A Message from the Duke of Wellington

[280plus]

( OR )

Some things never change...

Sent to me by a history buff buddy:

Written from Central Spain, August 1812

Gentlemen, Whilst marching from Portugal to a position which commands the approach to Madrid and the French forces, my officers have been diligently complying with your requests which have been sent by H.M. ship from London to Lisbon and thence by dispatch to our headquarters.

We have enumerated our saddles, bridles, tents and tent poles, and all manner of sundry items for which His Majesty's Government holds me accountable. I have dispatched reports on the character, wit, and spleen of every officer. Each item and every farthing has been accounted for, with two regrettable exceptions for which I beg your indulgence.

Unfortunately the sum of one shilling and ninepence remains unaccounted for in one infantry battalion's petty cash and there has been a hideous confusion as the number of jars of raspberry jam issued to one cavalry regiment during a sandstorm in western Spain.   This reprehensible carelessness may be related to the pressure of circumstance, since we are war with France, a fact which may come as a bit of a surprise to you gentlemen in Whitehall.

This brings me to my present purpose, which is to request elucidation of my instructions from His Majesty's Government so that I may better understand why I am dragging an army over these barren plains. I construe that perforce it must be one of two alternative duties, as given below. I shall pursue either one with the best of my ability, but I cannot do both:

1. To train an army of uniformed British clerks in Spain for the benefit of the accountants and copy-boys in London or perchance...

2. To see to it that the forces of Napoleon are driven out of Spain.

Your most obedient servant,
Wellington

[K Frame]

What you don't note is that Wellington quickly received a rebuke, telling him to get on with training the clerks and worry not about the French army.

Wellington didn't so defeat the French in Spain so much as he overwhelmed them with paperwork.

[El Tejon]

Yeah, the French "work ethic" (*snicker*) being what it is, the froggies could not respond to such a paper blizzard as  working 32.75 hours a week and 8 weeks of vacation, sick pay, health care, mommy and daddy leave, hang nail leave, inter alia, will leave you behind the power curve.  Plus, when the frogs left Spain for the entire month of August for Corsica, the Duke took a lot of ground without a fight.

Got to love the Duke.  The man knew his way around the English language.  Ever read "Mask of Command" and that order he sent from his saddle at Waterloo?  Absolutely brilliant.

[280plus]

Ever read "Mask of Command" and that order he sent from his saddle at Waterloo?  Absolutely brilliant.

No, but I'll put it on the list!

[El Tejon]

280, anything by Keegan should be on your list, IMHO.

[matis]

The man knew his way around the English language.  Ever read "Mask of Command" and that order he sent from his saddle at Waterloo?  Absolutely brilliant.
________________________________________________________________

OK,

EL Tejon beat me to it:

Compare his English to that used by our government and military brass (or anybody else in our place and time).


Their "public schools" must have been better than ours, huh?


I'm googling MASK OF COMMAND now.



matis

[280plus]

ET - Ever read any Idriess?

I'll put everything by Keegan on my list then

I'm just getting to the end of "Marine Sniper" and then it's off to one about Chesty Puller, and then Seven Classic Chinese Battles and then Defying Hitler is supposed to arrive any day now so after those I'll see about getting into some Keegan. Hell, I'm pretty sure I have at least a couple others that have been laying around here for a while now that still need to get read too. It's hard to remember which ones they are though.

[Stickjockey]

+1 everything by Keegan!

280Plus, IIRC you're in the PDX area, yes? I've got his "World War One" if you're interested in borrowing it.

[280plus]

Thanx but PDX is not ringing any bells. I'm close to Hartford CT if that's any help. I do appreciate the offer!

[Stickjockey]

Well all right, then.

>wonders how he transported 280Plus all the way to Portland, OR <

[Preacherman]

Wellington did have a way with words...  one of his phrases has become one of my guideposts for living.

It seems that during the Peninsular campaign, Wellington had promoted some deserving NCO's to commissioned rank.  This outraged the "establishment", as at that time, commissioned ranks were purchased, and the promotion of NCO's without purchase meant that someone lost money.  I'm told that a War Office stuffed shirt wrote to Wellington to complain that the "rules" were not being followed in this way.  Wellington's reply:

Rules exist for the guidance of wise men, and the blind obedience of fools.

Words to live by!!!

[280plus]

>wonders how he transported 280Plus all the way to Portland, OR <

LOL... I STILL appreciate the offer though!

[matis]

You guys are raving about Keegan.

I googled MASK OF COMMAND.  Book description seemed interesting until I got to a quote from Keegan about,  "...no room for heroism in a nuclear age."

Sounded PC and turned me right off.


What's Keegan's positition?


I've had enough humanistic, enlightened, compassionate and PC crap to last me.

And I get tired of picking the bird-seed out of the horse-sh/t.


Why do you like Keegan?

(I don't want to waste my half.com budget, you know).


While I'm waiting, I'll see what else Wellington wrote that I can buy.


