Wellington: pocket GIANTS

Gary Sheffield

Jul 2017 · The History Press

About this ebook

Wellington is a giant because he was one of the greatest military commanders in British history, an important figure in the emergence of Britain as a great imperial power, a man who dominated British society and politics for 35 years. He was the only one of Napoleon’s contemporaries who can be mentioned in the same breath as a general - a master of logistics, politics and coalition warfare as well as strategy, operations and tactics. The book’s focus is on Wellington’s military career, and it looks at all of these aspects, placing them in the context of the military and political developments of the time. It explores Wellington’s personality – a key to understanding his success - and briefly examines his post-Waterloo career as a politician. It concludes that Wellington was not only a military genius, but an icon whose fame endures to our own time.

About the author

Gary Sheffield is Professor of War Studies at the University of Wolverhampton. He is President of the International Guild of Battlefield Guides and a Vice President of the Western Front Association. He is the author of Command and Control on the Western Front and The Chief: Douglas Haig and the British Army, which was shortlisted for the prestigious Duke of Westminster's Medal.