Peninsular And Waterloo General

Denis Pack was one of a phalanx of senior Anglo-Irish officers who served with great distinction in the British army in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars, earning a reputation as one of the Duke of Wellington’s most able brigade commanders. Despite his remarkable and varied military career, he hasn’t received the individual attention he deserves, but this omission has now been remedied by Marcus de la Poer Beresford’s full biography. Pack, who was born in 1774, served extensively in Europe as well as in Africa and South America. He was one of the few brigade commanders to serve first with the Portuguese army, and then with Wellington, in the Peninsula, at Quatre Bras, Waterloo and afterwards in the occupation of France. His life was cut short by an early death in 1823, which may have been the result of the many wounds he received in his thirty years as a soldier. This perceptive and meticulously researched study draws on previously unpublished material from archives in the United Kingdom, Portugal and Ireland. It complements other works on notable officers of the period, as Pack served with Cornwallis, Baird, Beresford, Whitelocke, Chatham, Picton, Henry Clinton, and others as well as Wellington. In addition it offers an absorbing portrait of Pack himself and gives the reader a fascinating insight into the many campaigns he took part in and the military life of his day.

The defeat of Napoleons French army by the combined forces of Wellington and Blcher at Waterloo on 18 June 1815 was a turning point in world history. This was the climax of the Napoleonic Wars, and the outcome had a major influence on the shape of Europe for the next century and beyond. The battle was a milestone, and it cannot be properly understood without a detailed, on-the-ground study of the landscape in which it was fought and that is the purpose of David Butterys new battlefield guide. In vivid detail, using eyewitness accounts and an intimate knowledge of the terrain, he reconstructs Waterloo and he takes the reader and the visitor across the battleground as it is today. He focuses on the pivotal episodes in the fighting the day-long struggle for the chateau at Hougoumont, the massive French infantry assaults, repeated cavalry charges, the fall of La Haye Sainte, the violent clashes in the village of Plancenoit, the repulse of the Imperial Guard and rout of the French army. This thoroughgoing, lucid, easy-to-follow guide will be a fascinating introduction for anyone who seeks to understand what happened on that momentous day, and it will be an essential companion for anyone who explores the battlefield in Belgium.

William Hay had a varied and exciting military career during the later years of the Napoleonic Wars, which took him to the Peninsula, to Waterloo and, after 1815, to Canada. First commissioned into the crack 52nd Light Infantry - and serving with that regiment in the campaigns of 1810 and 1811 - promotion took him into the 12th Light Dragoons. Afte

The author has done a quite outstanding job of editing and footnoting this rare memoir . . . this will be of genuine interest to the Peninsular War historian or enthusiast.' Philip Haythornthwaite??John Vandeleur's letters home to his mother are a lively and engaging account of active service during the Napoleonic Wars, recounting everything from day-to-day life on campaign to the experience of pitched battle at Vitoria and Waterloo. ??As first a light infantryman and then a light cavalryman, Vandeleur was frequently on the outposts of Wellington's forces, in frequent contact with the French and often obliged to live a rough-and-ready lifestyle as a result. The conditions that he endured, and the camaraderie that sustained him, are vividly recounted in this fascinating collection _ previously only available in an extremely rare private publication over a century ago. ??Expertly edited and enhanced with contemporary documents and commentary by Andrew Bamford, this is an outstanding contribution to our understanding of the Peninsular War and Waterloo campaign.

The journals of the Honourable James Stanhope are among the most remarkable eyewitness accounts of the Peninsular War and the Battle of Waterloo, and yet they have never been published before. The long fight against the French in Portugal and Spain, the campaign in Holland, then the Battle of Waterloo James Stanhope lived through all these extraordinary events and recorded them in vivid detail.Stanhope served as an aide de camp to the major commanders of the day Wellington, General Graham, Lord Paget, the Duke of York among them. And he described his experiences and observations in a lucid and candid prose that makes his journals of great historical value and of compelling interest to us today. His writing gives a graphic inside view of the military and political situation of the time as it was perceived at the top levels of the British army, and he depicts the daily experience of campaigning during the Napoleonic Wars in an unforgettable way.

The life of Wellington's hard swearing and fighting subordinate For casual students of the Napoleonic age Sir Thomas Picton might be most notable for his death at the Battle of Waterloo where he was killed by a shot to the head, aged 56, while driving his infantry forward in a bayonet charge against d'Erlon's French Army corps early in the conflict. A Welshman, Picton was known to be difficult man, naturally aggressive, short of temper and given to prolific cursing. Nevertheless, he rose from comparatively humble beginnings, one of twelve children, from the rank of ensign to that of Lieutenant General of the British Army. Perhaps more importantly he became a trusted member on the staff of the Duke of Wellington who, it is well known, would tolerate no officer he did not know to be a soldier and who combined courage with dependability and command capability. After a troubled period in the West Indies, Picton's military career and reputation prospered and grew during the Peninsular War as the divisional commander of 'The Fighting Third'. From 1810 onwards 'the rough and foul-mouthed Devil' (as Wellington described Picton) fought in most of the principal engagements undertaken in Spain, in the Pyrenees and into the South of France culminating in the final battle at Toulouse in 1814 as Napoleon abdicated. The emperor's attempt to reclaim the throne in 1815 naturally brought Picton back to his masters side. He was wounded at Quatre Bras, though he kept the fact from his men. Probably never very popular, Picton was a man made for battle and died, the most senior officer killed at Waterloo, the archetypal warrior's death. This thorough biography is enhanced in this Leonaur edition by a brief overview of Picton's career. Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket; our hardbacks are cloth bound and feature gold foil lettering on their spines and fabric head and tail bands.

In this book, first published in 1907, all three parts of Wellington’s Campaigns, hitherto published separately, are brought out together in one volume. The consolidated volume covers all campaigns fought during the Peninsula War in Portugal, Spain, and the South of France between 1808 and 1814 and concludes with the Waterloo campaign in 1815. It also contains an additional Appendix concerning the influence of certain Spanish operations and special circumstances in Spain upon the movements of Moore and Wellington. Richly illustrated throughout with sketch maps and plans.

A military historian assesses the leadership style of the man who defeated Napoleon. The Duke of Wellington’s victory at the Battle of Waterloo cemented his reputation as a great general, and much subsequent writing on his career has taken an uncritical, sometimes chauvinistic view of his talents. Little has been published that fully pins down the reality of Wellington’s leadership, clearly identifying his weaknesses as well as his strengths. George E. Jaycock, in this perceptive and thought-provoking reassessment, does not aim to undermine Wellington’s achievements, but to provide a more nuanced perspective. He clarifies some simple but fundamental truths regarding his leadership and his performance as a commander. Through an in-depth study of his actions over the war years of 1808 to 1815, the author reassesses Wellington’s effectiveness as a commander, the competence of his subordinates, and the qualities of the troops he led. His study gives a fascinating insight into Wellington’s career and abilities. Wellington’s Command is absorbing reading for both military historians and those with an interest in the Napoleonic period.