Greenjackets vs Napoleon’s Hordes | The Battles of Barba del Puerco & the Coa

2025-05-05

Thanks to today's sponsor Osprey Publishing. They have tonnes of relevant books include a number of brilliant new releases. Please follow this link to check out their catalogue and also support my show https://bit.ly/Ospreypublishing In this episode, we walk the battlefields of Barba del Puerco and the Combat on the Coa, two early engagements in the Peninsular War where the Rifles and the Light Division cemented their reputation as elite troops. Using first-hand accounts, military analysis, and on-location footage, we explore:

Thanks to today's sponsor Osprey Publishing. They have tonnes of relevant books include a number of brilliant new releases.

Please follow this link to check out their catalogue and also support my show https://bit.ly/Ospreypublishing

In this episode, we walk the battlefields of Barba del Puerco and the Combat on the Coa, two early engagements in the Peninsular War where the Rifles and the Light Division cemented their reputation as elite troops.

Using first-hand accounts, military analysis, and on-location footage, we explore:

How the Rifles came to be
What made the Baker Rifle so revolutionary
Why their training under men like Sir John Moore changed the game
And how they stood firm in the face of overwhelming French assaults

This is the real story behind Richard Sharpe’s old regiment — not fiction, but fact. These were the battles where the myth began.

🗺 Locations Featured:

Barba del Puerco (March 1810)

• River Coa, near Almeida (July 1810)

⚔️ Like what you see? Support the channel on Patreon for behind-the-scenes extras, research notes, and more: https://www.patreon.com/RedcoatHistory

Comments (3)