Wellington: The Path to Victory

by Rory Muir
Category: "World History - Military"
Pages:591
Year of Publication:2013
Date Added:05/20/2014
Date Read:06/04/2015
Notes:A biography of Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, from his birth in 1769 as the younger son of minor aristocracy in Ireland to 1814, when as leader of the allied armies on the Iberian Peninsula, he defeated French forces after four years of battle without defeat and helped bring about the downfall of Napoleon.
My Rating: 7

Reviews for Wellington: The Path to Victory

Review - Wellington: The Path to Victory

I've long wanted to read a history of the Peninsula War that didn't go into ridiculous detail, and this book provided that. It was easy to read, the maps were thorough and I now have a feel for the campaign and for Wellington. I probably won't read the second volume when it comes out because I'm less interested in his political career and I've already read histories of Waterloo. Wellington, like many great men, was complex. He was apparently kind, fun and approachable during down times, but in crisis was cold, seemingly unfeeling and brusk. His victories over a French army thought unbeatable were stunning in light of the fact that Wellington's army was often outnumbered and relied on large numbers of Spanish and Portuguese troops previously untested.
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