before of the men who made up the rank and file of this contingent, and of the background and fates of those who led them. New analysis is offered, too, as to details of the uniforms worn by the detachments serving in Scotland, reconsidering existing sources and also bringing out new information. Taken together, the result is to fill an important gap in our understanding of these dramatic events, one of the last occasions that foreign troops fought on British soil.

    • 75

      Wellington and the Lines of Torres Vedras: The Defence of Portugal during the Peninsular War, 1807-1814
      Wellington and the Lines of Torres Vedras: The Defence of Portugal during the Peninsular War, 1807-1814

      Wellington and the Lines of Torres Vedras: The Defence of Portugal during the Peninsular War, 1807-1814

      Mark S. Thompson
      0 ratings
      0 ratings

      In October 1810, the Third French invasion of Portugal under Maréchal Masséna arrived at the Lines of Torres Vedras and his triumphal march into Lisbon came to an abrupt halt. Five months later a thoroughly demoralized and defeated French army retreated from Portugal and never returned. The Lines played a vital role in enabling the allied army to operate against a more numerous enemy. When threatened, there was a safe place for the allies to retire to, and from this secure base, Wellington eventually liberated the Iberian Peninsula. France, Portugal and Britain developed plans for the defense of Lisbon in 1808 and 1809. In November 1809, the British proposal was commenced and became the Lines of Torres Vedras. The Memorandum on the construction was written in October 1809 but was more of an outline. The design and construction was completed over the next 18 months, the bulk being completed before the arrival of the French in October 1810. The initial design was expanded through 1810 as more time became available and the construction in October 1810 was significantly different to the original memorandum. The book takes the reader through events in 1809 that led to the need for the construction of defenses. The construction work is detailed and illustrated through several maps to explain the position and purpose of the several defenses. The French invasion of 1810 is summarized through to the time when the French arrived at the Lines. The operations and movements over the next month are again detailed along with the continuing construction work on the Lines. One of the unusual elements of the defenses was the construction of a telegraph system and this is described in great detail. One of the lesser-known facts about the Lines, is the position of the opposing forces between October 1810 and March 1811. They were only facing each other at the Lines for a few weeks during this period and most French troops never approached them. The operations and defenses were spread over a much larger area. This book uses many new sources to prove a new, in-depth, English language account of the massive engineering exercise that built the Lines with the help of thousands of Portuguese civilians. Without the construction of the Lines, it is likely that Portugal would have been lost and history would tell a very different story.

      In October 1810, the Third French invasion of Portugal under Maréchal Masséna arrived at the Lines of Torres Vedras and his triumphal march into Lisbon came to an abrupt halt. Five months later a thoroughly demoralized and defeated French army retreated from Portugal and never returned. The Lines played a vital role in enabling the allied army to operate against a more numerous enemy. When threatened, there was a safe place for the allies to retire to, and from this secure base, Wellington eventually liberated the Iberian Peninsula. France, Portugal and Britain developed plans for the defense of Lisbon in 1808 and 1809. In November 1809, the British proposal was commenced and became the Lines of Torres Vedras. The Memorandum on the construction was written in October 1809 but was more of an outline. The design and construction was completed over the next 18 months, the bulk being completed before the arrival of the French in October 1810. The initial design was expanded through 1810 as more time became available and the construction in October 1810 was significantly different to the original memorandum. The book takes the reader through events in 1809 that led to the need for the construction of defenses. The construction work is detailed and illustrated through several maps to explain the position and purpose of the several defenses. The French invasion of 1810 is summarized through to the time when the French arrived at the Lines. The operations and movements over the next month are again detailed along with the continuing construction work on the Lines. One of the unusual elements of the defenses was the construction of a telegraph system and this is described in great detail. One of the lesser-known facts about the Lines, is the position of the opposing forces between October 1810 and March 1811. They were only facing each other at the Lines for a few weeks during this period and most French troops never approached them. The operations and defenses were spread over a much larger area. This book uses many new sources to prove a new, in-depth, English language account of the massive engineering exercise that built the Lines with the help of thousands of Portuguese civilians. Without the construction of the Lines, it is likely that Portugal would have been lost and history would tell a very different story.

