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Napier-the sword and the penThe Napier’s were a family whose influence on the history of the British empire in the nineteenth century is significant and well documented. This book concerns one of them, William Napier. In common with some of this siblings William served in the Peninsular War and was an officer under Moore and Wellington. A member of the famous ’Light Division’ he both served in and commanded HM 43rd Regiment of Foot through many of the notable campaigns and engagements of the conflict. After Waterloo he joined in the pursuit to Paris and the final downfall of Napoleon. William Napier may have aspired to the military life, but although he was a fine soldier he found the reality of the brutality of warfare very difficult to reconcile. So in his writings we find much detail that is often passed over in other memoirs. Whilst Napier’s history, letters and recollections of his time on campaign make fascinating reading, his true fame came as an author. William Napier wrote what is widely regarded as the first notable, authoritative and comprehensive history of the Peninsular War. Much notoriety surrounds the work as aspects of it were challenged by his contemporaries, but this takes nothing away from its significance as a great work. Many of those issues are addressed in this book. The story of how Napier wrote his magnum opus and the reports of the interviews and correspondence he undertook with notable personalities of the time-British and French-make engrossing reading. In Bruce, this book’s author, Napier had a fine biographer who knew him well. Bruce’s work in its original form comprised two substantial volumes of Napier’s entire life, but this single volume Leonaur edition is a specially edited version that enables students and readers of military history to focus purely on military matters. Available in softcover and hardcover with dust jacket.
