The volume provides a detailed military account of the Peninsular campaigns of 1809, portraying the conflict as fragmented into several simultaneous regional operations and treating each campaign separately. It gives particular attention to the Talavera campaign and to Anglo-Portuguese actions, including a close study of a daring Douro crossing and an analysis of the reorganization of the Portuguese army. The narrative combines battlefield visits, contemporary French, Spanish and British documents, maps, illustrations and appendices to clarify troop movements, strengths and losses.