Britain Against Napoleon: The Organization of Victory, 1793-1815

838 Pages·2013·8.04 MB·English

by  Roger Knight

Roger Knight
BRITAIN AGAINST NAPOLEON

The Organization of Victory 1793–1815
Contents

Abbreviations

List of Illustrations

Lists of Maps and Their Sources

A Note on Names

Foreword

Introduction: A HardWorking Generation

PART ONE
The Ever-Present Threat

1 The Arms Race and Intelligence 1783–1793

2 Pitt’s Investment 1783–1793

PART TWO
Holding the Line

3 The First Crisis 1795–1798

4 Whitehall at War 1793–1802

5 Intelligence and Communications 1793–1801

6 Feeding the Armed Forces and the Nation 1795–1812

7 Transporting the Army by Sea 1793–1811

PART THREE
Defending the Realm

8 Political Instability and the Conduct of the War 1802–1812
9 The Invasion Threat 1803–1812

10 Intelligence, Security and Communications 1803–1811

11 Government Scandal and Reform 1803–1812

12 The Defence Industries 1800–1814

13 Blockade, Taxes and the City of London 1806–1812

PART FOUR
The Tables Turned

14 Russia and the Peninsula 1812–1813

15 The Manpower Emergency 1812–1814

16 Final Victory

Aftermath

Appendices

1 Officials in Government Departments Involved in the War 1793–1815

2 Reports of Parliamentary Commissions and Enquiries Relating to the Army and Navy 1780–1812

Illustrations

Bibliography

Notes

Chronology

Glossary

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Abbreviations

BL British Library
Commission on ‘appointed … to enquire into the Fees, Gratuities, Perquisites, and Emoluments, which are
Fees or have been lately received into the several Public Offices’, Reports 1786–8
Commission of
‘appointed … to enquire and examine into Public Expenditure and the Conduct of Public
Military
Business in the Military Departments’ Reports 1806–12
Enquiry
‘appointed … to enquire and examine into any Irregularities, Frauds or Abuses, which are
Commission of
or have been practised by Persons employed in the several Naval Departments’ Reports
Naval Enquiry
1803–6
Commission of
‘appointed … for Revising and Digesting the Civil Affairs of the Navy’ Reports 1806–9
Naval Revision
Committee on
‘appointed to examine, take and state, the Public Accounts of the Kingdom’ Reports
Public
1780–87
Accounts
Select
Committee on Reports 1797–8
Finance
DHC Devon Heritage Centre, Exeter
HL Huntington Library, San Marino, California
HRC Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas at Austin
NMM National Maritime Museum, Greenwich
ODNB The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford, 2004)
SCC Sim Comfort Private Collection
TNA National Archives, Kew, London
TNA, POST Post Office Archive, Mount Pleasant, London
WLC William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan
List of Illustrations

