Wellington’s Wars: The Making of a Military Genius

British defense analyst Davies offers a provocative and persuasive perspective on the duke of Wellington as a great captain. Davies, a lecturer at King’s College, London, acknowledges the general’s qualities as a soldier: solid judgment, strength of character, ability to “translate frequently murky political objectives into clear-sighted military objectives....” Wellington could coordinate troops in an operational theater and outthink his enemies in battle. He was lucky, never suffering worse than a bruise. The duke relied excessively on his own judgment and intuition, regularly misunderstanding both his enemies and his allies. But, Davies asserts, Wellington’s military genius reflected less his soldierly kills than his profound understanding of politics. Wellington was exposed from the beginning of his career to the tensions making military victory contingent on balancing conflicting political priorities. In India he learned how to deal with uncooperative allies. Facing Napoleon’s aggressions, he lobbied the British government on the importance of opposing Napoleon militarily, and fighting to defend Spain, he comprehended the British army as the war’s linchpin. At Waterloo he acted on the necessity of ensuring Europe’s balance of power. “Political general,” seldom a favorable appellation, is in Wellington’s case high praise. 13 illus.; 12 maps. Agent: req. (June)