The Secret Expedition: The Anglo-Russian Invasion of Holland 1799 (From Reason to Revolution)

A well written book, recommended.

Bought at the request of my other half who's trying to piece together family history research, he's found this not only invaluable in resolving issues of the tale of a missing ancestor soldier, but as with a few other 'history' books I've been asked to source for him for his genealogy, a fascinating read that's converted a research engineer and scientist to a love of history!!! (I always did love that, whilst also having a novice's interest in his subjects.) He says it's very well written, detailed and informative, without being stuffy. He's also now interested in what was happening elsewhere in the world at the time.

A well researched and put together piece of work on a campaign very much overshadowed by other aspects of the revolutionary and Napoleonic period. Fortunately posted by dagwood books so no delay blamed on a carrier as is Amazon's want when it comes to delivering to Scotland.

Scholarly, If you are after statistics on a minor action then this is for you.

The author states that this is something of a life's work, as he's spent several decades researching the subject. I believe he published an earlier version of the book in Dutch several years ago have to say that the author's depth of knowledge shows in the almost forensic detail found within the book. This is a campaign with which I am very familiar, and as well as reading everything I've been able to find on the campaign I've walked the battlefields to try and understand the issues facing both sides. Not surprisingly I've been waiting for the publication of this book for months. I am not disappointed. Its great! The build up to the landings is described in detail, as is the make up of each of the armies involved in the campaign. Most helpful is that each of the battles are picked apart and presented step by step, supported by some very useful maps and orders of battle that make sense of some very confusing engagements. My understanding of the battles themselves is now much clearer than before. Every chapter is well referenced and filled with contemporary correspondence and diary excerpts to add a further dimension to the overall story. The book concludes with the close of the campaign and the evacuation of the Anglo-Russian army followed by a number of handy appendices detailing the composition of the forces involved, both on land and at sea. There is a comprehensive bibliography and a useful index of people involved in the campaign. As well as the maps the book is illustrated throughout. My only criticism is that all the maps and illustrations are in black and white. This is a little disappointing especially as the original contemporary paintings of, for example, the Battle of Castricum or the final withdrawal are of course in colour. I presume that this was to keep publication costs down. Overall, and excellent read and an impressive piece of work.

There is a lot to like about this extensive and detailed account of the invasion and the build-up to it... The extensive maps and unit lists, the detailed narratives of the battles (with eye witness accounts)A couple of things that stood out, though:Reports of negotiations with allies and civil authorities, in the frustrated words of those who oversaw them help to get a picture of stakes and difficulties to be faced.Through snippets of the mass media of the time, we see the impressions people had of the 'national character' of those countries involved, and how they were changed by the outcomes of the campaign – The unbeatable, beaten. The ill-disciplined, standing firm.I found it interesting to see both sides mirroring each other in some respects...both having major setbacks through lack of pre-battle preparation, both having claims of betrayal amongst allies, both falling foul of surprisingly unfriendly terrain, And of course both sides contained Dutchmen fighting for their country, against foreigners claiming to be there to free them.

Great read - wounderfully written.Having known very little about the campaign, I was supposed to find this a very interesting and in-depth piece of work.Highly recommend.

This is a well written history of a somewhat obscure campaign. The complex political background is explained before moving on to the military details of the land and naval actions. The battle maps are nice and clear and the text is supported by some black and white period illustrations and modern photographs of the locations referred to in the text although there are no colour illustrations. Overall excellent.