- Hardcover: 206 pages
- Publisher: Harper Collins; NEW EDITION edition (May 2002)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0007651260
- ISBN-13: 978-0007651269
- Product Dimensions: 24.6 x 19.2 x 2.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,483,676 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
This text brings the past to life with photographs of battles in British history, re-enacted by "English Heritage" and "Historic Scotland". The written commentary describes what it was probably like to fight with sword, spear or musket from Hastings to Flodden, Naseby to Culloden. Historical eye witness accounts are complemented by the experience of modern re-enactors, investigating the past. Questions examined are: how far a soldier could march in medieval armour; what it was like to be a female camp follower in the army of Charles I, and how to aim a long bow to bring down a charging knight.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From the Back Cover
How did it feel to face the Highlander's charge at Culloden, or to fight under the Dragon banner of Wessex at the battle of Hastings? ‘British Battles' investigates the great battles of British history form the ordinary soldier's point of view.
From the Viking invasions to the English Civil War and the Jacobite risings of the '15 and '45, 'British Battles' reveals what it was like to fight in the front-line. How to fight with the Saxon two-handed axe, the Welsh longbow, crossbows, medieval cannon, pikes, cutlasses, matchlock and flintlock muskets? What must you to do to survive on campaign as a soldier or camp follower while eating, drinking and sleeping in the field? When could you get effective (if painful) treatment for your wounds?
The Battle of Culloden in 1746 was the last full-scale land battle to be fought on British soil. While almost every other European country has become a battleground since then, for the last 250 years Britain has been spared the horrors of invasion and occupation. Yet all over England and Scotland there are traces of our brutal past. There are tangible signs like monuments to the dead or the bullet holes in the door of Alton church. Local place names like Bloody Meadow keep alive the memory of the hideous slaughter that followed the defeat of several medieval armies.
In 1995 English Heritage published a register of battlefields, focusing attention on 44 sites. Intended to provide guidance for those involved in conservation, the register identifies the geographical location and highlights key features which deserve special care because of their historic significance. 'British Battles' includes all of these historically important engagements and, employing the same criteria, covers the ten greatest battles in Scotland from Stirling Bridge and the war against Edward I to Culloden and the defeat of the Jacobite cause.
'British Battles' is unlike all previous accounts of the battles that shaped our history. By combining eyewitness descriptions with the researches of modern re-enactors, 'British Battles' reveals what it was like for the ordinary soldiers. Over the course of seven centuries of warfare, weapons and tactics changed considerably. But for the men in the front-line, and the women and children often accompanying an army into battle, the experience was disagreeably similar: long marches over dirt roads, bad weather, illness and disease; the terror of close quarter battle and the agonising medical treatment that was the only hope of survival for the wounded.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
British history is punctuated by stories of brutal military struggles, often fuelled by political intrigue amongst people who cared little for the lives wasted on the battlefield. This excellent book, written and illustrated by modern war journalists, brings them to life superbly. It details major battles from Anglo-Saxon times to the Wars of the Roses to the English Civil War to Culloden in 1746, vividly illustrated by surprisingly realistic-looking re-enactments. Each battle has its own section, with maps and background information, and the major details of the battle itself.
What makes the book more fascinating than any dry tactical descriptions are the side panels in each chapter which give insights into life at the time - what it was like to serve in the armies of the day, medical treatments, the morale of the ordinary troops, and so on. The book is an accessible, interesting introduction to an important part of our heritage.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
An excellent book that summerises all battles on the British mainland from Maldon in 991, to Culloden in 1746. Well presented, with maps, photos and diagrams, this is a brilliant introduction to the military history of Britain.
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