Product Description

The Battle of Corunna, which was fought on 16 January 1809, saved a British army from annihilation but resulted in the tragic death of a fine general - Sir John Moore. With the aid of surviving eye-witness accounts the author provides a horrifying picture of the hardships and suffering of this bitter campaign. 'Fast-flowing, taut and economical...the pithy thumb-nail sketches are masterly, the account of the battle superb' Times Literary Supplement 'Told with passion and clarity...a compelling book; the main lines of the campaign are clear and the incidents vividly memorable' Sunday Telegraph

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #104700 in Books
• Published on: 2003-12-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

About the Author
Christopher Hibbert was educated at Radley and Oxford. He served as an infantry officer during the war, was twice wounded and was awarded the Military Cross in 1945. Described by Professor J.H. Plumb as 'a writer of the highest ability', he is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and an Hon. D. Litt of Leicester University.

Customer Reviews

It was like I was there!
I knew a little about what happened at Corunna before I read this book but wanted to know more about Sir John Moore's campaign against the French. I wasn't disappointed. By the end of the book I felt like I'd climbed every snow-covered hill and suffered the starvation, frostbite, despair, and anger of the men, not to mention their confusion over the actions of their general.

I'm a huge fan of history, particularly if its about the Napoleonic wars, but I'm not a huge fan of history books filled with fact after fact and nothing to 'hook' you. This book is nothing of the sort. Written like a story, it follows Sir John Moore's advance and retreat from start to finish, including his death and the response to the failed campaign in Britain (you may feel a slight outrage (having marched so far and endured so much) about this part).

The book includes pictures, extracts from memoirs and despatches written during and after the campaign and a very informative bibliography for those readers who want to know more. Which brings me to my only criticism. I realise that, as part of the Great Battles series, this book couldn't have been much longer, but there were some times when I felt like I was being rushed along to the end at the expense of detail.

I would recommend this book to someone who has a slight curiosity about what happened at Corunna as it is quite short and so less daunting than some of the other titles available. Those of you who want more depth and detail may prefer something else.