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Christopher Hibbert
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Corunna Kindle Edition

by Christopher Hibbert (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 14 ratings
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‘Not a drum was heard, not a funeral note,

As his corse to the rampart we hurried.’

—from ‘The Burial of Sir John Moore at Corunna’ by Charles Wolfe

One of the best remembered poems in the English language has served to keep alive the memory of Sir John Moore and of his burial at Corunna on 17 January, 1809. The story of the battle which he fought on the previous day and of the short campaign and horrifying retreat which preceded it is, however, not so well known.

The Battle of Corunna saved a British army from annihilation and resulted in the tragic death of one of England’s finest generals. Setting out from Lisbon in the autumn of 1808, Sir John Moore had marched his army into Spain against Napoleon and by a daring manoeuvre had thrown it across the line of French communications. But, having thus drawn off Napoleon’s army from Madrid, Moore found himself so outnumbered and with no hope of assistance from the ineffectual Spanish armies, that he decided to withdraw to the coast. After a 250-mile retreat across the mountains of Galicia under appalling weather conditions, with inadequate food supplies and the French hard on his heels, he eventually reached the port of Corunna. Here he turned and drew up his depleted forces to face Marshal Soult’s massive army; and, though mortally wounded in the ensuing battle, he lived long enough to learn that the French had been checked and that his own army would be able to embark in safety.

In Corunna extensive use is made of the many eyewitness accounts which survive in the form of official despatches, histories, diaries, memoirs and letters. With the aid of these, Christopher Hibbert not only shows a remarkable understanding of John Moore and his fellow officers, of their conflicting characters and views, but also provides a horrifying picture of the hardships of this brief and bitter campaign.
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  1. Print length
    268 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Friedland Books
  5. Publication date
    July 11, 2017
  6. File size
    9156 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B074T6SQNC
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Friedland Books (July 11, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 11, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 9156 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 268 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 14 ratings

About the author

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Christopher Hibbert

Christopher Hibbert

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Christopher Hibbert (born Arthur Raymond Hibbert) MC (5 March 1924 – 21 December 2008), was an English writer, historian and biographer. He has been called "a pearl of biographers" (New Statesman) and "probably the most widely-read popular historian of our time and undoubtedly one of the most prolific" (The Times). Hibbert was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and the author of many books, including The Story of England, Disraeli, Edward VII, George IV, The Rise and Fall of the House of Medici, and Cavaliers and Roundheads.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
14 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Susan Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant story of the Retreat to Corunna - 1808-09
Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2002
I read this wonderful little book, first published in 1961, in preparation for a forthcoming visit to northwest Spain to follow Sir John Moore's retreat to Corunna. Hibbert is an author for whom I have a great regard and this early work clearly demonstrates not only his sturdy research but also his elegiac and polished prose. In such a short book, long descriptions and deep discussion of tactics are not possible. However, he explains to the reader who may not be familiar with this episode of British military history exactly how the retreat came about whilst sketching the personalities, foibles and strengths of the major characters of the campaign.
The generals such as Moore, Napier, Paget, Craufurd and so on are not the only people we learn about because Hibbert draws on memoirs and other materials written by the junior officers and the enlisted men such as the famous Rifleman Harris of the 95th. There are little vignettes such as the dumping of silver money to lighten the load, high up in the frozen Cantabrian Mountains, women giving birth at the side the road in the mud and rain and the hooves of the horses and mules bleeding as they struggled to haul artillery pieces.
A truly beautiful and unforgettable early book by this brilliant historian. A moving, sad and poignant story which still causes debate today. Very highly recommended
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Dr. S. R. Hill Jr.
3.0 out of 5 stars Not great but worth reading
Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2016
Verified Purchase
Not a bad book, but I would not rate it as among Hibbert's best efforts. I did learn some things I had not known about the Peninsular Wars and about the Rifle Brigade.
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Top reviews from other countries

Edward Reeeve
5.0 out of 5 stars 👍🏻
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 22, 2021
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