Historian Peter Kingdon Booker will be talking about The Peninsular War at the Algarve History Association events this month.
The topic will be The Battles of Fuentes de Oñoro and Albuera, with a first talk scheduled to take place on January 24 at the Municipal Library in Lagoa from 6pm and a second on January 27 at the Municipal Library in Tavira from 11am.
During the winter of 1810-11, Viscount Wellington lived at Palácio dos Marqueses da Fronteira in Benfica. He was well rested for the chase in Spring 1811 as Masséna’s Armée de Portugal traipsed back over the border to Ciudad Rodrigo, leaving a trail of cruelty and destruction behind them.
Two of the most desperate of the contests in the peninsula followed: at Fuentes de Oñoro, Wellington remarked that if Boney had been there, the Anglo-Portuguese would have lost; and at Albuera, Beresford’s army staved off defeat only because a divisional commander took the initiative.
Of Beresford’s report on the battle, Wellington said: “This won´t do. Write me down a victory.” 1811 was a close run year, but pivotal in the struggle in the peninsula.
Peter Booker takes the narrative forward a year in preparation for the turning of the tables at Salamanca.
There is no charge for the talks but monetary contributions are welcome.
For more information, please email [email protected] or visit www.algarvehistoryassociation.com.
