PDF Wellington’s Guns: The Untold Story of Wellington and his Artillery in the Peninsula and at Waterloo (General Military) by Nick Lipscombe in History

Review

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Action Front!By Kevin F. KileyBooks on the artillery of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars are few and far between; and when one comes along; no matter which artillery service it details; it is both a benefit and a treat. That certainly goes for this volume and anyone interested in the artillery of the period should have this volume on their bookshelf.The author covers the Royal Artillery from Portugal and Spain to Belgium and covers the arm from muzzle to butt plate. There is enough artillery technical data supplied to use for reference for other works; but the narrative itself is clearly outstanding and tells the tale of a superb artillery arm that distinguished itself in action on many fields and of the officers and other ranks who manned and fought their guns in a proud tradition that endures to this day.The Royal Artillery was slowly built up in the field in Portugal and Spain. There was never enough of it; and the excellent Portuguese artillery arm was trained and equipped by the British to a state of efficiency that reinforced and supplemented their British allies through the Peninsular campaigns. The two outstanding senior British artillery officers; Alexander Dickson and Augustus Frazer; were skilled artillery officers who could 'make bricks without straw' and they labored mightily to ensure that the artillery arm ably supported the infantry and cavalry.It should also be noted that the three most interesting and valuable artillery technical innovations were introduced by the Royal Artillery during the period. The block trail gun carriage; that was superior to all other gun carriages of the period; and greatly admired by the French (who would later introduce it to their own artillery arm ca 1829); was introduced first with the Royal Horse Artillery and later with the Foot Artillery. The Congreve rocket; teething troubles and all; was also introduced and later copied by the Continental armies of France; Denmark and Austria. Lastly; and probably most importantly; spherical case shot; commonly called shrapnel after its inventor; Henry Shrapnel; was the British secret weapon of the period; was an excellent anti-personnel round; and was not copied by any other belligerent until well after 1815.This volume is highly recommended and it rounds out the study of Wellington's Peninsular army as well as the army commanded by him in Belgium in 1815.7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. Guns......and Gunners....yes indeed!By RayAt last....a blow by blow presentation of the artillery component of Wellington's Army during the 1808 to 1815 Napoleonic Wars.Told with some passion by the author Mr Lipscombe who "tells it as it was" from the viewpoint of the men who were there.This is not a flag waving glorification of the gunners art; far more a struggle by all concerned to make the best of the odds against them.Crammed full of detail; seasoned with a regular dose of exasperation as the strugglers problems are revealed and laid open for examination.This is a "must have" for readers of the period;Ray Foster1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Artillery Comes of Age.By Kenneth W. FarminerA fascinating insight into Wellington's persona. The authors thesis that Wellington paid scant regard to his artillery is well proven and reflects the Duke's insistence on personally controlling his military organization from top to bottom. This was; of course; one of the reasons for his successes but the separate command structure of the artillery arm was clearly a frustration for him and resulted in his restrained recognition of this arm's valuable contribution.This despite the artillery's high level of training and a superior projectile capability.This was not helped by the inexplicable policy of the Ordnance organization toward their prime movers---horses---and their policy of advancement for officers based on time in rank. (Wellington much preferred his officers to be gentry who purchased their advancement)