The Man Who Broke Napoleon's Codes

by Mark Urban

Book Overview

Spanning the battle of Corunna in 1809 to the 1815 victory at Waterloo, this is the dramatic true-life tale of an unsung hero in Wellington's army.Common-born George Scovell -- an engraver's... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 006018891X
• ISBN13: 9780060188917
• Release Date: March 2002
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.5" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Phenomenal

Urban's history is at once a sound history and a suspenseful, compelling read. The author documents the achievements of George Scovell, one-time apprentice to an engraver, who rose through the ranks of Wellington's Army to be responsible -- no-less than more famous actors -- for the British victory over Napoleon. While the history examines Scovell's masterful feat of ingenuity, it also narrates the events and context of military engagements throughout the campaign. This underappreciated gem gets an enthusiastic five stars.

Satisfying blend of Peninsular War/waterloo history and code breaking

New insight into the Peninsular war with Mark Urban's book. This is very much about the code breaking and spying which was part of the intelligence gathering of Wellington's army and how it became an 'industry' in itself. This is all pre-Playfair and his more complex codes which started about a decade later (Simon Singh;s book "The Code book" is an excellent parallel read to this) and so the simpler codes, what they were and how they were broken are covered = and how it developed and with it the role of one man, George Scovell. I found this readable, but not a page turner, my interest in the Peninsular war kept me going. I felt that Urban got bogged down, especially at the beginning with setting the scene of the Peninsular War and its earlier battles. I didn't find the level of detail relevant to the story although for those not clear on the Peninsular war and its progress the detail might prove more interesting. What I really enjoyed was Urban's sharp incisive analysis of the development of the intelligence gathering and how Scovell's role as a professional in the task came about. Urban's knowledge of processes and functioning of the army and most particularly Wellington's operations and officers provides a level of background which makes this book readable by anyone interest in early codes as well as military history. I really enjoyed this but I felt that it needed a bit more editing at the start. Still it flowed well, Urban is an excellent writer, and it is a fascinating read. Overall it is a Highly recommended history A Woodley

The importance of intelligence in the Peninsular War

Mark Urban's entry point into a crowded field of histories of the Napoleonic Wars is the story of George Scovell, the Duke of Wellington's cryptographer. In "The Man Who Broke Napoleon's Codes", Urban places Scovell's personal story in the context primarily of the Peninsular War. Urban manages to reduce the fairly esoteric work of code-breaking to understandable prose, in the process providing excellent insights into the workings of Wellington's staff and into the Duke's command style. The availability of intelligence is shown to be crucial to the survival and success of the outnumbered Anglo-Portuguese Army in the Iberian Peninsula. Wellington's success in attacking the separate pieces of the French Army in Spain while avoiding larger concentrations was based on his understanding of their movements and intentions, derived from the reconnaissance of British officers and Spanish guerrillas, and especially from the deciphering of captured French dispatches. Urban is evenhanded in his treatment of the principal characters. Scovill himself emerges as a sympathetic character, a hardworking staff officer of lower class social origins trying to make his way in an Army hierarchy informally based on social position. This book is highly recommended for the serious student of the Napoleonic Wars looking for insight into intelligence matters. Remarkably, this book will also be accessible to the casual reader, thanks to Urban's clear and engaging writing style.

Under the Rose, Part Deux

There is a dearth of information, especially in book form, of the intelligence and counterintelligence side of the Napoleonic Wars. Author Mark Urban has manfully stepped up and partially filled the need on that subject with this excellent volume about an obscure British officer on Wellington's staff in Spain who, in addition to organizing the 'Guides' and his other duties, performed a coup in intelligence work by breaking the French codes in Spain, giving his commander an immense advantage over his opponent.Armies win or lose, and empires are lost and won with intelligence operations. George Scovell, the man referred to in the title of the book, never really received his just due for the great work he did, especially from his commander. Nevertheless, Scovell served loyally and ably, and did more than his assigned duty. He was probably indispensable to Wellington, and only now, with the publication of this book, are we, the students of the period, learning of this officer and his true worth because of the interest and diligence of the author.The book is about intelligence operations, which the author is a virtuoso in explaining in detail. However, the book is more than that. It is also the story of the man, Scovell, what he tried and wanted to do, and what he accomplished. A self-made man, he really was never in Wellington's inner circle, and I tend to doubt that Wellington really understood Scovell's value. The author is at his best weaving his tale of hard work, heartbreak, and ultimate triumph. The book is a page-turner and is very well-written, not always the hallmark of the good historian. We should all look forward to his next effort with great anticipation.When I first saw the flyer for the book I was very happy as one of my favorite paintings, Moore's rearguard during the Corunna campaign, was on the cover. When I received my copy, I was greatly disappointed, as it only was a part of the cover, the rest being covered by writing of some sort. On closer inspection, however, the 'scribbling' was the code, being worked on by Scovell to break it. The cover describes the book perfectly-there is fighting and the personal side of combat during the Napoleonic era, as well as the intellectual side of warfare. It is a thinking man's game. Simply ingenious.Highly recommended for anyone and everyone interested in the period. If you don't read this book, you are missing a real treat. It has an honored place on my bookshelf.

An excellent book with only a few flaws

The hero of this valuable work is Major George Scovell, a member of Wellington's Quater-Master staff in the Peninsula War who almost single handedly broke the Great Paris cypher used by the French Army. Scovell also ran the postal system in the Peninsula for Wellington, and created a docket system for the delivery of confiential material that is still used today.As such, this book sheds invaluable light on the process of intelligence gathering and dissemination, as well as the analysis of encrypted messages. Many of these basic field techniques are stock in trade for intelligence professionals in the twenty-first century.I thought that author did an excellent job of balancing readability and historical detail. The book moves along at a good pace, and is fairly compelling reading. Many of the details of the Peninsula campaign are well drawn, and good light is shed on otherwise porrly documented actions.Although I rated this book as five stars, I did eventually tire of the author's clear prejudice against Wellington, and his belief that Scovell was hard done by after the end of the campaign. This is not entirely correct. Scovell ended his days as a Major-General, and the Commandant of Sandhurst. Although others from well connected families were promoted faster, this was a common occurrence in the British Army of the time, and indeed most European armies. I got the faint suspicion that the author had a bee in his bonnet, although perhaps I do him a disservice.This one of the few flaws in an otherwise excellent text. The only other criticism is that the author should have included a deciphering table for the Great Paris cypher. This was a curious omission.