this was not a little outrageous , considering that wellington had managed to stage a battle of two hundred thousand men , three hundred dragons , and two dozen ships-of-the-line , nearly to his exact specifications ; and to hold worse ground against an army better-trained and better-equipped than his own , for nearly three hours longer than planned , until the fog had loosened its grip enough for the ships to make their way in close enough to shore to begin the bombardment .