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Wellington's Spies
 
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Wellington's Spies [Illustrated] (Hardcover)

by Mary McGrigor (Author)
3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
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Product details

  • Hardcover: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Leo Cooper Ltd; illustrated edition edition (19 Nov 2005)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1844153282
  • ISBN-13: 978-1844153282
  • Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.6 x 3.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 848,555 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Synopsis
Uses first hand accounts of three of Wellington's most daring and successful Intelligence Officers. The three men, all of Scottish descent, were different in character. Their stories in this book is skilfully interwoven against the backdrop of the brutal Peninsula War. It gives a insight into Wellington's remarkable triumph over Napoleon's armies.

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Customer Reviews

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Great premise but missed the mark, 30 Jul 2006
By Darren O'Connell "Darren O'Connell" (Perth, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I'm a great fan of Napoleonic history particulary the British Army's exploits in the Iberian Peninsular. Having learned something of Wellington's intelligence network from the likes of Oman, Fortescue and others I thought a specific narrative of three of the principle figures involved would make for a fascinating book. Unfortunately I feel that the author did not quite fulfil her brief. The first two characters, Charles Cocks and Andrew Leith Hay aren't convincingly depicted as intelligence gatherers rather they come across as travelling tourists - jotting down impressions of the country, weather observations, flora & fauna etc. The third character of McGrigor's triad would justify a book of his own. In fact Calqhoun Grant makes Richard Sharpe (Cornwell's fictional rifleman) look like a raw recruit in terms of derring-do and the author relates his activites directly to Wellington's requirements. The brief history of Grant alone justifies the purchase of this book as his exploits defy imagination. One pivotal character in Wellington's spy network was Patrick Curtis, rector of the Irish College in Salamanca, but scant notice is taken of his contribution to Wellington's success in determining the enemy's whereabouts and strength. Be that as it may, the book does flow well and gives a brief yet well paced account of the Peninsular War but is handicapped in a number of areas by poor editing, factual errors and dreadful spelling mistakes. Unfortunately modern authorship suffers more and more from such carelessness. Certainly a worthy book for any avid fan of British pride during the Peninsular campaigns.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Spying for Welly, 28 Jul 2008
By Sean (Northumberland, UK) - See all my reviews
Three gripping memoir/letters are combined with a standard narrative of the Peninsular to produce a taught and gripping account of adventure, evasion and capture amidst the ferocious war in Spain. The format is not unlike Mark Urban's The Man Who Broke Napoleon's Codes (and indeed the two books have something in common thematically as well) The Author has succeeded wonderfully at utilising these accounts; their stories are more gripping than a good Sharpe book and are made all the more astonishing in that they actually happened. Their stories do prefigure similar tales which abound from the Second World War (Escape from Colditz; the Resistance etc etc).

Unfortunately the author has not placed their accounts in the correct context: all men being in fact Wellington's near-legendary 'Observing officers'. Admittedly their deeds were kept deliberately shady and informal however thirteen British officers have been firmly identified as conducting spying operations in the Peninsular (including our three); a fine essay on their operations, by Robert Burnham, is contained in the book Inside Wellington's Peninsular Army, 1808-1814. By not having this context the reader will find themselves surprised at finding the Duke's officers going for random unspecified sojourns behind enemy lines for no apparent reason. Equally a degree of analyse upon their role in intelligence and its contribution to the war is needed. Something of their importance can be gleamed from the narrative however.

I agree with the sentiments of the prior reviewer upon the narrative concerning the Peninsular War. Unfortunately her main source seems to have been an abridged version of Napier which is hardly satisfactory considering Napier has been largely supplanted by the works of Oman, Glover and Esdaile.

Overall, this volume is recommended for the stories of the three officers (and associates) who make it so hard to put down; being wonderful anecdotal and personal in style. They even seemed to startle the famously un-melodramatic Duke. As a volume it is basically superb for those un-initiated; for those with prior knowledge on the Peninsular War however it remains good but with flaws. In either case, for the accounts alone, it is certainly worthy having on your shelf.
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