Wellington landed in the Iberian Peninsula in the summer of 1808 and over the next six years defeated the French occupation forces in a succession of brilliant campaigns as he defended Portugal, liberated Spain and finally invaded France. His operations helped topple Napoleon in 1814. When Napoleon escaped from Elba and regained power in March 1815 Wellington's Peninsula army had been disbanded but he combined an inferior collection of contingents into an effective fighting force. His victory at Waterloo is the British army's most famous battle.

In The National Army Museum's Book of Wellington's Armies, Andrew Uffindell skilfully weaves together unpublished accounts from the museum's archive to give a comprehensive picture of the campaign. Drawing on dispatches and letters from the military commanders, officers and the ordinary soldier, the book mixes riveting descriptions of battle with stories of endurance and bravery, bringing to life the forgotten voices of Wellington's army.