The Man Who Broke Napoleon's Codes

by Urban, Mark

• ISBN13: 9780060934552
• ISBN10: 0060934557
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-01-30
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publications

Summary

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 apprentice -- joins the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars and becomes a commissioned officer. As Bonaparte's juggernaut marches across Europe, Scovell soon proves himself a linguistic genius and begins to crack the basic codes used in French dispatches, giving General Wellington advance knowledge of French plans. But as the enemy changes from simple ciphers to baffling "next to impossible" encoded messages, Scovell finds himself racing against time to break the legendary "Great Paris Cipher" and save the British Army. The thrill of clashing armies, challenging puzzles, and the personal struggle of a long-forgotten hero make The Man Who Broke Napoleon's Codes a gripping -- and brain-teasing -- adventure.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
The Characters	xiii
PART I: From Corunna to Talavera, the Campaigns of 1809
Retreat to Corunna, January 1809	3	(10)
The Battle of Corunna, January 1809	13	(10)
Interlude in England, January to March 1809	23	(12)
Northern Portugal, May 1809	35	(22)
From Oporto to Abrantes, June to July 1809	57	(14)
From Talavera to the End Campaign, July to October 1809	71	(18)
PART II: The Campaign of 1811, and Evolution of French Codes
The Battle of Fuentes de Onoro, May 1811---The Army of Portugal Cipher	89	(20)
The Blockade of Ciudad Rodrigo, June to November 1811---The Great Cipher	109	(22)
PART III: The Campaign of January to November 1812
The Attack on Ciudad Rodrigo, January 1812	131	(22)
The Storm of Badajoz, March 1812	153	(16)
From Lisbon to Fuente Guinaldo, April to June 1812	169	(14)
The Salamanca Campaign Opens, May 1812	183	(14)
The Great Cipher Under Attack, June and July 1812	197	(16)
Triumph Over the Great Cipher, July 1812	213	(14)
The Battle of Salamanca, 22 July 1812	227	(16)
The March to Burgos, Summer and Early Fall 1812	243	(18)
PART IV: Winter Quarters, the Vitoria Campaign and Afterward
Frenada, December 1812 to March 1813	261	(16)
The Vitoria Campaign, April to July 1813	277	(22)
Waterloo, 18 June 1815	299	(4)
Scovell's Later Life, 1819 to 1861	303	(10)
Notes on Sources	313	(26)
Index	339