Thanks,


matis

[El Tejon]

matis, "Mask of Command" is comparison of the leadership styles of different historical figures--Alexander the Great, the Duke of Wellington, Grant, and Hitler.  It's history mixed with pyschology.  I enjoyed it very much and I loath PC history almost as much as you do (I had 6 years of PC history to contend with).  Aside:  have you read "The Killing of History", great book that details the PC assault on history, something you might enjoy.  

I have several solid biolgraphies of Wellington.  I'm at the office now, I'll get you titles and authors when i get back to the Alcazar after clearing the desk, the gym and a hike.

[matis]

Thanks El Tejon,

I think I'll pass on Keegan for now.

But since the only reasonable copy of THE KILLING OF HISTORY on half-com was only condition: good, I put it on my wish list with them.

I haven't been able so far to find writing BY Wellington, only about him.


matis

(Alcazar -- you live in Mr. Younis Mahmoud's hotel in Jerusalem?  Isn't that a bit of a commute?)

[El Tejon]

matis, well, too bad, I enjoy Keegan and I think you would too.  Maybe see if the library can get it for you.

You'll enjoy "The Killing of History."  If you can't wait, get me an address and I can ship it down, just send it back when done.

If you want a great biography of Wellington, I recommend "Wellington:  The Years of the Sword" by Elizabeth Longford, Countess of Longford (Harper & Row, 1969).  Great work about his years in India, Iberia and, of course, the campaign of 1815.

This is the non-pc Wellington, not the sterilized, dull Wellington that British skulkids are taught today.  I love this biograph as it makes it clear that my people, from a fractured, postage-stamp-sized island, conquered the world not because of natural resources, but because of its people.

Wellington was hard and dominated a brutal world.  It is unapologetic look at the man, warts and all, and it was written by a woman who ran for Parliament as a Labour MP!  So much has changed in 40 years!

*edit*  Alcazar=>Spanish, high fortified place (see, e.g. The Alcazar of Toledo during the Spanish Civil War), derived from the Arabic word for castle, used during the reconquista of Spain.  Alcazar del Tejon=>high fortress of the badger (my house is built into a knoll, my nickname from my law enfrocement daze was "El Tejon" so I gave my house a Spanish name).

[matis]

Quote:
You'll enjoy "The Killing of History."  If you can't wait, get me an address and I can ship it down, just send it back when done. (El Tejon)
____________________________________________________________

That is VERY kind of you, El Tejon, but I scribble in my books.  And if I like the book, then I want to keep it.  I'll probably find it an a few days.  Thank you very much.




Quote:
If you want a great biography of Wellington, I recommend "Wellington:  The Years of the Sword" by Elizabeth Longford, Countess of Longford (Harper & Row, 1969).  Great work about his years in India, Iberia and, of course, the campaign of 1815.

This is the non-pc Wellington, not the sterilized, dull Wellington that British skulkids are taught today.  I love this biograph as it makes it clear that my people, from a fractured, postage-stamp-sized island, conquered the world not because of natural resources, but because of its people.
________________________________________________________________
Please correct me if I misunderstand, El Tejon, but your people are the British, yes?

If so, you must be a very cruel, hard and deeply uncompassionate sort.  I mean, the British were COLONIALISTS(!!), man.  They oppressed people all over the world.  Why, the sun never set on their cruelty!


El Tejon, I'm afraid we're both quite hopeless.  Out of it, you know?  Unprogressive!  Spreading civilization to the savages, indeed.  Anyone can see through that, eh?


Bertrand Russell wrote that British missionaries would teach African natives that it was immoral to go about naked.  Of course, he added, this co-incided with the rise of the British textile industry.


I wonder, though if both sides cannot be true?  For our own selfish reasons we colonize other peoples.  And in the case of a country like Britain, the savages REALLY do get civilized.  Well, at least to the point they can be.  I mean we, ourselves, are not REALLY civilized, are we?  (Sorry, couldn't help it -- please just consider this outburst a kind of typographical Turette's Syndrome.)




Quote:
Wellington was hard and dominated a brutal world.  It is unapologetic look at the man, warts and all, and it was written by a woman who ran for Parliament as a Labour MP!  So much has changed in 40 years!
_______________________________________________________________

It sounds really great and I've got a bid in on eBay (now don't you guys outbid me!) for the Longford book and I'm pretty sure I'll get it -- about 11:45pm tonight.  If I don't I've already found it elsewhere for less and for the same shipping they had the sequel, "...Pillar of State."  So either way I'll have it ordered by tonight.

Now I'm looking on the net for THE KILLING OF HISTORY at a good price.  I can't help it, I'm cheap, you know.


Thank you very much, El Tejon.




matis

[p35]

If you're getting into Keegan, start with "The Face of Battle"- great book and got me hooked.

[matis]

El Tejoy and P35

My copy of Wellington, the Years of the Sword  arrive yesterday, but I've barely had time to look at it, yet.  Another few days and I might be able to curl up with it.