    • 117

      Kesselsdorf 1745: Decision in the Fight for Silesia
      Kesselsdorf 1745: Decision in the Fight for Silesia

      Kesselsdorf 1745: Decision in the Fight for Silesia

      Alexander Querengässer
      0 ratings
      0 ratings

      When one thinks of the wars of the eighteenth century, one thinks of the significant clashes of great military powers: the War of the Spanish Succession and the Battles of Blenheim and Malplaquet, the Great Northern War and the Battles of Narva and Poltava, the War of the Austrian Succession and Fontenoy, the Seven Years War with Roßbach, Leuthen and Zorndorf, or the American War of Independence with Saratoga and Yorktown. All of these engagements appear again and again in the lists of the great battles of world history, and there are reasons why they deserve a place in them. Yet none of them brought an end to the war in which they were fought. Not so the Battle of Kesselsdorf, which is largely forgotten today and will probably never find its way into an anthology of world- historically significant battles yet surely deserves such a place. For the immediate consequence of the victory of the Prussian army under Leopold von Anhalt-Dessau over a Saxon army on the heights near Kesselsdorf was the peace agreement at Dresden. In it, Austria once again renounced its claims to the province of Silesia, which had been lost to Prussia in the First Silesian War. In addition, Prussia rose to the rank of the great European powers and became the regional hegemon in northern Germany, while ambitious Electoral Saxony lost considerable political importance in the Empire and in Europe.

      When one thinks of the wars of the eighteenth century, one thinks of the significant clashes of great military powers: the War of the Spanish Succession and the Battles of Blenheim and Malplaquet, the Great Northern War and the Battles of Narva and Poltava, the War of the Austrian Succession and Fontenoy, the Seven Years War with Roßbach, Leuthen and Zorndorf, or the American War of Independence with Saratoga and Yorktown. All of these engagements appear again and again in the lists of the great battles of world history, and there are reasons why they deserve a place in them. Yet none of them brought an end to the war in which they were fought. Not so the Battle of Kesselsdorf, which is largely forgotten today and will probably never find its way into an anthology of world- historically significant battles yet surely deserves such a place. For the immediate consequence of the victory of the Prussian army under Leopold von Anhalt-Dessau over a Saxon army on the heights near Kesselsdorf was the peace agreement at Dresden. In it, Austria once again renounced its claims to the province of Silesia, which had been lost to Prussia in the First Silesian War. In addition, Prussia rose to the rank of the great European powers and became the regional hegemon in northern Germany, while ambitious Electoral Saxony lost considerable political importance in the Empire and in Europe.

    Author

    Andrew Bamford

    Andrew Bamford completed a PhD in Military History at the University of Leeds in 2010, and now edits the From Reason to Revolution series for Helion.

    Read more from Andrew Bamford

    Related to From Reason to Revolution

    Related ebooks

    Wars & Military For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Scouts On The Northern Frontier Areani Or Arcani

      Feb 16, 2024

      The 360s were a decade of unrest in Roman Britain, as the province came under repeated attack by its barbarian neighbours: Scotti and Attacotti from Ireland, Saxons from the Continent, and Picts from Caledonia. In AD 367, a high-ranking officer named

      8 min read

    • Article

      Ælle The King’s Men

      Mar 21, 2022

      Ælle The King’s Men
      6 min read

    • Article

      Constructing Defence

      Mar 21, 2022

      Constructing Defence
      6 min read

    • Article

      Ideas For Wargaming History's Earliest Conflicts Battles In Bronze

      Mar 15, 2024

      Mercenary troops can be just as loyal or more loyal than your own troops. When I defeated and captured the Sherden pirates, I took these veteran fighters and made them my personal bodyguards. During the Bronze Age, ancient peoples began to smelt copp

      5 min read

    • Article

      Reconstructing A Muscle Cuirass, Part 1 New Copy Old Design

      Feb 16, 2024

      Reenactors don't tend to get taken very seriously by professional historians, but those of us portraying ancients have a unique angle. By donning accurate panoplies and testing weapons and tactics which would otherwise exist only in academic theory,

