Waterloo as told by one who fought and became one of its first historians The title of this book is doubly appropriate. Cotton was a soldier of the 7th Hussars who had served in Spain and became part of Wellington's polyglot army sent to Belgium to stand between Napoleon and his ambitions to regain the Imperial throne of France. He was in an ideal position to view the battle as a participant and his own experiences fighting with the light cavalry are retold in detail. After the battle Cotton saw an opportunity to make his living from the most momentous battle of the age and following his army discharge returned to Mont St Jean to become a battlefield guide and hotelier. Cotton's hotel still stands and is now the Waxworks Museum and part of the modern visitors' centre. Years of telling the story of the Battle of Waterloo enabled Cotton to fine tune his narrative and as a consequence he has left us an even handed and highly entertaining account filled with anecdotes related to him by other participants-on both sides of the conflict-as they revisited the battlefield in the years after those bloody days of June 1815. A Voice from Waterloo-the words of a soldier and a storyteller-was once the most popular book on its subject. It is an invaluable addition to any library of the Napoleonic Wars and also provides-as a consequence of its inspiration-a perfect companion for the modern Waterloo visitor as; perhaps; its most authentic expert tells his story once again across time.
#917036 in Books Osprey Publishing 2007-03-27 2007-03-27Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 241.05 x 3.56 x 7.29l; .37 #File Name: 184603074948 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. More a book on triremes per see than Greek warships in general but still worth readingBy YodaAny review of this book would have to start off by discussing two things; the first being the book's format and the second the specific topic covered. With respect to the first; the book is part of Osprey Publishing's New Vanguard series. As such; it is relatively short at only 48 pages in length (of which a very rough third consist of one type of illustration or another [i.e.; photos; maps; schematics; etc.]). Hence this is not a book for those interested in an academic treatise on the subject. For that audience this reviewer highly recommends W.J. Rodger’s “Greek and Roman Naval Warfareâ€; published by the Naval Institute Press.With respect to the second point; specific topic covered; it should be stressed that this book covers only 1 type of Greek warship – the trireme. All others; including the widely used bireme; are not covered. Biremes are discussed in only; literally; two sentences and no other type of warships is even mentioned; never mind intelligently discussed. Hence the reader gets no idea of what other vessel classes there were; what their functions were in a “balanced†fleet of the time or how numerous they were relative to each other.With respect to it’s coverage of the trireme however; the book is quite impressive despite it’s brevity. Not only are physical characteristics discussed but so are building techniques; tactics; maintenance and upkeep (along with associated costs); crews and some of the largest naval battles of the times ( with emphasis on Greco- Persian and Peloponnesian wars). The book is also very well illustrated with not only schematics/cutaways of the vessels but also photos of battle sights and maps illustrating tactics and how some of the major battles played out. All and all very surprising; especially considering the short length of the book. All this reviewer was expecting was a discussion and analysis of the physical characteristics of the vessels along with how they were built.In short; a very good succinct overview of triremes. Anyone expecting a survey of all classes of Greek warships though will be disappointed however.14 of 16 people found the following review helpful. Another Osprey DudBy Marco Antonio AbarcaWith Osprey Publishing you never know what you are going to get. Sometimes; they produce little gems that are well written and beautifully illustrated. Other times; they produce real turkeys and unfortunately "Ancient Greek Warship" is one of them. Osprey Publishing has a real problem with quality control. They have a stable of authors they repeatedly go back for new titles. Nic Fields is their "ancients" guy and anything from the olden days they give to him."Ancient Greek Warship" suffers from this slap dash approach. Nic Fields knows his ancient history but he is not an expert on the ancient maritime world. In this failed effort; Fields has inexpertly patched together research from the real naval experts. It all has the feel of a rushed college term paper. The illustrations are equally hackneyed. As an example; instead of purchasing quality photos of the reconstructed trireme "Olympias"; Nic Fields uses his amateur snap shots of the dry docked ship. Peter Bull's cartoonish illustrations add final insult to injury. If you want to read a real book about triremes check out "The Age of the Galley-Mediterranean Oard Vessles since pre-classical Times" edited by John Morrison of Cambridge University.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Two StarsBy Luigi TufoloIt looks more a reportage about the replica Olympias rather than study on the trireme
