Napoleonic News Desk

The British Army
'The Dark Side of the Force'

by Paul Chamberlain

(or, when things go bad ...)

Ian Fletcher is running a two-day seminar to explore the darker side to the British Army of the early 19th Century. Whilst we are familiar with the triumphs of Wellington's Army in the Peninsula and at Waterloo, the outbursts of vio-lence that followed the stormings, and the gross misconduct of the troops during the retreat to Corunna and the retreat to Burgos are often overlooked. This seminar will look at such occasions when things did 'go bad'. In addition to examining the breakdowns in discipline, a look will be taken at those campaigns that went disastrously wrong. The Sun- day afternoon will involve a visit round the Royal Engineers Museum, Brompton.

The programme is as follows:

Saturday 22nd March Lectures:

‘The Waters of Oblivion’ - The British Invasion of the Rio de la Plata 1806-07.
‘Glory, Disgrace, Victory and Misfortune’ - The Retreat to Corunna.
‘Galloping at Everything’ - The British Cavalry in the Peninsula.

Sunday 23rd March Lectures:

The Misadventures of Wellington’s Army following the stormings in the Peninsula.
‘The Worst Scrape’ - The Retreat from Burgos.
‘The Darkest day’ - Black Bob and the Combat of the Coa.

Buffet lunch at the Royal Engineers Museum followed by guided tour.

Accommodation is in the 3-star Bridgewood Manor Hotel, Rochester. The price for the weekend is £150. For more details contact Ian Fletcher Battlefield Tours, PO Box 112, Rochester, Kent, ME1 2EX. Tel: 01634 319973. Email: enquiries@ifbt.co.uk Website: www.ifbt.co.uk

Napoleonic News Desk

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