Does anyone know of good primary source accounts from the French army for the 1807 invasion of Portugal, subsequent occupation, and then the campaign leading up to Vimeiro? So far I have Thiébault's narrative and memoirs, Foy's history, and two accounts from artillery officers (the brothers Hulot). I also have several French histories of the campaign.
What I could really do with are memoirs or letters from the infantry and cavalry. Does anyone know of any?
Thanks Rui, that looks very useful. I won't forget the Portuguese perspective. I just haven't assessed what I've already got yet.
@Rob Griffith if you have Thiébault's book you may find interesting the critical analysis of the text by a contemporary Portuguese General, which biography you can find here (in Portuguese)
Pamplona Corte Real, M. I. (1818). Aperçu nouveau sur les campagnes de français en Portugal, en 1807, 1808, 1809, 1810 et 1811; contenant des observations sur les ecrits de MM. le baron Thiebaut, Naylies [et] Gingret. Retrieved from https://books.google.pt/books?id=L6NBAAAAcAAJ
You might want to check out: Natalia Griffon de Pleineville's "La première invasion du Portugal par l'armée napoléonienne (1807-1808)" Paris : Economica, 2017.
Also: Oyon, Maréchal de Logis Jean-Auguste.; Campagnes et Souvenirs de Maréchal de Logis Jean-Auguste Oyon.; San Francisco : Wagram Press, ©2015
Mémoires historiques sur la première invasion du Portugal faite en 1807 et 1808 par les Français sous le commandement du général en chef Junot. Paris : L.-G. Michaud, 1824. In: Collection des mémoires relatifs aux révolutions d'Espagne. Paris, L.-G. Michaud, 1824-25. 20 cm. v. 2, pp. [325]-427
Thanks, but it's the campaign leading up to Vimeiro that I'm looking for. This is a little later.
not covering the whole period described since 1807 however maybe Viscount Jacques-Joseph de Naylies's Mémoires d'un Dragon de l'Empire who has been (re)published this year by L'Harmattan but previous editions of 1817 and 1835 Mémoires sur la Guerre d'Espagne 1808, 1809, 1810, 1811 are free on line, he served with 19e Dragons, facing the first Portuguese at the end of the first chapter and his second chapter is about when the regiment entered in Portugal in march 1808 Chaves, Braga, Porto... https://books.google.fr/books?id=keFoq9jVsvEC&hl=fr&pg=PA76#v=twopage&q&f=false