A comparison between the Duke of Wellington and Napoleon (2023)

Wellington

Napoleon

Natural talent:

• Not obsessed with Napoleon's genius,Wellingtonwas sculpted to more human proportions, and
• He had none of the negative traits that are on the other side of greatness.

His character turned out to be more stable and enduring. He

• He had an inner confidence, a strong sense of self, and a belief in his own judgment that contributed greatly to his military genius. He had an "almost supernatural balance"
• Learned from failure and setback.
• Never repeat a mistake. In fact, his mistakes haunted him.
• had a big impact onEuropa posterior a 1815, and was largely responsible for
  • Defeat of Napoleon, end of the 23 Years' War
  • the restoration of the Bourbons and European stability, although France still experienced periodic turmoil
  • Avoiding a punitive peace with France
  • Restructuring and refinancing a bankrupt France

Natural talent:

Though an extraordinary genius,Napoleoneras

• More ambitious, selfish and self-centered.
• Often unpredictable and irrational.

energy and drive

• Very energetic.
• It can handle a heavy workload.
• I responded to all correspondence the same day.
• insideWaterloo-Campaign(90 hours), I had 9 hours of sleep. On June 18, 1815, he was already at work at 3 am. To Ned Packenham, he was "the energy man". He once needed 14 days with only 48 hours of sleep.
• He preferred to do things himself. Be wary of subordinates' judgment, often with good reason.
• Please read carefully and in detail, including all shipments and registered documents.
• He studied Napoleon very closely and knew his tactics well.

energy and drive

• Extraordinary energy, but often very unpredictable.
• He could lead his army through waist-deep mountain passes in snow one day and sulk for hours the next.

physical abilities

• Extremely physically fit, officer well above average
• An exceptional knight even for his time, allowing him to move quickly across a battlefield. He once drove 300 miles over rough terrain just to explore.

physical abilities

• No to your great qualities.
• Not a great pilot, he's been shot down several times.
• However, he was able to show exceptional physical courage and determination.

habits

• Often criticized by his older contemporaries for his sober lifestyle.
• I could go days without food and days without sleep.
• Drink moderately during the period

habits

• He himself did little.
• Dictated and delegated letters.

marriage and women

• Not a huge success as a husband though
• He is very comfortable with women, and some of the most important insights into his character come from his correspondence with his confidants.

marriage and women

• His power attracted many admirers.
• Marriage to Josefina not very happy.
• Both serial scammers. Josephine divorced on dynastic grounds
• He had many love affairs and children from several mistresses.

Behavior

• Although very shy, he had a reserved charm and rarely displayed his short temper, except in front of spoiled upper-class officers ("There's Nothing So Stupid as a Brave Officer").
• By no means will they. He avoided crowds trying to cheer him up and was embarrassed when his troops did.
• Beware of all praise and flattery
• He spoke clearly and directly, always using simple and direct language, without hiding uncomfortable truths.
• Enjoyed early in his career as an adviser to ministers and after 1815 by most crowned heads of Europe.
• He treated everyone with equal frankness, from kings and princes to his generals, ADCs and soldiers. This bluntness is often confused with insensitivity or rudeness.

Behavior

• He is not comfortable around people. He liked to keep his distance
• He liked to attract admiration.
• He generally treated people as inferiors, including monarchs.
• It can be totally charming or totally gross.,what served its purpose

the obsession

• He really hated war and took little pleasure in victory.
• He believed that political reforms would start a revolution and lead to demagoguery, dictatorship and more wars.

the obsession

• Power, glory, victory and military conquest, its imperial image, succession and also a Bonaparte dynasty
• He divorced his wife Josefina to marry María Luisa, Princess of Austria.
• He surrounded himself with royal pomp and as emperor
• France bankrupt by extravagance and war
  Wars fought to extort funds from conquered states
• He installed his largely incompetent and greedy brothers in high positions, e.g. as kings of conquered states

Generally

Your discreet responsible leadership

• the reorganization of the British and Portuguese armies into powerful armed forces
• the development of new fighting techniques

One of the greatest and most successful military commanders in history, he has never lost a battle in nearly 50 years.

• equal in strategy to Napoleon; his tactical superior and "the most impeccable commander ever" (Neibuhr).

Generally

Your magnetic genius motivates and organizes

• France's greatest talent, not seen since the days of Charlemagne
• sadly sacrificed one of the greatest armies the world has ever seen to his selfish genius

Undoubtedly one of the greatest military geniuses of all time, developing new strategies, tactics and techniques.

Strategy

His extremely successful strategy has been used by generals in the past such as Fabius, the Roman general. However, he was very successful in applying overall strategy and as a commander.

