The Story of Wellington — Key Ideas to Explore

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Authors: Wheeler, Harold, 1877- Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2015 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Generals -- Great Britain -- Biography; Great Britain -- History, Military -- 19th century; Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, Duke of, 1769-1852; Statesmen -- Great Britain -- Biography Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

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Words 81,589

Reading time 355 min

Text sections 28

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Source: Project Gutenberg record #50434

Harold Wheeler's 1912 biography presents Wellington as a disciplined, unromantic commander. The foreword contrasts him with Napoleon and Nelson, and the Fuentes de Oñoro excerpt shows Wheeler's method: blending tactical detail with contemporary eyewitness accounts to build a portrait of calculated decision-making under pressure.

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ent of the attack, which continued to burn brilliantly along the water-cut which divided the 3rd from the other divisions. Near the end of this channel, behind a rising mound, were Lord Wellington and his personal staff, screened from the enemy’s direct fire, but within range of shells. One of his staff sat down by his side with a candle to enable the general to read and write all his communications and orders relative to the passing events. I stood not far from his lordship. But due respect prevented any of us bystanders from approaching so near as to enable us to ascertain the import of the reports which he was continually receiving; yet it was very evident that the information which they conveyed was far from flattering; and the recall on the bugles was again and again repeated. But about half-past eleven o’clock an officer rode up at full speed on a horse covered with foam, and announced the joyful tidings that General Picton had made a lodgment within the castle by escalade, and had withdrawn the troops from the trenches to enable him to maintain his dearly purchased hold. Lord Wellington was evidently delighted, but exclaimed, ‘What! abandon the trenches?’ and ordered two regiments of the 5th Division instantly to replace those withdrawn. I waited to hear no more, but, admiring the prompt genius which immediately provided for every contingency, I mounted my horse.”

I shall not attempt to enumerate the lengthy list of authorities I have consulted in writing this volume, but special mention must be made of Professor Oman’s monumental “History of the Peninsular War,” which corrects Napier in many important points. Four volumes have now been published, and I am under obligation to the eminent scholar whose name appears on the title-pages for his kindness in allowing me to use without reserve the labour of many years. The “Cambridge Modern History” (vol. ix.), Rose’s “Napoleon,” Croker’s “Correspondence and Diaries,” Siborne’s “Waterloo Letters,” the “Lives” of Wellington by Sir Herbert Maxwell, W. H. Maxwell, Gleig, Hooper, Yonge, and many others have been laid under contribution, as well as contemporary works by soldiers who fought with the Iron Duke. As I have endeavoured to let Wellington speak for himself whenever possible, Gurwood’s “Dispatches” have been frequently consulted, and for sidelights I have had access to a large number of volumes of correspondence, autobiography, and biography in which he plays a part, however insignificant.

Finally, I must express the hope that my readers, as they progress over the field which I have endeavoured to open up to them, will share the love of the strong, silent Man of Duty which has grown upon me as I have become more intimate with the story of his life.

_The path of duty was the way to glory. His work is done. But while the races of mankind endure, Let his great example stand Colossal, seen of every land._

NORTHWOOD, MIDDLESEX.

