Wellington Against Soult: The Second Invasion of Portugal 1809

At the heart of David Buttery’s third book on the Peninsular War lies the comparison between two great commanders of enormous experience and reputation – Arthur Wellesley, later Duke of Wellington, and Jean de Dieu Soult.

In Soult, Wellesley met one of his most formidable opponents and they confronted each other during one of the most remarkable, and neglected, of the Peninsular campaigns. Soult’s invasion of Portugal is rarely studied in great depth and, likewise, the offensive Wellesley la...