Wellington As Military Commander

Drawing on lively accounts of privates, sergeants, officers and Wellington himself, with unrivalled descriptions of strategy, weapons and formations, it takes us right into the heart of the battlefield."--BOOK JACKET.

The vivid and exciting accounts written from the front line, taking the story of the British war with Napoleon from its desperate beginnings in Portugal to the final triumph at Waterloo The Duke of Wellington was not only an incomparable battle commander but a remarkably expressive, fluent and powerful writer. His dispatches have long been viewed as classics of military literature and have been pillaged by all writers on the Peninsular War and the final campaigns in France and Belgium ever since they were published. This new selection allows the reader to follow the extraordinary epic in Wellington's own words - from the tentative beginnings in 1808, clinging to a small area of Portugal in the face of overwhelming French power across the whole of the rest of Europe, to the campaigns that over six years devastated opponent after opponent. The book ends with Wellington's invasion of France and the coda of 'the 100 days' that ended with Napoleon's final defeat at Waterloo.

SIR JOHN FORTESCUE was the foremost military historian of his day. Librarian at Windsor Castle from 1905 to 1926, he was the author of many notable books, including his famous History of the British Army. Among these, his life of Wellington, described by the Spectator as ‘deserving to rank with Southey’s Nelson as a national classic’, has always been held in special regard. Many biographies of Wellington have been written both before and since, but none show so clearly and concisely how Wellington became the great leader of soldiers that he undoubtedly was. Wellington’s military career can be divided roughly into three main phases. First, his command in India and his brilliant conduct of the Mahratta campaign; then the long war of attrition in the Iberian peninsular; and finally the campaign leading to Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo. Sir John gives the reader what The Times Literary Supplement called ‘a hilltop view’ of those years, ‘pointing out the great essential features of the landscape . . . and doing it all so clearly that we know the country better and more intimately than we have ever done before.’ This edition makes available again a book that is of interest both to students of military history and to the general reader who wishes to follow the campaigns of a military commander, who was a great patriot and English gentleman.

Includes over 100 maps of the actions, engagements and battles of the entire Peninsular War. “The men who stood beside the Great Duke The Duke of Wellington was indisputably one of the most able military commanders in British history. He was not only a powerful intellect, but also a man of substantial character...To Wellington, delegation failed to come easily...He insisted on a knowledge of all things that might concern him and was prepared to issue directives on all matters. It is then, unsurprising that he eclipsed his immediate subordinates, senior figures and highly respected commanders in their own right, who were often given little latitude, and were regularly not fully briefed as to Wellington’s strategy and grand tactics; for example, at Waterloo, amid flying shot, the duke terrified his staff by appearing to be the only person in possession of the plan of battle. All this, however, does nothing to diminish the clear contribution many of those closest to the Great Duke made towards the success of his campaigns. While having lessons to learn from Wellington they were more than capable military men-if not actually possessed of quite the same degree of military ‘genius’ as their commander in chief. This book chronicles eight of Wellington’s lieutenants as they fought for him in the Peninsula and at Waterloo. Lord ‘Daddy’ Hill earned his nickname because of his extraordinary concern for the well-being of his soldiers; he was Wellington’s most trusted general and was, unusually, given independent command by Wellington. The fiery Craufurd, leader of the Light Division, could always be depended upon to take the fight to the enemy-sometimes whether it was prudent to do so or not. Picton, the hard swearing Welshman...Accounts of the campaigns and actions of these notable soldiers are joined in this riveting book by those of Beresford, Lynedoch, Hopetoun, Anglesey and Combermere.”-Print ed.

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.

The Duke of Wellington was not only an incomparable commander in battle but also a remarkable writer. His dispatches have long been viewed as classics of military literature and have influenced all military accounts after his. This selection follows the campaign of the British against Napoleon in Wellington’s own words, telling the story of the conflict from its desperate beginnings in Portugal to the final triumph at Waterloo.

The British troops who fought so successfully under the Duke of Wellington during his Peninsular Campaign against Napoleon have long been branded by the duke’s own words—“scum of the earth”—and assumed to have been society’s ne’er-do-wells or criminals who enlisted to escape justice. Now Edward J. Coss shows to the contrary that most of these redcoats were respectable laborers and tradesmen and that it was mainly their working-class status that prompted the duke’s derision. Driven into the army by unemployment in the wake of Britain’s industrial revolution, they confronted wartime hardship with ethical values and became formidable soldiers in the bargain These men depended on the king’s shilling for survival, yet pay was erratic and provisions were scant. Fed worse even than sixteenth-century Spanish galley slaves, they often marched for days without adequate food; and if during the campaign they did steal from Portuguese and Spanish civilians, the theft was attributable not to any criminal leanings but to hunger and the paltry rations provided by the army. Coss draws on a comprehensive database on British soldiers as well as first-person accounts of Peninsular War participants to offer a better understanding of their backgrounds and daily lives. He describes how these neglected and abused soldiers came to rely increasingly on the emotional and physical support of comrades and developed their own moral and behavioral code. Their cohesiveness, Coss argues, was a major factor in their legendary triumphs over Napoleon’s battle-hardened troops. The first work to closely examine the social composition of Wellington’s rank and file through the lens of military psychology, All for the King’s Shilling transcends the Napoleonic battlefield to help explain the motivation and behavior of all soldiers under the stress of combat.