• He thought long term and never lost sight of that.
• He evaded the enemy with quick maneuvers and brought them down.
• Fight avoided until the certainty of a decisive victory.
• Always choose the battlefield (exception:In the end)
• incoming troops. Avoid wasting them on heroic or risky tactics or dramatic victories (exception: Trials)
• He hid his troops so that the enemy would not know their exact strength and position (Exception: Assaye)

Strategy

• It was high risk and very costly in troops.
• It was driven by political necessity.
• He needed the money he could extort to finance a bankrupt France.
• Alienated conquered states and populations making resistance inevitable

planning

• He studied the terrain very carefully.
• He had an exceptional memory for details of landscape and geography and how to use them.
  

contingency planning

• First class.
• Best Example: Building the defensive lines of Torres Vedras before its withdrawal toPortugal,Saving your army and the entire campaign.

military character

• Fresh and determined.
• He had exceptional self-control in battle.
• He could recognize a military situation immediately and react very coolly.
• Not a hero, but exposed to the same dangers as his men. He was hit twice by stray bullets. He had two horses killed below him at Assaye. His soldiers often begged him to take cover, fearing for their safety.
• He never sacrificed his troops for a quick victory.
• He reduced the chance of a victory that he knew would result in heavy casualties. (Exception: attempt where a quick maneuver and frontal charge shattered a force eight times your own)
• He openly admitted mistakes and learned from them.
• He never blamed his troops for the failure.
• Often tough on officers: "There is nothing more dangerous than a brave officer"

However, the

• He disliked the destructive elements of war.
• He hated the consequences, like reading the victim list, the "butcher's bill".
• Broke reading the Waterloo list
• He decided that Waterloo would be his last battle.

military character

Some commentators diagnose him as a psychopath because he

• He seemed incapable of feeling remorse for the disasters he caused and the millions killed in the wars he waged.
• Abandoned projects turned difficult, like the Egypt campaign
• He frequently changed his mind and often gave confusing or contradictory orders.
• Unable to make close friends, he took advantage of those close to him (eg Bourienne, his classmate and faithful secretary). "Friendship" was a "meaningless word".
• He did not tolerate rivals and wanted to take all the credit for victories (e.g. Passepinte 'banished' after the Battle of Hohenlinden)
• Forget your mistakes quickly.
• He didn't learn from mistakes.
• I tend to blame others
• Never forget an injury.
• He took revenge disproportionately
• He has exhibited paranoid tendencies since childhood. His paranoia led to the establishment of a ruthless police state under Fouche.

beyond

• He inspired extreme loyalty but rarely returned it.
• He saw loyalty as something he was rightfully due.
• He tended to abandon or reject those who were loyal to him.
• He hated it when people left his service and he punished them without remorse (Bourienne). However, he could overlook someone's mistakes and shortcomings when they were useful to him.
• He developed a very sophisticated war machine.

But

• Total disregard for medical services and
• For many important battles he lacked medical supplies.

Tactics and tactical skill.

• He could read a battle very well.
• He never acted on impulse, but always resolutely and with great determination.
• He knew exactly where he needed to be on the battlefield.

Great contribution to military tactics.

• It concealed lines of infantry on the rear slope of a hill, protecting them from artillery and attacking infantry fire.
• He put them in the line of fire attacking infantry at a range of up to 25 meters.

Best example:

• Final stage at Waterloo when allied infantry repulsed the Imperial Guard, inflicting 75% casualties
• The use of infantry squadrons against cavalry was not new, but he used it to great effect and accuracy at Waterloo when Wellington's squadrons withstood 5 massive cavalry charges in 2 hours.

Tactics and tactical skill.

Many of their tactics were developed early on.revolutionary warsof generals like Drout (d'Erlon) including

• Attack in column and crush the enemy lines of poorly trained and unmotivated troops led by senior generals and using old-fashioned tactics.
• Attack at unconventional times, such as in winter when there is heavy snowfall

Indeed, most of the military improvements attributed to Napoleon were developed and implemented by his marshals and generals.

Highly Motivated Troops French troops were feared throughout Europe, but Napoleon

• He had little regard for their lives and never forgave them.
• This demanded more and more commitment and loyalty from him personally.
• Sometimes cynical in his waste of troops, expecting them to lay down their lives in loyalty to him.

worst example: In a last ditch effort at Waterloo, he lied to the Imperial Guard, telling them the approaching army was Grunchys and roused the Guard into an unfounded charge in which 75% fell. The army was the Prussians.

