Gordon Corrigan is the author of Sepoys in the Trenches: The Indian Corps on the Western Front (1999), Mud, Blood and Poppycock: Britain in the First World War (Cassell, 2003), Loos - The Unwanted Battle (Spellmount, 2006) and Blood, Sweat and Arrogance: The Myths of Churchill's War (Weidenfeld & Nicholson, 2006).

The Duke of Wellington, the most successful of British commanders, set a standard by which all subsequent British generals have been measured. His defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815 crowned a reputation first won in India at Assaye and then confirmed during the Peninsular War, where he followed up his defence of Portugal by expelling the French from Spain. Gordon Corrigan, himself an ex-soldier, examines his claims to greatness. Wellington was in many ways the first modern general, combining a mastery of logistics with an ability to communicate and inspire. He had to contend not only with enemy armies but also with his political masters and an often sceptical public at home.

Illustrations Maps Preface 1 Ireland 2 Early Days 3 Learning the Trade 4 Sepoy General 5 Vimeiro to Coruna 6 Talavera 7 The Defence of Portugal 8 The Keys to the Kingdom
9 Into Spain 10 The Year of Victory 11 France
12 Napoeon's Return 13 Waterloo 14 The Later Days 15 Epilogue Notes Bibliogaphy Index