Following the battle of Bussaco on 27 September 1810 Wellington's heavily outnumbered troops began to withdraw towards Lisbon. By the evening of 9 October the British and Portuguese began to withdraw behind a line of defensive works that had been built to the north of Lisbon. These were not the rudimentary field works that the French anticipated, but an enormous network of forts, batteries and redoubts whose construction had been started the previous November - the Lines of Torres Vedras. This 30-mile-wide line utilised the area's natural defences, damming rivers, scarping hillsides, blocking roads and establishing forts upon almost all of the hills. This title describes its design, creation and effectiveness in the face of French attacks.

Ian Fletcher is one of the leading authorities on the Peninsular War and Wellington’s army. Born in London in 1957, his first book, In Hell Before Daylight, was published in 1984, and he has written or edited over 20 more since then. He also runs Ian Fletcher Battlefield Tours. Ian has worked on the BBC’s Decisive Weapons series, The History Channel’s Line of Fire series and Channel 4's series on revolutionary Armies. He has also broadcast on radio and continues to lecture whenever he can. A Fellow of the International Napoleonic Society and a Member of the British Commission for Military History, Ian lives in Rochester, Kent, with his wife Debbie, and their two children, Jack and Harriet.