Thanks,

matis

Edited to correct El Tejon's name.  Sorry El Tejon, stupid of me.

matis

[Matthew Carberry]

matis,

You're missing out on some primier military history if you twist one clause into an overall condemnation of a man's work.  Agree or disagree with Keegan's positions (he is definitely not "PC," he started writing before such things became derigeur), there is a lot of great information in his writings.  If you can hold back your pen you might try your local library or even a local used bookstore.  If you want to buy a prime quality "keeper" volume later that would be a far more efficient use of resources than avoiding a book until you can get a premium collectible.

At least you'd get to read more.

Anyway,  I'm not going to do it justice, but Keegan's developed point (again, read it, like you ask of Wellington, "in his own words," don't take my paraphrase) is about leadership, not heroism per se.

The context of Keegan's statement is that leadership of a state's military power used to be held in the hands of its Generals, who had to, as war changed from small units at swordpoint to mass armies of politically equal citizens, balance a detachment from the action to effectively comprehend and control the battle with displays of personal heroism to their troops in order to build the bonds of loyalty that compel men to set aside self-interest and fight at risk to themselves.  Nuclear weapons have upset that metric.  The ultimate command of a state's ultimate power is in the hands of men (and women I suppose) who CANNOT display personal heroism with the tools with which they and their soldiers will ultimately have to fight without bringing devastation on everyone.  Thus the leadership metric, at that level (nuclear war), has to become "post-heroic" and instead depend on almost solely on cool rationality.  Which raises issues on how to achieve the same success in leadership as in days past without the attendant new problems.

But that is just the summary.  Along the way, and most interestingly, Keegan analyzes different historical leaders' styles to develop "types" and compare/contrast their effectiveness in battle.

[matis]

matis,

You're missing out on some primier military history if you twist one clause into an overall condemnation of a man's work.

Well, carebear, you got my attention with that.

If you can hold back your pen you might try your local library or even a local used bookstore.  If you want to buy a prime quality "keeper" volume later that would be a far more efficient use of resources than avoiding a book until you can get a premium collectible.

Time precludes those avenues for the most part.  But I rarely buy new books.  I often end up with new books, but I buy them almost exclusively from half.com and other such sites.

The context of Keegan's statement is that leadership of a state's military power used to be held in the hands of its Generals, who had to, as war changed from small units at swordpoint to mass armies of politically equal citizens, balance a detachment from the action to effectively comprehend and control the battle with displays of personal heroism to their troops in order to build the bonds of loyalty that compel men to set aside self-interest and fight at risk to themselves.  Nuclear weapons have upset that metric.  The ultimate command of a state's ultimate power is in the hands of men (and women I suppose) who CANNOT display personal heroism with the tools with which they and their soldiers will ultimately have to fight without bringing devastation on everyone.  Thus the leadership metric, at that level (nuclear war), has to become "post-heroic" and instead depend on almost solely on cool rationality.  Which raises issues on how to achieve the same success in leadership as in days past without the attendant new problems.

But that is just the summary.

Damn good summary, carebear.  I almost don't have to read him, now (grin).



(Hey Stand_watie, you taught me how to do quotes.  Now how do I get the darn smiley faces to work? {'nother grin.)


You made your point well, Keegan goes on my list.

I do have a loose sort of rule, though, that I've got to read at least most of what I've bought, before I buy more.

"My eyes are bigger than my (mental) stomach."


Thank you,


matis

[Matthew Carberry]

matis,

I did have poster's remorse on how sharp that first line came out.  I tend to jump to the defense with more vigor than is needed.  (and strangely, usually whether I really care about the "attacked" or not.  My friends and family have always told me I need to choose my battles and for some reason (maybe the Irish in me) I historically have chosen all of them )

I can definitely sympathize on the too many books/too little time.  I am continually amazed by biographies of men from Roosevelt to Jefferson that list all the books they managed to read while accomplishing so many other things.

At any rate, I really think you'll enjoy Keegan (again regardless of lock-step agreement).  He had a way of taking military history from the classic (and somewhat limited) "battle survey" into the personal and psychological.  I think he may be responsible for that trend in mil. history today.

[matis]

matis,

I did have poster's remorse on how sharp that first line came out.

No.  Uh, uh.  Was an excellent point and well put -- what turned me around.

My friends and family have always told me I need to choose my battles and for some reason (maybe the Irish in me) I historically have chosen all of them )

Hilarious, carebear.  I have heard that said differently -- but you stated it with elegance!



Thanks again,



matis

[Stand_watie]

(Hey Stand_watie, you taught me how to do quotes.  Now how do I get the darn smiley faces to work? {'nother grin.)

I can do that. A regular smiley is a colon with an end parenthesis, separated on each side by at least one space.  A grin is a colon with a capital D. A wink is a semi-colon with an end parenthesis. You can also do bold, italics, and underline by using the bracket and unbracket like for quotes with "B", "I", or "U".  



Anytime you want to see how to manually do what someone else has done, go to the far bottom right of their post and select "quote". Click on the quote button, and then when the page is fully refreshed, look carefully at the "quote post" square and you can see all the html that was used in the post.

[280plus]

You can also do bold, italics, and underline by using the bracket and unbracket like for quotes with "B", "I", or "U".

WOW!! IS THAT COOL!!