The Battle of Albuera, fought on the 16th of May 1811, is considered to be the bloodiest fought during the entire Peninsular War. Other battles such as Talavera saw a bigger total of dead and wounded, but as a percentage of those engaged the casualty figures at Albuera are shocking – one battalion losing 85% of its manpower with many others not far behind.
It is a battle full of drama and controversy: there were terrible mistakes; multiple colours were taken; entire battalions were virtually wiped out; reputations were made and lost.
In the latest episode of the Redcoat History Podcast I interviewed three experts on the battle to learn more:
Marcus Beresford, is actually a distant relative of Marshal William Carr Beresford who commanded the allied army on that fateful day. He is also the author of a book about his distinguished ancestor and has written and researched extensively on the history of the Irish diaspora during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Dr Mark Thompson is an independent historian who has been researching the Peninsular War for forty years. He has written a number of books on the subject including one about the Battle of Albuera. He will be releasing a Spanish language edition of the book this year (2021).
Marcus Cribb, is currently researching and writing a book about Wellington’s Porto campaign and the crossing of the Douro River in 1809. Until recently he was the manager of Apsley house, Wellington’s former residence in London. He is a friend of the Redcoat History Podcast and has been a guest on the show many times.
You can listen to the episode on Apple or on Spotify (or on most other podcast apps).
Or if you are a more visual person then you may prefer to watch the episode on YouTube:
You can also download the entire transcript when you sign up for my Monthly Despatch Newsletter – Here.
Redcoat History 