If the leading player of the Napoleonic Wars was Bonaparte himself, then a cast of colourful generals ably supported him. In the first of two volumes devoted to the most influential of the first empire's military leaders, the author summarizes the career of each commander and individual characters. This title details Napoleon's commanders. The commanders featured include Augereau, Bernadotte, Berthier, Carnot, Davout, Desaix, Junot, Kellerman, Kleber, Lannes, Lasalle, MacDonald, Massena, Moreau, Murat, Oudinot, Rapp, Serurier, Soult and Reynier. It includes quotations and anecdotes from their contemporaries bringing to life the characters of these legendary generals.

After Spain declared war against Britain on 21 June 1779 during the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783), a siege by land and sea was deployed against Gibraltar. For four years the garrison of Governor Elliot was blockaded and starvation was never far away. Despite constant Spanish bombardment, the garrison maintained high spirits thanks to the resolute attitude of Elliot, who embodied all the virtues of steadfast resistance and defiance against the odds. Frustrated by failure, the Spanish called in French forces under the Duc de Crillon. The French built armoured battering ships, designed to be immune to British fire while they pulverized the defences, but this too failed to capture 'the Rock'. The seige was finally broken in 1782, breaking too the Franco-Spanish spirit and was a prelude to the final British victory in February 1783. This book examines this fascinating siege and people involved in it.

In 1811, the French again took the offensive in the peninsula. Soult moved to Badajoz and Massena advanced to relieve Almeida which Wellington had invested. At Fuentes de Onoro Massena and Wellington's armies clashed in a hard-fought contest. The attacks of the French cavalry were thwarted by the stalwart resistance of the British infantry in square. Wellington lost 1800 men, Massna 2700 but the French failed to break Wellington's siege of Almeida and were forced to withdraw. Massena was relieved of his command in disgrace to be relieved by Marshal Marmont. This book features the full story of the construction of the lines of Torres Vedras, the most massive undertakings of military engineering in the whole of the Napoleonic wars.