Full Description
Dismissive, conservative and aloof, Wellington treated his artillery with disdain during the Napoleonic Wars - despite their growing influence on the field of battle. Wellington's Guns exposes, for the very first time, the often stormy relationship between Wellington and his artillery, how the reluctance to modernize the British artillery corps threatened to derail the British push for victory and how Wellington's views on the command and appointment structure within the artillery opened up damaging rifts between him and his men. At a time when artillery was undergoing revolutionary changes - from the use of mountain guns during the Pyrenees campaign in the Peninsular, the innovative execution of 'danger-close' missions to clear the woods of Hougomont at Waterloo, to the introduction of creeping barrages and Congreve's rockets - Wellington seemed to remain distrustful of a force that played a significant role in shaping tactics and changing the course of the war. Using extensive research and first-hand accounts, Colonel Nick Lipscombe reveals that despite Wellington's brilliance as a field commander, his abrupt and uncompromising leadership style, particularly towards his artillery commanders, shaped the Napoleonic Wars, and how despite this, the ever-evolving technology and tactics ensured that the extensive use of artillery became one of the hallmarks of a modern army.
Contents
List of imagesList of mapsAcknowledgementsForeword by General Sir David Richards, GCB, CBE, DSO, ADC Gen Chief of the Defence StaffPrefaceIntroductionChapter 1. Robe's Frustrations Chapter 2. Harding's Preparations Chapter 3. Cookson's Powder Keg Chapter 4. Howorth's Arrival Chapter 5. Wellington's Cold Shoulder Chapter 6. MacLeod's Labours Chapter 7. Shrapnel's Duck Shot Chapter 8. Ross's Agitation Chapter 9. Duncan's Determination Chapter 10. Ramsay's BreakoutChapter 11. Cleeves's EscapeChapter 12. Dickson, the Die is Cast Chapter 13. Borthwick, the Walking TargetChapter 14. Douglas's Close Support Chapter 15. Dyneley's Capture and Wellington's Failure Chapter 16. Holcombe's Opportunity Chapter 17. Ramsay's Arrest Chapter 18. Williamson's FuryChapter 19. Curtain of FireChapter 20. Waller's Remonstrance Chapter 21. Frazer's Swank and Lane's Rockets Chapter 22. Wood's Commitment Chapter 23. Wellington's Guns and Napoleon's DaughtersChapter 24. Wellington's Gunners AppendicesGlossary and AbbreviationsBibliographyIndex
