Featured battle : Sandöström

Part of Russo-Swedish War 1808

Date : 02 August 1808

An engagement in an estuary with both sides using sloops, and gunboats. The Swedes also had six galleys. The Russian were trying to link up with a further 70 more vessels coming up from Hangö and they defeated this Swedish blocking force.

1812 Napoleon in Moscow

Paul Britten Austin
It is difficult to evaluate this book which has a confusing conflict between style and content. As a style the author has adopted the appalling affectation of the use of the present tense to describe the past. This in parts makes gaining a clear understanding more difficult than it needs to be. The content is well researched and appropriately selected giving real insights into the French in Moscow. The real quality of the book is that we get to see the big event from many personal perspectives. In the introduction the author apologizes, and so he should, for his 'syntactic and grammatical deviations' for these in part make difficult reading of what otherwise would be a very good book.
Frontline Books, Pen & Sword Books Ltd., 2012