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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. In a time of
aristocrats, Wellington was an autocrat able to manage powerful men
by force of his still greater will and presence; with success came
their inevitable respect. To Wellington, delegation failed to come
easily and he clearly doubted the wisdom of it as a policy. 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 wellbeing 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 was never easy to company but
was an essential commander on the field of conflict. 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. Available in softcover and hardcover with
dustjacket.
A master of the field of battle in his own words
Anyone who knows of the military genius of John Churchill, Duke of
Marlborough, can't fail to have learnt also of the exploits his
close personal ally, Prince Eugene of Savoy. Despite a physical
frailty, Eugene had an incredible talent for waging war and became,
indisputably, one of the most successful military commanders in
modern European history. His career spanned six decades and he
served three emperors of the Holy Roman Empire. His first battle
was fought against the Turks at the Siege of Vienna in 1689 and he
subsequently took part in the War of the Holy League, the Nine
Years War, against the Turks at Zenta and, most notably, as an ally
of Marlborough's during the War of Spanish Succession against the
French at Blenheim, Oudenarde and Malplaquet. Eugene's later career
included the Austro-Turkish War and the War of Polish Succession.
This special Leonaur edition combines Eugene's own account of his
career with an overview of the man and his achievements by
Alexander Innes Shand.
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.
Napoleon's war for Spain and Portugal
The author of this book, Alexander Innes Shand, was a prolific
writer of his day producing popular histories, biographies of
renowned soldiers, novels and as a notable field sportsman numerous
works on hunting, shooting and fishing. He was also a newspaper
correspondent and covered the Franco-Prussian War for The Times
followed by a book about his experiences during the conflict. His
particular interest in the Peninsular War resulted in two books,
the one you are now holding and the other about the careers of
Wellington's Lieutenants (also published by Leonaur). As one might
expect from a professional writer Shand guides his readers through
the Peninsular War in a comprehensive but easy to read style. His
narrative covers more of the operations of the Spanish Army in the
field than British historians usually do, but in the main he offers
an even handed overview of all of the participants. When first
published this book contained few maps, Leonaur has added to these
especially as regards battle plans and therefore should not be
confused with other editions. For those interested in the war in
the Iberian peninsula Shand's book is a good and accessible history
that is useful for those new to the subject and for another
perspective.
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.
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