The final campaigns of the war saw the greatest need for military bridging and also the greatest difficulties. December 1813 saw the great rivers of the Bidassoa, Nivelle and Nive being crossed. The winter weather in the Pyrenees made working difficult, the rivers being invariably rapid and the level could rise by several feet with almost no warning. Keeping bridges in place was a constant challenge.

February 1814 saw the audacious crossing of the river Adour, as described above. Wellington took a small pontoon train east with his forces which was sufficient for most of the rivers he crossed but failed spectacularly around Toulouse, where one attempt had to be abandoned as the bridge was too short and the main crossing was held up for three days.

Considering the strategic importance of bridging in the Peninsula, it is surprising that more attention was not paid to it. Typically, the bridging train was commanded by a junior engineer, with the Royal Artillery responsible for much of the motive power, be that horses or oxen. The boatmen were provided by the Portuguese Navy. There were several civilian commissary staff and wagons attached and the drivers could come from the Royal Corps of Drivers, Royal Artillery or be hired locally. As previously mentioned, locally-hired mules and their owners were rarely paid or fed. It is surprising the system worked at all!

Whilst the focus of most books on the war remains on the military operations, it must not be forgotten that without bridges, those operations would have been much more limited or impossible. Wellington’s campaign in the Pyrenees and southern France would have been impossible without the efforts of the various engineering forces and the pontoon trains. They were far from perfect, but they were indispensible.