Featured battle : Mannheim

Part of The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars

Date : 19 October 1795 - 22 November 1795

After the defeat of their army outside Mannheim [18th October] the French retreated but left a good sized garrison [10,000 men] to hold the city of Mannheim. The Austrians laid siege and, with the French army being driven further and further away, the city surrendered on the 22 November.

In the Peninsula with a French Hussar

A J M De Rocca. Intoduction by Philip Haythornthw
De Rocca's account was first published in English in 1815. This book is the unabridged presentation of that work with a new introduction by Philip Haythornthwaite and additional maps. De Rocca was not involved in any of the major battles in the Peninsula and that is the most valuable part of this book. It is a rich insight into all the other tasks performed by light cavalry in support of an army of occupation. Garrison duties, scouting, escorting and dispatch carrying all feature in the day to day tasks which De Rocca carried out. The underlying theme running through all his duties was finding enough to eat for himself and his horses.
For the general reader I would recommend this book as a jolly good read maintaining interest from beginning to the end. For the military buff I can recommend this unique insight into the effects of the Spanish Guerrillas on the front-line fighting ability of the French as seen through the eyes of one who was there.
Frontline Books. Pen & Sword Books \ltd., 2017