I am reading  Wellington, The Path to Victory 1769-1814 by Rory Muir, a biography of the Duke of Wellington. Wellington himself didn’t interest me but I realised that I knew nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing about waging a war. If I am going to have fighting in my books then I needed to understand war fare and battles to make them at least half way reasonable. Thus, when I stumbled across the above biography I thought I’d read it.

I always knew about Wellington. He was the hero of Waterloo, the final defeat for Napoleon, another great warrior.  The book has been an interesting combination of analysis of campaigns and sketchy details on Wellington’s life.  Logistics, logistics, logistics!!! Seize the moment! Care for and have faith in your soldiers but protect the civilians. And don’t forget the bigger picture – every battle is but one moment in a war and the purpose is to win the war.

This has suited me because the campaigns are what interest me. But, I have to admit, it is a little disconcerting to have so little personal characterisation. I suppose that is the difference between a biography and fiction. In fiction you can create a person with all their virtues and vices, make them real. Sometimes they are so real that you forget they are an invention of someone’s imagination. In a biography, you are confined to what you can glean from letters to, from and about the subject or from newspapers, reports and stories. And the reports, stories and letters all have to be taken with a grain of salt. It makes the reading a little slow. There is no tension. The hero’s journey is muted. The vital link between reader and character is not there.

Which is why I prefer fiction, historical or fantastical – I connect with the character and live vicariously through them.

Not withstanding the above, after I finish this book, I think I’d like to read about campaigns waged by other famous generals – Julius Caesar, Hannibal,  Alexander the Great, Rommel, etc. And I really, really ought to read the Art of War by Sun Tzu.