Bryan Fosten

Wellington considered the British cavalry to be technically inferior to the French, although paradoxically he also said that one British squadron would be a match for two of the enemy. His main concern was that although the British cavalry lacked neither courage nor dash, they lacked discipline, in that they invariably failed to rally and re-form once they had charged home. At Waterloo, although the cavalry generally performed superbly well, the endemic faults which Wellington had already identified were repeated more than once, resulting in the decimation of several fine regiments. Bryan Fosten explores the history, organisation and uniforms of Wellington's Heavy Cavalry.

The infantry was Wellington's favoured tool, and he played a major role in raising its standards of excellence. He used it carefully, on ground which he selected to give it maximum advantage and protection; and he came to understand its capabilities and weaknesses exactly. In this worthy addition to Opsrey's Men-at-Arms series, Bryan Fosten examines all aspects of Wellington's infantry, including army life, organisation, uniforms, drill, regimental distinctions, weapons and equipment, in an engaging text well-illustrated throughout including eight full page colour plates by the author himself.