Osprey Men-at-Arms 204 : Wellington's Specialist Troops

Excluding the various Staff departments, the 'specialist' elements of the British Army of the Napoleonic Wars may be divided into four sections: artillery, engineers, transport and commissariat, and medical. Compared with the vast numbers of cannon employed by other European armies, Britain's artillery arm was small. The Deputy Adjutant-General, Royal Artillery, commanded a staff of only one assistant and five clerks ('of whom four are merely sergeants') who between them amazingly ran the entire artillery establishment. Consequently, the Royal Artillery resembled a large family, close-knit and justifiably proud of its professional competence. Similarly, the Corps of Royal Engineers, which was composed exclusively of highly trained officers, was also small, comprising just 73 men in 1792, a figure which rose only to 262 by 1813. They were unique in that they were the only officers whose pay increased when serving abroad, and they tended to be consulted only on special occasions such as the undertaking of a major siege, bridge-building or surveying - tasks not easily accomplished by officers of other branches. Philip Haythornthwaite examines the organisation and uniform of Wellington's specialist troops complemented by numerous illustrations, including eight full page colour plates by Bryan Fosten.

Contents

• Introduction
• The Royal Artillery
• Uniforms
• Engineers
• Commissariat & Transport
• Medical Services
• The Plates