Based in the UK, Buttery is an independent scholar and author specializing in 19th-century British military history; he has worked in newspapers and in an oral history archive, and has published extensively in leading military history periodicals. In this text he examines the clash between two of Europe's finest generals, Wellington and Massena, during the Peninsular War, a campaign that played a key role in the long Iberian conflict. Buttery offers insights into the personalities of these two extraordinary commanders, and detailed analysis of their confrontations at Ciudad Rodrigo, Almeida, Busaco, the lines of Torres Verdras, and the final battle at Fuentes de Oñoro. Distributed in the U.S. by Casemate. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)