I. THE FOOL OF THE FAMILY (1769-93) 17

II. WELLINGTON’S BAPTISM OF FIRE (1794-97) 28

III. THE CAMPAIGN OF SERINGAPATAM (1797-1800) 35

IV. WAR WITH THE MARHATTÁS (1801-3) 47

V. LAST YEARS IN INDIA (1803-5) 58

VI. SERVICE IN ENGLAND, IRELAND, AND DENMARK (1805-7) 68

VII. THE FIRST BATTLES OF THE PENINSULAR WAR (1808) 76

VIII. VICTORY ABROAD AND DISPLEASURE AT HOME (1808-9) 90

IX. SIR ARTHUR’S RETURN TO PORTUGAL (1809) 99

X. TALAVERA (1809) 110

XI. WELLESLEY’S DEFENCE OF PORTUGAL (1809-10) 119

XII. THE LINES OF TORRES VEDRAS (1810) 128

XIII. MASSÉNA BEATS A RETREAT (1810-11) 137

XIV. THE SIEGE OF CIUDAD RODRIGO (1811-12) 154

XV. BADAJOZ AND SALAMANCA (1812) 165

XVI. THE CLOSING BATTLES OF THE PENINSULAR WAR (1812-14) 181

XVII. THE PRELUDE TO THE WATERLOO CAMPAIGN (1814-15) 200

XVIII. LIGNY AND QUATRE BRAS (1815) 210

XIX. WATERLOO (1815) 218

XX. WELLINGTON THE STATESMAN (1815-52) 236

(1) WELLINGTON’S CAMPAIGNS IN INDIA 37

(2) WELLINGTON’S PENINSULAR CAMPAIGNS 77

(3) THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO 219

THE DUKE WRITING HIS WATERLOO DISPATCH (_Lady Burghersh_) _Frontispiece_

ARTHUR AND THE MARQUIS DE PIGNEROL (_George W. Joy_) 20

“THE FULL FORCE OF THE BLAST” (_Thomas Maybank_) 32

“HE WAS HURLED DOWN BY THE DEFENDERS” (_Thomas Maybank_) 54

SIR HARRY SMITH AND THE SPANISH PATRIOT (_Thomas Maybank_) 82

THE GALLANT PIPER AT VIMIERO (_Thomas Maybank_) 92

“YOU ARE TOO YOUNG, SIR, TO BE KILLED!” (_Thomas Maybank_) 128

THE RETREAT FROM COIMBRA (_Thomas Maybank_) 138

WELLINGTON AT BADAJOZ CONGRATULATING COLONEL WATSON (_R. Caton Woodville_) 168

THE END OF BREAKFAST (_Thomas Maybank_) 172

CHARGE OF PAKENHAM’S THIRD DIVISION AT SALAMANCA (_R. Caton Woodville_) 178

FLIGHT OF THE FRENCH THROUGH VITTORIA (_Robert Hillingford_) 190

THE FRENCH RETREAT OVER THE PYRENEES (_R. Caton Woodville_) 198

FARM OF MONT ST JEAN } } CHÂTEAU OF HOUGOUMONT } } (_Photographs by C. A. Hamilton_,} LA BELLE ALLIANCE INN } _Hornsey_) } 222 } FARM OF LA HAYE SAINTE }

THE DESPERATE STAND OF THE GUARDS AT HOUGOUMONT (_R. Caton Woodville_) 226

Charge of the Scots Greys at Waterloo (_R. Caton Woodville_) 234

The Story of Wellington

The Fool of the Family

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Harold Wheeler opens his biography not with Wellington's birth but with a pointed comparison: Napoleon, Nelson, and Wellington form 'the three sides of a triangle of which Napoleon is the base.' This framing signals that Wheeler expects readers to know the other two figures and to appreciate Wellington's contrasting character. He calls the Duke's career 'a plain, unvarnished tale' and notes that Wellington 'often said hard things of the men under him.' The foreword sets a tone of sober assessment rather than hero worship.

A Biographer's Explicit Framework

Wheeler's foreword is unusually direct about his subject's limitations. He states that Wellington 'was certainly deficient in that attractive personal magnetism so evident in Nelson' and predicts that if canonization were possible, 'Nelson's nimbus would be of rosemary, Wellington's of steel.' This is not a neutral introduction; it primes the reader to expect a story of competence rather than charm. Wheeler also mentions that the mob 'shattered every exposed pane in Apsley House' due to Wellington's political stances, hinting at the public controversies that will appear later. The foreword thus functions as a thesis statement: Wellington's greatness lies in his unyielding effectiveness, not in his likability.

The Battle Account as a Test of Character

The Fuentes de Oñoro excerpt shows Wheeler's narrative method. He weaves together Alison's judgment that the battle was 'the most critical in which Lord Wellington was engaged' with Sir Charles Stewart's detailed reflections on French advantages in cavalry and artillery. The passage dwells on Wellington's decision to 'expose Sabugal rather than throw open a communication with Almeida'—a choice that risked his line of retreat. Wheeler emphasizes that 'Lord Wellington's presence of mind never for a moment forsook him,' presenting the general as a calm calculator under threat. The tactical geography—rivers Turones and Dos Casas, the table-land, the villages of Fuentes de Oñoro and Poço Velho—is laid out with precision, inviting the reader to follow the deployment of divisions and batteries.

The Role of Eyewitness Voices

Wheeler frequently lets contemporaries speak. In the Fuentes de Oñoro section, he quotes Kincaid's remark that 'there was not a heart in the army that did not beat more lightly' at Wellington's return, and Stewart's analysis of Masséna's missed opportunities. These embedded voices serve two purposes: they provide period flavor and they lend authority to Wheeler's tactical judgments. The reader hears not just the biographer's opinion but the observations of soldiers who were present. This technique appears throughout the excerpts, suggesting that Wheeler values the immediacy of firsthand testimony over abstract analysis. It also means the narrative can shift between the general's perspective and the ranks' experience.

A Plain Style for a Plain Tale

Wheeler's prose is functional and unadorned, matching his characterization of Wellington's story. Sentences are straightforward: 'The real battle began on the 5th, and was, in Alison's opinion, the most critical...' He avoids dramatic flourishes, letting the events speak. When he describes Captain Norman Ramsay's battery fighting 'against fearful odds,' the phrase stands out precisely because it is rare. This restraint extends to the battle's outcome: Wheeler notes that Wellington's bold measure 'received an ample reward in the successful termination of this hard-fought battle' without hyperbole. The style reinforces the book's argument—that Wellington's effectiveness did not need rhetorical embellishment.

Readers approaching The Story of Wellington should expect a narrative that values clarity over color. Wheeler's use of contemporary sources rewards attention: the quoted officers and historians are not decorations but evidence. The foreword's comparative framework—Wellington against Napoleon and Nelson—is worth keeping in mind, as it shapes the selection of episodes and the tone of assessment. The book is best read as a deliberate counterpoint to more romantic military biographies.

There’s something steadying about Wheeler’s Wellington—not the glitter of triumph, but the quiet arithmetic of hard choices under fire. I found myself remembering that patient method while rereading the old Scrabbletown chronicle, how its best passages linger on small, deliberate turns of play. Both feel like conversations with someone who’s been there. That’s the feeling I keep, somehow: Trading in Scrabbletown — Inside the Classic stays with me the same way.