Endpapers: Board Room of the Admiralty, by Augustus Pugin, with figures
added by Thomas Rowlandson, 1808, coloured aquatint, from Ackermann’s
Microcosm of London (London, 1808–10), Vol. I, p. 16 (Bridgeman Art Library)
Shutter telegraph cabin on the Admiralty roof, with shutter codes, print, after
1796 (British Museum)
1. Map of Britain, coloured engraving, illustrating the threatened invasion by
Napoleon Bonaparte, by John Luffman, published 19 January 1804
(Bridgeman Art Library)
2. North view of the City of Westminster from the roof of the Banqueting
House, engraving by J. T. Smith, drawn in September 1807 (Bridgeman Art
Library)
3. Somerset House, by Augustus Pugin and Thomas Rowlandson, engraved by
John Bluck, coloured aquatint, from Ackermann’s Microcosm of London
(London, 1808–10), Vol. III, p. 86 (1809) (Bridgeman Art Library)
4. William Pitt, by Thomas Gainsborough and Gainsborough Dupont, c.
1787–90 (English Heritage, Kenwood House, © English Heritage)
5. Henry Dundas, by Thomas Lawrence, 1810 (© National Portrait Gallery,
London)
6. Lord Grenville, by John Hoppner, c. 1800 (© National Portrait Gallery,
London)
7. Evan Nepean, unknown artist (Crown Copyright: image courtesy of the
Ministry of Defence)
8. William Marsden, unknown artist (Crown Copyright: image courtesy of the
Ministry of Defence)
9. George Phillips Towry, Victualling Board commissioner, by Philip Jean (©
National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London)
10. Captain James Bowen, Transport Board commissioner, British school (©
National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London)
11. Landing of British troops in Egypt, 8 March 1801, from James Jenkins,
Martial Achievements, 1815, after William Heath (Bridgeman Art Library)
12. The landing at the Isle de France (Mauritius), December 1810: view from
the deck of the Upton Castle transport, coloured aquatint after an original
by R. Temple, published April 1813 (© National Maritime Museum,
Greenwich, London)
13. Embarking troops and horses at Margate, c. 1800 (© National Maritime
Museum, Greenwich, London)
14. Blackwall Yard from the Thames, by William Dixon, 1798 (© National
Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London)
15. Charles Lennox, third duke of Richmond, in the uniform of the master-
general of the Ordnance, by George Romney, 1795 (by permission of the
Trustees of the Goodwood Collection)
16. General Sir William Congreve, by James Lonsdale, 1810 (© Royal
Collection Trust / Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 2013)
17. Prince Frederick, duke of York and Albany, by Benjamin West (Bridgeman
Art Library)
18. General Sir David Dundas, probably by John Kay, 1806, watercolour
(private collection)
19. William Pitt as the Cinque Port Colonel Commandant, by P. Hubert,
published 28 March 1804 (Anne S. K. Brown Military Collection, Brown
University Library)
20. Grand Review at Sandham (Sandown) Bay, Isle of Wight,4 June 1798, by
Richard Livesay, coloured aquatint (Anne S. K. Brown Military Collection,
Brown University Library)
21. Cornhill Military Association with a view of the Church of St Helens and
Leathersellers’ Hall, 1799, by Edward Dayes, coloured engraving (Anne S.
K. Brown Military Collection, Brown University Library)
22. Henry Addington, by William Beechey, c. 1803 (© National Portrait
Gallery, London)
23. Lord St Vincent, by William Beechey (© National Portrait Gallery,
London)
24. Charles Grey, by Thomas Lawrence, 1805 (courtesy of Sotheby’s Picture
Library)
25. Thomas Grenville, by John Hoppner, 1807 (Bridgeman Art Library)
26. Chatham Dockyard, by Joseph Farington, 1794 (© National Maritime
Museum, Greenwich, London)
27. Plymouth Dockyard, by Nicholas Pocock, 1798 (© National Maritime
Museum, Greenwich, London)
28. Martello Towers in Pevensey Bay, looking eastwards from Eastbourne, by
William Westall, watercolour (© National Maritime Museum, Greenwich,
London)
29. George O’Brien Wyndham, third earl of Egremont, in the uniform of the
Sussex Yeomanry, by Thomas Phillips, 1798 (Petworth, West Sussex, ©
National Trust Images)
30. Banqueting House as Whitehall Chapel, by Augustus Pugin and Thomas
Rowlandson, engraved by John Bluck, coloured aquatint, from
Ackermann’s Microcosm of London, Vol. III, p. 238 (1 December 1809)
(Bridgeman Art Library)
31. The Board Room of the Board of Trade, by Augustus Pugin and Thomas
Rowlandson, engraved by John Bluck, coloured aquatint, from
Ackermann’s Microcosm of London, Vol. III, p. 197 (1 October 1809)
(Bridgeman Art Library)
32. A view of Copenhagen with the British Forces taking possession under the
command of Sir Home Popham and General Murray, 7 September 1807,
engraving published by J. Ryland (© National Maritime Museum,
Greenwich, London)
33. The Last Act of the English, Copenhagen 1807, Danish engraving (©
National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London)
34. George Canning, by Thomas Lawrence, 1810 (by permission of the
Governing Body of Christ Church, Oxford)
35. The Cumberland merchant ship engaging four French lugger privateers off
Folkestone, 13 January 1811, coloured aquatint (© National Maritime
Museum, Greenwich, London)
36. William Windham, by S. W. Reynolds, 1806, mezzotint (© National
Portrait Gallery, London)
37. George Rose, by Sir William Beechey, 1802 (© National Portrait Gallery,
London)
38. Spencer Perceval, by George Francis Joseph, 1812 (© National Portrait
Gallery, London)
39. Lord Mulgrave, by William Beechey, 1807 (© National Portrait Gallery,
London)
40. Lord Liverpool, by John Hoppner, 1807 (by permission of the fifth earl of
Liverpool)
41. Lord Castlereagh, by Thomas Lawrence, 1809–10 (© National Portrait
Gallery, London)
42. Norman Cross Prisoner of War Depot, Block House and the prisoners
baking their own bread, by Captain Durrant, watercolour (© Hampshire
County Council Arts and Museums Service)
43. The Emperor Napoleon and the empress accompanied by the king and
queen of Westphalia at the launch of the Friedland, 80 guns, at Antwerp, 2
May 1810, by Mathieu van Bree; original in the Château de Versailles
(Bridgeman Art Library)
44. Launch of the Magicienne, 36 guns, at Daniel List’s Yard at Fishbourne,
Isle of Wight, 8 August 1812, unknown artist (reproduced with the kind
permission of the Isle of Wight Heritage Service)
45. John Wilson Croker, by William Owen, c. 1812 (© National Portrait
Gallery, London)
46. John Barrow, attributed to John Jackson, c. 1810 (© National Portrait
Gallery, London)
47. George Harrison, by Charles Turner, published by and after Thomas
Barber, 11 November 1816, mezzotint (© National Portrait Gallery,
London)
48. Lord Palmerston, c. 1806 (by permission of the Master and Fellows of St
John’s College, Cambridge)
49. Banquet given by the Corporation of London, 18 June 1814, for the prince
regent, emperor of Russia and king of Prussia, by Luke Clennell
(Bridgeman Art Gallery)
50. Fortress and Balloon in Green Park, coloured aquatint published by Thomas
Palser, 24 August 1814 (Anne S. K. Brown Military Collection, Brown
University Library)
51. Duke of Wellington, by Thomas Heaphy, 1813, watercolour (© National
Portrait Gallery, London)
52. Review of the Russian Army by European heads of state in the Plains of
Vertu, Paris, 10 September 1815, by F. Malek, original in the Pushkin
Museum (Bridgeman Art Library)