This book is the story of a man of common birth -- bound, according to the severe social strictures of eighteenth-century England, for the life of a tradesman -- who would in time become his era's most brilliant code-breaker and an officer in Wellesley's army. In an age when officers were drawn almost exclusively from the ranks of the nobility, George Scovell -- an engraver's apprentice -- joined Wellesley in 1809. Scovell provides a fascinating lens through which to view a critical era in military history -- his treacherous rise through the ranks, despite the scorn of his social betters and his presence alongside Wellesley in each of the major European campaigns, from the Iberian Peninsula through Waterloo. But George Scovell was more than just a participant in those events. Already recognized as a gifted linguist, Scovell would prove a remarkably nimble cryptographer. Encoded military communiqǔs between Napoleon and his generals, intercepted by the British, were brought to Scovell for his skilled deciphering. As Napoleon's encryption techniques became more sophisticated, Wellesley came to rely ever more on Scovell's genius for this critical intelligence. In Scovell's lifetime, his role in Britain's greatest military victory was grudgingly acknowledged; but his accomplishments would eventually be credited to others -- including Wellington himself. Scovell's name -- and his contributions -- have been largely overlooked or ignored. The Man Who Broke Napoleon's Codes tells the fascinating story of the early days of cryptology, re-creates the high drama of some of Europe's most remarkable military campaigns, and restores the mantle of hero to a man heretofore forgotten by history.

"First published in Great Britain in 2001 by Faber & Faber Ltd."--T.p. verso.

.From Corunna to Talavera, the Campaigns of 1809 -- .Retreat to Corunna, January 1809 -- .The Battle of Corunna, January 1809 -- .Interlude in England, January to March 1809 -- .Northern Portugal, May 1809 -- .From Oporto to Abrantes, June to July 1809 -- .From Talavera to the End Campaign, July to October 1809 -- .The Campaign of 1811, and Evolution of French Codes -- .The Battle of Fuentes de Onoro, May 1811--The Army of Portugal Cipher -- .The Blockade of Ciudad Rodrigo, June to November 1811--The Great Cipher -- .The Campaign of January to November 1812 -- .The Attack on Ciudad Rodrigo, January 1812 -- .The Storm of Badajoz, March 1812 -- .From Lisbon to Fuente Guinaldo, April to June 1812 -- .The Salamanca Campaign Opens, May 1812 -- .The Great Cipher Under Attack, June and July 1812 -- .Triumph Over the Great Cipher, July 1812 -- .The Battle of Salamanca, 22 July 1812 -- .The March to Burgos, Summer and Early Fall 1812 -- .Winter Quarters, the Vitoria Campaign and Afterward -- .Frenada, December 1812 to March 1813 -- .The Vitoria Campaign, April to July 1813 -- .Waterloo, 18 June 1815 -- .Scovell's Later Life, 1819 to 1861.