Book 4The French army is cut off and starving, north of Lisbon. Their efforts to build a bridge to cross the Tagus at Santarem are under threat by a detachment of The Hornets. Meanwhile, in southern Spain, the Hornets come to the aid of the Spanish forces in the mountains to hold the strongholds east of Gibraltar. Their success is crucial if General Graham is to win the Battle of Barossa...

Book 3Commodore (Brigadier) Sir Joshua Welbeloved increases the Hornets to company strength and recruits enough of Napoleon's Hanoverians to make a German company. They harass the French from Ciudad Rodrigo and Almeida to the battle of Buçaco and the lines of Torres Vedras, then return to the mountains and cut off all French communications with Spain.Further recruitment is made, to increase their strength to four companies - British - German - Portuguese and Spanish.The Condesa's blacksmith modifies captured French muskets to breech-loaders with 200 yards accuracy. He also converts some Baker rifles to breech-loading.

Before Wellington could move into Spain, he had to capture the two walled towns of Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz. The French had large garrisons in each and even larger garrisons within three or four day's march at Salamanca and Seville. The Hornets had all four battalions out tackling any French reconnaissance-in-force, enabling Wellington to conclude a rapid and bloody siege in each case, before relief could arrive. Once captured, Wellington could move into Spain. Again the Hornets were out cutting the communications between Marshals Marmont and Soult at Almaraz and denying the French any news of Wellington's build-up.**

Book 1Captain Welbeloved R.N., an ex-American loyalist, must form and train a platoon or Royal Marines for special service against the French. Armed with accurate, breech-loading Furguson rifles, trained to American Indian standards of skirmishing, and dressed in sailcloth dirt-coloured uniforms; their first mission is to rescue two minor Spanish royals from Madrid. Preferably before Napoleon returns to invade and put his brother Joseph on the throne.

The starving French army is in full retreat from Portugal, harassed all the way by the Hornets. They make a stand on the River Côa, fighting a battle on the high plateau near Sabugal. Masséna retreats to Salamanca, but returns to fight and lose at Fuentes de Oñoro. Wellington splits his army to besiege Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz. Soult races up from Seville and fights Beresford at the bloody battle of Albuera. The various battalions of the Hornets take part in all these, culminating in the attack by General Hill on d'Erlon's division. The Portuguese Vespãos battalion helps to train units of the Spanish Army of Galicia and together they attack French garrisons to distract the French from the two sieges.**

There had always been more French soldiers in Spain: at one time, four or five times the strength of Wellington's entire Anglo-Portuguese army. He fought them one army at a time and had always had to pit himself against greater numbers. Now, he wanted to attack Marshal Marmont, who still commanded more men than he did, but had them scattered in garrison all over the north of Spain. Using the Hornets, now a division of nearly three thousand men, he was able to gather intelligence, create diversions and rouse guerrilla forces without the French being alarmed enough to concentrate their cores until too late. It enabled him to fight against equal numbers for the first time and gave the Hornets a chance to play an important role in the battle itself.**

Book 2Wellbeloved marries his rescued Condesa and returns to Spain to support and encourage the guerrilla bands. He learns that Sir Arthur Wellesley has thrown Marshal Soult out of Portugal. Now, having two platoons, he moves down to Talavera in time to play an unofficial part in Wellesley's battle.The British have to retreat after the battle and avoid being trapped. The Hornets smuggle over a hundred recovering casualties to the Condesa's estates and train enough of them to provide a welcome increase to their own strength.