Generals and Napoleon

Wellington's Logistics: How the British Army Won the Peninsular War (with Gareth Glover) | Ep 150

Generals and Napoleon

Show Notes

While Napoleon’s armies fought brilliant battles across Spain and Portugal, their greatest enemy wasn’t always the British or the guerrillas — it was logistics.

Supplying tens of thousands of soldiers across rugged mountains, scorched plains, and hostile territory tested the limits of Napoleonic warfare. Food shortages, broken supply lines, and guerrilla ambushes made every march a struggle for survival.

In this video, special guest & author Gareth Glover will tell us 🚚 How Wellington & Napoleon tried to feed, arm, and move their armies across the Iberian Peninsula ⚙️ The challenges faced by French and British quartermasters 🔥 Why logistics, not tactics, decided the outcome of the war 🇪🇸 How Spain’s geography and resistance crippled Napoleon’s ambitions

Discover the untold story of the Peninsular War — a campaign where supply wagons, not just muskets, determined victory.

Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Your membership directly helps us produce more episodes, bring historians and authors onto the shows, and continue telling the stories of history’s great commanders. ⁠patreon.com/generalsandnapoleon⁠

#Napoleon #PeninsularWar #NapoleonicWars #History #Wellington #Spain #Logistics

More from Generals and Napoleon

Oct 21, 2026

Discover how Napoleon Bonaparte rose from an obscure French artillery officer to a rising military star during the Siege of Toulon in 1793.

Oct 11, 2026

In this episode, we examine the doomed Walcheren Campaign of 1809, one of the largest and most controversial British operations of the Napoleonic Wars. Launched as part of the War of the Fifth Coalition, the expedition aimed to seize the Scheldt Estuary, destroy the French fleet at Antwerp, and weaken Napoleon's grip on Europe. Instead, the campaign became a military disaster marked by delays, poor coordination, difficult terrain, and the devastating spread of "Walcheren Fever."

Sep 30, 2026

In April 1809, Napoleon faced one of the greatest challenges of his military career when Austria launched a surprise offensive against the French Empire. With his forces scattered across Bavaria, Napoleon moved with incredible speed to regain the initiative, setting the stage for the dramatic Regensburg (Ratisbon) Campaign.

Sep 21, 2026

What was life like in the Kingdom of Naples during the Napoleonic Era? In this episode, special guest Jonathan North explores one of the most fascinating and overlooked states of the Napoleonic Wars.

Sep 10, 2026

Napoleon is remembered as one of history's greatest battlefield commanders, but his true genius extended far beyond the battlefield. In this episode, special guest & author Michael Leggiere will explore Napoleon's grand strategy—the ambitious plan that sought to establish French dominance across Europe and challenge the global power of Great Britain.

See all episodes →