Wellington's Spies

Wellington's Spies
Author: Mary McGrigor
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
Total Pages: 362
Release: 2006-03-19
Genre: History
ISBN: 1781596719

The gripping story of three intelligence officers whose dangerous work and sacrifice helped lead to victory over Napoleon’s forces. Intelligence was just as important in the Napoleonic Wars as it is today. But back then, there was only one way of obtaining it: through spies and informers. Here, Mary McGrigor uses firsthand accounts of three of Wellington’s most daring and successful intelligence officers to reveal the relationships they established and the risks they faced. The three men, all of Scottish descent, were very different in character, but all showed remarkable courage. Their stories are filled with danger, action, adventure, and even romance—as well as tragedy and narrow escape. Skillfully interwoven against the backdrop of the brutal Peninsula War, in which atrocities were commonplace, this book gives a fresh insight into Wellington’s remarkable triumph over Napoleon’s armies.

Spying for Wellington

Spying for Wellington
Author: Huw J. Davies
Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press
Total Pages: 505
Release: 2018-11-08
Genre: History
ISBN: 0806162139

Intelligence is often the critical factor in a successful military campaign. This was certainly the case for Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, in the Peninsular War. In this book, author Huw J. Davies offers the first full account of the scope, complexity, and importance of Wellington’s intelligence department, describing a highly organized, multifaceted series of networks of agents and spies throughout Spain and Portugal—an organization that was at once a microcosm of British intelligence at the time and a sophisticated forebear to intelligence developments in the twentieth century. Spying for Wellington shows us an organization that was, in effect, two parallel networks: one made up of Foreign Office agents “run” by British ambassadors in Spain and Portugal, the other comprising military spies controlled by Wellington himself. The network of agents supplied strategic intelligence, giving the British army advance warning of the arrival, destinations, and likely intentions of French reinforcements. The military network supplied operational intelligence, which confirmed the accuracy of the strategic intelligence and provided greater detail on the strengths, arms, and morale of the French forces. Davies reveals how, by integrating these two forms of intelligence, Wellington was able to develop an extremely accurate and reliable estimate of French movements and intentions not only in his own theater of operations but also in other theaters across the Iberian Peninsula. The reliability and accuracy of this intelligence, as Davies demonstrates, was central to Wellington’s decision-making and, ultimately, to his overall success against the French. Correcting past, incomplete accounts, this is the definitive book on Wellington’s use of intelligence. As such, it contributes to a clearer, more comprehensive understanding of Wellington at war and of his place in the history of British military intelligence.

Spying for Wellington

Spying for Wellington
Author: Huw J. Davies
Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press
Total Pages: 329
Release: 2018-11-08
Genre: History
ISBN: 0806162147

Intelligence is often the critical factor in a successful military campaign. This was certainly the case for Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, in the Peninsular War. In this book, author Huw J. Davies offers the first full account of the scope, complexity, and importance of Wellington’s intelligence department, describing a highly organized, multifaceted series of networks of agents and spies throughout Spain and Portugal—an organization that was at once a microcosm of British intelligence at the time and a sophisticated forebear to intelligence developments in the twentieth century. Spying for Wellington shows us an organization that was, in effect, two parallel networks: one made up of Foreign Office agents “run” by British ambassadors in Spain and Portugal, the other comprising military spies controlled by Wellington himself. The network of agents supplied strategic intelligence, giving the British army advance warning of the arrival, destinations, and likely intentions of French reinforcements. The military network supplied operational intelligence, which confirmed the accuracy of the strategic intelligence and provided greater detail on the strengths, arms, and morale of the French forces. Davies reveals how, by integrating these two forms of intelligence, Wellington was able to develop an extremely accurate and reliable estimate of French movements and intentions not only in his own theater of operations but also in other theaters across the Iberian Peninsula. The reliability and accuracy of this intelligence, as Davies demonstrates, was central to Wellington’s decision-making and, ultimately, to his overall success against the French. Correcting past, incomplete accounts, this is the definitive book on Wellington’s use of intelligence. As such, it contributes to a clearer, more comprehensive understanding of Wellington at war and of his place in the history of British military intelligence.

With Wellington in Spain

With Wellington in Spain
Author: F. S. Brereton
Publisher: Good Press
Total Pages: 251
Release: 2023-10-21
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN:

With Wellington in Spain: A Story of the Peninsula by F. S. Brereton is a historical fiction that transports readers to the tumultuous times of the Peninsula War. Following the footsteps of Wellington, Brereton's narrative captures the challenges, strategies, and triumphs of the war. Rich in historical detail and filled with action, this book offers a captivating glimpse into a pivotal moment in history.

Lord and Lady Spy

Lord and Lady Spy
Author: Shana Galen
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.
Total Pages: 385
Release: 2011
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1402259077

Now that the Napoleonic wars have ended, daring secret agent Lady Sophia Smythe must return to her tedious husband, Lord Adrian Smythe, who she may find has a few secrets of his own.