With the Guns in the Peninsula

This British artillery officer’s journal vividly depicts life on the frontlines in the war against Napoleon in Spain and Portugal.

In August 1812, Second Captain Webber of the Royal Artillery joined Captain Maxwell’s 9-pounder Brigade at Zafra, Spain. His journal offers a detailed chronicle of the period up June 16th 1813, just before the Battle of Vitoria. Webber records events as they unfold, as well as his impressions of the countryside and its people and customs.

Webber describes his experiences during the advance up to and along the Tagus to Aranjuez, the reversal of fortunes during the autumn of 1812, the difficult retreat into winter quarters in Portugal, and finally his brigade’s part in the brilliant campaign of 1813 which saw the French pushed back across the Ebro. Webber gives vivid accounts of engagements with the enemy along the way; notably around Alba de Tormes during the retreat, and on the heights outside Burgos.

The preface by Lieutenant Colonel Laws sets the journal within the context of the Peninsular War. It also outlines Webber’s military career, which culminated with his wounding at Waterloo.