Wellington's Right Hand

Available in paperback, a compelling portrait of a great soldier of the Napoleonic Wars and one of history's forgotten heroes One of the most unlikely soldiers of his day, Rowland, Viscount Hill was imaginative, intelligent, and brave. He fought some of the most famous battles in military history, including Corunna, Talavera, Bussaco, Almaraz, Vitoria, and Waterloo, and this book traces his career. 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 feud with Lord Grey. Based on the Hill's own papers, including his correspondence with Napoleon, and a wide range of primary and secondary sources, this work will have great appeal for students of the period and Napoleonic enthusiasts alike.