Wellington’s Army: The Uniforms of the British Soldier, 1812-1815

Charles Hamilton Smith’s illustrations of soldiers of the British Army are a faithful and delightful record of how Wellington’s troops were uniformed and equipped. Wellington’s Army presents a collection of these sought after plates in a special, large format and provides a superb evocation of British military uniforms during the closing years of the Peninsular War and at the epic battle of Waterloo. The plates, drawn from life and completed in 1814, cover all the branches of service including line infantry; light infantry and rifles; heavy and light cavalry; general officers; foreign troops; artillery and engineers; and cadets and veterans. Each plate is accompanied by an incisive text by the leading expert on Wellington’s troops – Philip Haythornthwaite – which discusses the unit in question, the uniform and its significant features. Wellington’s Army also includes an extensive introduction analyzing the evolution of the British Army of the period and examining the colorful life of Charles Hamilton Smith.