NAPIER, Sir William.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

The Life and Opinions of General Sir Charles Napier. Second edition, same year as the first, of what remains the standard life of the "conqueror of Sindh", Sir Charles Napier (1782-1853); his elder brother William, also a distinguished veteran, and a notable historian of the Peninsular War, drew extensively on his journals and diaries.Napier first saw service in Ireland, where he was aide-de-camp to General Fox. He joined Moore's invasion of Spain, and, having been wounded and captured at Corunna, he was soon released after Soult's personal intervention and returned to active service under Wellington. He fought at the Coa, was badly wounded at Bussaco, and returned to the fray to serve at Fuentes de Oñoro. He commanded the 102nd at Bermuda and in harassing operations on the American coast in 1812-13. He returned to Europe too late for Waterloo but was involved in the close of the campaign and took part in the Allied entry into Paris. He was appointed Field Officer for the Ionian Islands in 1818 and Resident for Cephalonia in 1822, where he met Lord Byron and acted as an adviser to the Greek patriot army.Lord Ellenborough made him commander of the troops in Sindh in 1841, and following a rising of the local amirs, Napier destroyed the Baluchi army in two decisive battles at Miani and Hyderabad, being made governor of the province shortly afterwards. A falling out with his former friend Sir James Outram prompted Napier's resignation in 1847, but he was back in India two years l

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