📖 The men who stood beside the Great DukeThe Duke of Wellington was indisputably one of the most able military commanders in British history. He was not only a powerful intellect, but also a man of substantial character. In a time of aristocrats, Wellington was an autocrat able to manage powerful men by force of his still greater will and presence; with success came their inevitable respect. To Wellington, delegation failed to come easily and he clearly doubted the wisdom of it as a policy. He insisted on a knowledge of all things that might concern him and was prepared to issue directives on all matters. It is then, unsurprising that he eclipsed his immediate subordinates, senior figures and highly respected commanders in their own right, who were often given little latitude, and were regularly not fully briefed as to Wellington's strategy and grand tactics; for example, at Waterloo, amid flying shot, the duke terrified his staff by appearing to be the only person in possession of the plan of battle. All this, however, does nothing to diminish the clear contribution many of those closest to the Great Duke made towards the success of his campaigns. While having lessons to learn from Wellington they were more than capable military men-if not actually possessed of quite the same degree of military 'genius' as their commander in chief. This book chronicles eight of Wellington's lieutenants as they fought for him in the Peninsula and at Waterloo. Lord 'Daddy'...