Part 2, Chapters 1-9 Summary and Analysis

Chapter one, "Wellington: the Anti-Hero", begins with a quote from Sir Wellington: "I never," said Wellington after Waterloo, "took so much trouble about any battle". That quote not only summed up the difficulties faced by Wellington at Waterloo, but it also gives insight into the man's unflappable character. Wellington had first witnessed warfare in 1794 in Holland. Since that time there had been so many battles that they could hardly be counted. The closest tally reached included sixteen battles and eight sieges, not counting those Wellington participated in as a subordinate. Once Wellington took the reins, he had participated in an average of one battle per year, not counting the years taken off during peacetime or tending to other duties. One of the most notable of Wellington's battles was at Salamanca, at which he was the victor. However...