Wellington's Right Hand: Rowland, Viscount Hill

From the shadow of Wellington, comes a compelling portrait of one of history's forgotten heroes. One of the most unlikely soldiers of his day, Rowland, Viscount Hill was imaginative, intelligent and brave. Frequently leading from the front in some of the Napoleonic Wars' most deadly battles, Hill was given his own 'detached' corps with which he fought his way through Spain, Portugal and France, winning unlikely victories such as at the Battle of St Pierre, where he defeated Marechal Soult by holding the French at bay for almost a whole day with a force less than half their number. He became so indispensible to Wellington that when the great man was asked to let Hill leave the Peninsula to lead an army elsewhere, he retorted: 'Would you cut off my right hand?' Away from the battlefield Lord Hill had the courage to stand up to George IV and William IV and feuded with Lord Grey. Wellington's Right Hand traces the career of a man who fought some of the most famous battles in military history, including Corunna, Talavera, Bussaco, Almaraz, Vitoria and Waterloo. Based on the Hill papers and a wide range of primary and secondary sources, this work will have great appeal for students of the period and Napoleonic enthusiasts alike.