
Wellington's Guns
The Untold Story of Wellington and his Artillery in the Peninsula and at Waterloo
Nick Lipscombe(Author)
Osprey Publishing
Published on 20. September 2013
Book
Hardback
472 pages
978-1-78096-114-9 (ISBN)
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.
Reviews / Votes
'A very timely landmark book in a much neglected field. This is a scholarly and meticulous examination of one of the great puzzles of military history. Why did one of Britain's greatest commanders think so little of his gunners? Nick Lipscombe presents us with a fascinating analysis of Wellington's treatment of men who deserved better.' Peter Snow, journalist, broadcaster and author of To War with Wellington 'Though ever present and ever more efficient, the artillery that supported the British armies that fought in the Peninsula and at Waterloo has not figured strongly in this historiography. In this fine work Nick Lipscombe remedies this want and in the process provides us with much fresh information on the internal workings of the British military machine.' Professor Charles J. Esdaile, University of Liverpool 'A remarkable and masterly account of Wellington's gunners that is unlikely to be surpassed.' Ian Fletcher, author of The Peninsular War - Wellington's Battlefields RevisitedMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Dimensions
Height: 233 mm
Width: 152 mm
Weight
798 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78096-114-9 (9781780961149)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Nick Lipscombe
Wellington's Guns
The Untold Story of Wellington and His Artillery in the Peninsula and at Waterloo
E-Book
09/2013
1st Edition
Osprey Publishing
€21.49
Available for download

Nick Lipscombe
Wellington's Guns
The Untold Story of Wellington and His Artillery in the Peninsula and at Waterloo
E-Book
09/2013
1st Edition
Osprey Publishing
€21.49
Available for download
Person
Colonel Nick Lipscombe was born in 1958 in Angers, France. He has a degree in business studies and an MSc in defence studies. He was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1980. During his thirty years in the British Army he has seen considerable operational service with the British and American armies, as well as with NATO and the UN. He was awarded the US Bronze Star in 2006. A keen interest in military history followed his academic studies at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst concentrating on the Napoleonic era and the Peninsular War in particular. He is Chairman of Peninsular War 200, the UK official organisation for the commemoration of the bicentenary of the Peninsular War and a key member of the Waterloo 200 committee. He speaks German and Spanish, currently works in Portugal and lives in Spain with his wife Janny and their three daughters.
Content
List of images
List of maps
Acknowledgements
Foreword by General Sir David Richards, GCB, CBE, DSO, ADC Gen Chief of the Defence Staff
Preface
Introduction
Chapter 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 Breakout
Chapter 11. Cleeves's Escape
Chapter 12. Dickson, the Die is Cast
Chapter 13. Borthwick, the Walking Target
Chapter 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 Fury
Chapter 19. Curtain of Fire
Chapter 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 Daughters
Chapter 24. Wellington's Gunners
Appendices
Glossary and Abbreviations
Bibliography
Index
List of maps
Acknowledgements
Foreword by General Sir David Richards, GCB, CBE, DSO, ADC Gen Chief of the Defence Staff
Preface
Introduction
Chapter 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 Breakout
Chapter 11. Cleeves's Escape
Chapter 12. Dickson, the Die is Cast
Chapter 13. Borthwick, the Walking Target
Chapter 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 Fury
Chapter 19. Curtain of Fire
Chapter 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 Daughters
Chapter 24. Wellington's Gunners
Appendices
Glossary and Abbreviations
Bibliography
Index