Wellington Commander

The Iron Duke's
Generalship

By Jim Arnold

At a long dining table in a gilded hall called Apsley House, the Duke of Wellington gathered each year with senior Waterloo veterans for a banquet to commeminorate the battle. Well over 100 years later, in 1983, a notable collection of military historians met in the same room for the Wellington-Commander Seminar. The just released book, Wellington Commander, is one product of that seminar.

The authors are a roll call of well-known writers on Napoleonic warfare. Paddy Griffith, whose writings have often appeared in The Courier, edits the book while also contributing several chapters. The other authors are Michael Glover, John Terraine, Graeine Rimer, David Howarth, John Keegan, and Correlli Barnett. Together they are a remarkable group of contemporary military historians.

Three chapters are devoted to the Iron Duke's strategic skills. Here Paddy Griffith shows how Wellington matured as a commander. Michael Glover examines how 'the Peer' overcame many difficult operational constraints and was "anything except 'timid'" in his military vision.

The book's second part provides an in-depth review of the Battle of Waterloo. Included here is a detailed account of Wellington's personal movements on the battlefield. Correlli Barnett then "mercilessly itemises the Emperor's mistakes". He puts forward the challenging proposition that Waterloo was a typical battlefield performance for Napoleon.

The last section will be particularly appealing to wargamers. Paddy examines the tactical workings of the so-called 'thin red line'. His conclusions may surprise some readers. A final section looks at British weapons used during Napoleonic times and provides data on ranges, rates of fire, and related areas of interest.

Wellington Commander is superbly illustrated. Period reproductions combine with modern battlefield photos to provide a vivid image of Napoleonic warfare. Many of the illustrations have not (to my knowledge) appeared in any other book. Eight full-color pages cap this lavishly illustrated work.

Of all the books I have read during my tenure as Napoleonic Editor, Wellington Commander stands out as a 'must buy'. Although I do not agree with all the book's interpretations (these are British writers writing about one of their country's greatest military heroes; you cannot expect total objectivity), if you buy only two military books this year, this should be one of them. The other, to be released just before Christmas, will be the subject of a future review.

For now, demand that your book store stock Wellington Commander, edited by Paddy Griffith, published by Antony Bird Publications. Because it is a quality hardback, fully illustrated, it will cost you $45.00. You will thoroughly enjoy your purchase.

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