Napoleon’s Cuirassiers in Spain

Napoleon's Cuirassiers in Spain is the first exhaustive study of French heavy cavalry in Spain, from the early days when provisional squadrons were being mustered to when the 13th Cuirassiers left Spain in 1814. It makes significant use of period sources, including never-before-published memoirs from the cuirassiers themselves. It brilliantly fills a gap in the historiography of the Peninsular War and will be of interest to all with a passion for the Napoleonic period.

The nature of the terrain in Spain and the multiplicity of fronts and types of warfare did not favour cavalry actions. Central Europe may have seen the bulk of Napoleonic heavy cavalry charges aimed at breaking massed infantry columns, but the cuirassiers soon adapted to the bitter war that was fought across Spain and delivered the coup de grace in many actions. All their opponents feared them when the cry of 'cuirassiers are coming' ran through the ranks.