      6 min read

    • Article

      Campaigning With The Ten Thousand xenophon's Challenge

      Feb 16, 2024

      The march of the Ten Thousand, as told by Xenophon in his Anabasis Kyrou (‘Expedition of Cyrus’), was one of the most celebrated events in antiquity, even more famous than the expeditions of Alexander the Great. Xenophon, of course, was a participant

      5 min read

    • Article

      PIKE, BOW & LIVERY COAT

      Mar 7, 2022

      PIKE, BOW & LIVERY COAT
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Strife Of Camlann

      Sep 23, 2022

      The Strife Of Camlann
      5 min read

    • Article

      Book Reviews

      Nov 7, 2021

      Vol 2: The French Army 1870 By Robert J Marrion & Steve Shann ISBN: 978-1858185774 (Partizan Press, 2021) – £35.00 Thanks to the recent Perry releases, I’ve been painting miniatures for Franco Prussian War games, and now I have a uniform guide for th

      6 min read

    • Article

      Preliminaries

      Aug 3, 2021

      Big battles, with hoplites, phalangites or legionaries many ranks deep and hundreds of files wide, that’s what we think of when imagining an ancient battlefield. If you’re so inclined, you might favor a siege too, preferably with spectacular war mach

      7 min read

    • Article

      A Hidden Treasure From Denmark The Hjortspring Finds

      Feb 16, 2024

      In 1920, the Danish National Museum became interested in stories that planks and spearheads had been found in a bog on Als. Because the landowner wanted to drain the bog for pasture, it was possible to carry out a very thorough and careful excavation

      6 min read

    • Article

      Exception To The Rule

      Apr 13, 2021

      Present-day manufacturers of replica arms and armour achieve levels of quality that are way beyond anything most Roman armourers seem to have aspired to, with a few notable exceptions. Edges of helmets, for example, were roughly finished, the symmetr

      3 min read

    • Article

      Following The Ransverse Crest

      Jun 8, 2021

      Following The Ransverse Crest
      9 min read

    • Article

      The Chremonidean War

      Jan 24, 2022

      In the Athenian year 269/8, they saw their opportunity. Since the mid-270s, Macedon had been ruled by Antigonus Gonatas, the son of Demetrius Poliorcetes. Ever since Antigonus came to the throne, Greek opposition to his rule had been fostered and fun

      8 min read

    • Article

      Henry’s Army Royal

      Mar 7, 2022

      The army of Henry VIII fielded for the invasion of France came to about 30,000 men and consisted of: • 10,000 archers • 3500 billmen • 1000 ‘Marispikes’, pikemen • 1000 King’s spears, heavy cavalry • 600 Yeomen gunners, arquebusiers • 2500 demilancer

      1 min read

    • Article

      Who Laid Out The Camps?

      Jan 24, 2022

      Who Laid Out The Camps?
      6 min read

    • Article

      In The Ranks

      Oct 31, 2019

      In The Ranks
      2 min read

    • Article

      Independent And All-supreme

      Jan 24, 2022

      Independent And All-supreme
      14 min read

    • Article

      The First Bows And Arrows Used In Eurasia

      May 5, 2023

      A new scientific analysis of flakes of flint from France reveals that bows and arrows were in use in Western Europe 54,000 years ago - much earlier than previously thought. It has been generally accepted among archaeologists that mechanically propell

      1 min read

    • Article

      Using Rebels And Patriots For Garibaldi In Sicily

      Jan 7, 2022

      Here is a list of suggested profiles for the Garibaldini and the Kingdom of Two Sicilies for Rebels and Patriots. The Thousand – shock infantry @6 points The volunteers of the initial expedition, “The Thousand”, were a very mixed batch, composed of y

      2 min read

    • Article

      Battle Famous : Turckheim

      Oct 31, 2019

      Battle Famous : Turckheim
      2 min read

    • Article

      Killing Alexander!

      May 7, 2021

      Killing Alexander!
      7 min read

    • Article

      What Happened To All The Toy Soldiers?

      Oct 6, 2023

      It is true that toy figures can be found in the bigger supermarkets and garden centres, but inevitably the theme is either agricultural, wildlife, dinosaurs, or fantastical. The last of these offers a number of medieval knights lacking any historical

      6 min read

    • Article

      Pike Through Time

      Mar 21, 2022

      Pike Through Time
      8 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for From Reason to Revolution

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words