Dear Bernard
Regarding the Marlborough v Wellington discussion. David Chandler in his book on Marlborough did say that Napoleon actually told some British visitors to read up on his Campaigns as he didn’t think the British appreciated him. While Wellington also said he could think of nothing finer than Marlborough at the head of an English Army and that his issues with the Dutch where greater than his own with the Spanish. Mind you the Duke when asked who the Greatest General of all time was said This or any age Napoleon.
Marlborough also considered his Greatest achievement not Blenhiem but in out witting Marshal Villars in his final Campaign. This was after the Battle of Malplaquet that was pure brutal slug fest. . Villars was a first class General and should be up with Turenne/Napoleon and Davout as one of the greatest French Generals of that era.
Geraint