He couldn't trust his officers to make decisions for themselves, as you have pointed out, Boss. As i thought about this yesterday evening, i was reminded of Soult, who performed well when under the eyes of the Emperor, and was absolutely miserable in command in the Penninsula. Spain was definitely Boney's "Vietnam"--true that he lost the cream of his army at Wagram, and lost the army altogether in his ill-conceived and badly-conducted Russian campaign--but Spain bled his empire white.