The Imperial Guard were repulsed by the British Guard under Wellington's personal command, using his technique of hiding the infantry behind a hill until the last minute.

relationship with the troops

• He didn't appreciate being applauded by the troops: "What if they want to boo me?"
• He never spoke en masse to his troops
• Inspired by leadership and example, not speech. Knowing that he wanted to keep it made his troops trust him more.
• Troops always inspired by your presence

relationship with the troops

• He saw his troops as an expendable item in his conquests and squandered them in a way that often shocked his own marshals.
• While he has a long-term goal of conquest, he seems to have no long-term vision beyond subjugating Europe to France and subjecting France to his own rule.

Main strategic policy

Low-risk strategy with

• Save energy
• Avoid combat unless necessary and victory is assured. In 44 engagements as commander (1809-15) he never lost, although he admitted to winning one or two by lot.

Main strategic policy

High-risk strategy, with

• Massive armies and aggressive tactics.
• Quick, decisive and often surprising victories.
• Move huge armies quickly
• Attack quickly, often surprisingly and with great ferocity, inflicting huge losses.
• Avoid coordinating enemy forces and defeat them gradually.

The civilized game of European war had seen nothing like Bonaparte's aggressive strategy and tactics. Surprising victories in part because Europe did not accept that the war had changed and changed tactics.

Strategy driven by

Lack of UK government support because

• His family, the Wesleys (later the Wellesleys), were unpopular because they were Irish and controlled five seats in Parliament in London.
• The army is not popular. The Navy, the favorite of the British afterTrafalgar

Strategy driven by

• A need for glory, which he openly admitted and which he had to feed from victory to victory.
• Monetary needs of the conquered states, as France was largely bankrupt
• need for public approval.
• Victories and conquests masked corruption, incompetence and mismanagement at home

national support

• The government frequently left Wellington short of resources or troops. He often complained of being at the mercy of the Whitehall copyists.
• However, he knew that high casualties would lead to his withdrawal and the end of his campaign.

national support

• Very strong, especially when winning wars abroad and recovering riches.
• Fouchés police cracked down on opposition and royalist support

Opposition

• The Opposition in Parliamentwhips, an ally of the Prince Regent, sympathized with the new France
• Despite the Whig experience, the Whigs tried to come to terms with Napoleon.Treaty of Amiens, and Napoleon's penchant for breaking treaties

Opposition

• The monarchist scholarships (for example, the Vendée) never accepted it.
• To suppress opposition, he established a police state and hired Fouche as Minister of Police. Relentless but effective, Fouche was one of his traitors in 1815

nach Waterloo

• He still had 400,000 soldiers under arms, and
• In theory, at least, it could have defeated any army. However, most of these troops were used to prevent royalist revolts, which would certainly have occurred had the troops been withdrawn to fight the Allies.

Announcement

• british pressrelatively free
• Campaign initially not well known and the British indifferent. Lots of press and public interest afterwards.
• Army, Campaign and Wellington rose in popularity with victories

Announcement

• He controlled the French press and that of the conquered or confederated states.

resources

The strategy required the support of

• Local population and irregular forces such as the Spanish "guerrillas"
• Regular forces like the Spanish and Portuguese in the Peninsular War and the Prussians, Dutch etc. during the 100 days.
• The strategy also required disciplined troops.
• The Luso-British in the Peninsular War

resources

• Huge resources, usually extorted from conquered states in the form of taxes or "reparations".
• During the campaign, the army foraged, reducing the need for a supply train but slowing the army's advance while foraging. O
• Alienation of inhabitants of conquered countries
• For example, it led to massive resistance in Spain, Portugal andRussia

purchasing policy

• They rarely lived off the land for fear of alienating the native population.
• all supplies bought and paid for, but sometimes not for long.

This policy and strategy was responsible for that

• Victory on the Peninsula, supported by civilians and guerrillas
• Attracting the local civilian population during the invasion of France in 1814
• Napoleon's defeat in the Russian and Saxon campaigns of 1812-14, when Prussian and Russian generals adopted Wellington's strategy and tactics (eg, General Barclay-Tolley of Russia, who turned out to give the Russians the upper hand). Until Waterloo there would be no more decisive battles that suited Napoleon.

British naval supremacy was crucial as it allowed the shipment of supplies to Lisbon and from there by land during its retreat behind the "Lines of Torres Vedras". This lifebuoy saved the army.

supply policy

This necessary strategy

• A deep knowledge of the terrain/theater of war.
• A large number of requirements in the field of operations, which in turn limited the duration of these operations
• A psychological advantage derived from an invincibility myth. The enemy was "half defeated before the battle"

Error

Error

Big strategic mistakes. the worst were

• The invasion of Egypt, mainly to control the route to India and the East.
• The invasions of Spain and Portugal, ostensibly to deprive the United Kingdom of its resources.
• The invasion of Russia while hundreds of thousands of its troops in Spain were being depleted by Wellington and Iberian guerrillas.