Overview

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 demoralised 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 summarised 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. AUTHOR: Dr Mark S. Thompson has had a lifelong interest in the British army in the Peninsular War. He has made a special study of the campaigns of Marshal Beresford and the Battle of Albuera, and he has published a number of books on Peninsular subjects. 50 b/w illustrationss, 16 colour pages of photographss, maps, plans

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9781914059858

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Reviews

"""...this is an excellent bit of historical detective work and if you want a book to fully explain every little detail of the Lines of Torres Vedras, you should look no further.""-- ""The Napoleon Series"""

...this is an excellent bit of historical detective work and if you want a book to fully explain every little detail of the Lines of Torres Vedras, you should look no further. -- The Napoleon Series

Author Information

Mark Thompson is an independent Military Historian specialising in the Peninsular War 1808-14. In 2009, he completed a PhD focusing on the role of the Royal Engineers during this period. This was published as Wellington's Engineers in 2015. In 2020 he published Wellington's Favourite Engineer on the Napoleonic services of Field Marshal John Fox Burgoyne RE. He has presented at conferences in the UK and abroad. He is a member of the British Commission for Military History, the Friends of the British Cemetery at Elvas, the Royal Engineers Historical Society and the Friends of the Lines of Torres Vedras. Visit his website at www.marksthompson.co.uk to find a complete list of his publications.

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