Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount Hill

1772–1842

Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount Hill, was a British general who served under Wellington during the Peninsular War and at Waterloo. Known for calm command and concern for soldiers, he led independent operations as well as major formations and won victories at Arroyo dos Molinos and Almaraz. At Waterloo he commanded II Corps and survived being temporarily feared dead. Hill later succeeded Wellington as commander-in-chief of the army.

Hill appears throughout Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe series as one of the senior British commanders shaping the fictional soldier’s campaigns. Historical fiction often presents him as more approachable than Wellington while retaining professional competence. The affectionate army nickname “Daddy Hill” makes him a useful contrast with harsher or more aristocratic officers.

Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe’s Command places Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount Hill within a narrative shaped by military command and battlefield decision-making.

Historical context

Historical periods linked to Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount Hill

Peninsular War 1807–1814 CE

Series

Series featuring Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount Hill (1 series)

Sharpe in Order

by Bernard Cornwell 26 books 4.3

The Sharpe series follows Richard Sharpe from service as a private soldier in India to command in the British Army during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. The novels place him at the Siege of Seringapatam, Battle of Assaye, Siege of Gawilghur, Battle of Trafalgar, British attack on Copenhagen,…

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