{"product_id":"albuera-1811-the-bloodiest-battle-of-the-peninsular-war-9781848324992","title":"Albuera 1811: The Bloodiest Battle of the Peninsular War","description":"\u003cp\u003eOn 16 May 1811  the small town of Albuera was the setting for one of the Peninsular Wars most bloody and desperate battles. A combined Spanish  British and Portuguese force of more than 30 000 men  under the command of Lord Beresford  stubbornly blocked the march of the French field marshal Soult  who was trying to reach the fortress of Badajoz  12 miles north.  Beresford  who defended himself with his bare hands against a Polish lancer  was victorious  but at the cost of 6 000 Allied deaths and 7 000 French in just four hours. The battle is best known for the Fusilier Brigades charge  made famous by Sir William Napiers melodramatic description  and because of the tenacity of the 57th Foot that earned them the Die Hards nickname.  The battle has not been seriously studied since Sir Charles Oman and Sir John Fortescues histories early in the 20th century  accounts which are incomplete and sometimes simply incorrect. This compelling new book fills this gap by using authentic primary sources to tell the story of the battle as completely as possible and dispels long-standing myths.  The book also brings to life the human dimension of the story by using first-person recollections to describe experiences on and off the battlefield. The battles drama is intensified by the circumstances of the fighting  which led to extremes of behavior ranging from incomprehensible valor to rank cowardice. The book balances the traditional Anglocentric bias by paying equal attention to Spanish  Portuguese  French  Polish and German soldiers who fought there.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45647620112437,"sku":"ByrdShop_1848324995","price":40.63,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781848324992.jpg?v=1781696247","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/albuera-1811-the-bloodiest-battle-of-the-peninsular-war-9781848324992","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}