Customer Reviews

Wellington's War: His Peninsular Dispatches

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Normally I would give this a 3/4 star review, but as the book isn't likely to be reviewed frequently, I'll give it a 5 to balance the other review.
Rathbone has taken Wellington's written commentary on the Peninsular War from letters, dispatches, etc, and woven them into a history of the expulsion of the French from the Iberian Penisula by the British, Portugese, and Spanish. Rathbone is indeed enamored of his subject, but rightly so (I'm sure there is plenty of counterbalancing material out there). The story is told in a clear, illuminating fashion, and is exciting until the end.
I found Wellington as depicted here fascinating in his own words: brilliant, farthinking, strategic, daring, bold. It took a genius to beat the genius of Napoleon.
This may not be the best material for serious students of this time, but as a contextual supplement to the Cornwell Sharpe series, it is perfec

This lovely little book mingles Rathbone's very practical and well-mapped accounts of the movements and battles of the Peninsular War with Wellington's own words in his dispatches and letters. It shows Wellington in his best light; patient, persistent, far-seeing, firm, and often frustrated beyond endurance by halfhearted support from his country, his allies, and his subordinates. As you read the dispatches you will be in the time and uncertainty that Wellington was in, and you will enjoy his victories all the more.

Wellington's situation in Portugal and Spain was very like the the present situation of the western allies in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya.

This is great background reading for Cornwell's Sharpe novels - you will notice places where Sharpe plots seem taken directly from Wellingon's words - and for the brilliant wargame Commands & Colors Napoleonics Commands and Colors: Napoleonics

The author is completely in love with Wellington. He refers to Napoleon as "the much overrated General Buonaparte." He doesn't have the courtesy to call him by his prefered name. He describes Wellington's dispatches as a joy to read, whereas they are actually very dull. As far as I can tell, he has his facts right, he just presents them in a very one sided and boring way. Overall, if you need something to start a fire with, this is the book for you.