The Man Who Broke Napoleon's Codes: The Dramatic True Story of the Officer Who Cracked French Ciphers to Save Wellington's Army

The Man Who Broke Napoleon's Codes: The Dramatic True Story of the Officer Who Cracked French Ciphers to Save Wellington's Army

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. “A winning narrative of military history” - Booklist “Reveals the vital deciphering work undertaken by a 19th-century forerunner of the famous Enigma codebreakers of the second world war.” - Sunday Times (London) 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. As a journalist and former army officer, Mark Urban has the perspective of an eyewitness to the most crucial political events and military campaigns of our time. He lives in London and is a prominent BBC Newsnight correspondent. The Man Who Broke Napoleon's Codes By Urban, Mark Perennial Copyright © 2004 Mark Urban All right reserved. ISBN: 0060934557 Chapter One 711. 249. 1076. 718. 320. 365. 622. 699. 655. 699. 439. 669. 655. 1085. 398. 326. 13. 309. 711. 1085. 655. 249. 481. 320. 980. 985. 186. 320. 843. 688. 2. 718. 249. 1297. 536. 174. 1085. 1024...713. 320. 980. 854. 655. 326. 536. 700. 699. 171. 1015. 1003. 13. 320. 980. 1015. 131. 320. Retreat to Corunna, January 1809 George Scovell brought the glass to his eye and searched the horizon for sight of sail. The cold blast of an Atlantic westerly buffeted him this 14 January 1809. He was a little breathless yet again. For a week he had been climbing the long flights of stone steps to the top of the lighthouse, sometimes several times a day, hoping to glimpse the British Fleet. With each fruitless visit, he knew the anxiety of the army waiting in Corunna's hinterland behind him was growing. Where were the ships? All of Europe knew that Napoleon had perfected the mightiest armament since the legions of ancient Rome. They were steeped in science, they were daring and cunning too. And now that Corsican Ogre's mighty host was bearing down on them, weaving its way through the Galician hills. At any moment the French advance patrols would reach the outposts behind Corunna and they would have their moment of reckoning. If the ships did not come soon to take them away from this cursed spot, the British army would be smashed and its remnants swept into the dustbin of some hideous prison. Its officers had already begun speculating what the next few years might hold for them as prisoners of war. Certainly the wind was just right, blowing across the cold gray Atlantic and into Scovell's face. A good wind to carry the fleet into Corunna Bay and set sail again for home. No doubt this was the best vantage point too. The Spanish called it the Tower of Hercules, a great lofty pillar built by the Romans during the time of Trajan, which still served the purpose that those ancient conquerers had intended: as a lighthouse alerting ships to the dangerous rocks off the isthmus that marked this northwestern corner of Spain. As Scovell glanced through the telescope again, his patience was rewarded. Sails began to blossom on the horizon. First the topgallants, as just the peaks of the first few masts crested into view, then more and more spreads of taut canvas. Admiral Samuel Hood was bringing up a huge squadron: 112 vessels, far more than at Trafalgar four years before. Only this mission was very different, for just 12 belonged to the Royal Navy; the rest were merchantmen chartered cheaply and packed with lubbers under poor captains. Embarking an exhaust