Characters: Part Three: Iberian Peninsula
A vast array of players people the pages of this section of the novel, many of whom lived fascinating or tragically short lives, too many to be included here. Instead I have selected a few who particularly encapsulate this brutal conflict- and have taken the liberty of including the story of one brave woman who sadly did not make it to the pages of the novel, but whose story and spirit almost beggars belief…
All five Napier brothers make an appearance at one place or another in various sections of Legacy but the three eldest: Charles, William and George, ‘Welliongton’s Colonels’ make the greatest contribution. They were close to William Light during the years of the Peninsular War and remained friends afterwards, especially when Light became a member of their family on his second marriage. In their day, the Napiers were both war heroes and society favourites despite not having much money. They did, however, have aristocratic connections, their mother Sarah Lennox Napier being the sister of the Duke of Richmond who had great holdings in London and the countryside. In later life, somewhat embittered by their lack of opportunity (as they saw it) after the end of the Napoleonic Wars and because they were inclined to liberal opinions, they often found themselves in opposition to the government of the day.
The Brothers Napier: a pen portrait
Lt. Col. Charles James Napier (1782-53)
Seriously wounded at the battle of Corunna in 1809, Charles Napier was left for dead on the battlefield but miraculously a French drummer brought him to the headquarters of the French general, Marshal Soult, who made sure he had the best medical care available. He was a prisoner of war, but Soult generously allowed him to return home to convalesce after he gave his parole (word of honour) to return to captivity when he was better. Charles did return - but to the war not to prison. In January 1811, he received a disfiguring facial wound which ruined his handsome good looks. For the rest of his life he wore heavy facial hair to hide the scars.
After the war he fell out with the Prince Regent and because generally disenchanted with the state of Britain, particularly the government failure to address poverty and injustice to the ordinary people.
Appointed Governor of Cephalonia in Greece in 1822 (probably to keep him out of the public eye), he developed an abiding love for Greece and became firmly committed to the cause of Greek Independence from the Ottoman Empire, something the British government were trying to ignore.
In later life he returned to the army in India on the troublesome north west frontier, a life he preferred to administration and politics, securing many great victories, notably as Governor of Sindh Province (1844), but even there he was constantly at odds with Governor-General Lord Dalhousie. It is said that after the capture of Sindh, he sent the famous message in Latin ‘peccavi’ ( ‘I have sinned’) which has since been taken to indicate his opposition towards many aspects of British policy in India (which is on record), including his own campaign. The pun, however, was not in fact coined by Napier but by an English lady, Elizabeth Winkworth, who sent it herself for publication in Punch magazine; they chose to knowingly print it as Napier’s own words!
A statue to Charles Napier still stands today in Trafalgar Square, London.
[Image courtesy of Wikipedia Commons (Godot 13: Andrew Shiva)]
an engraving by William Egleton during the Peninsular War
The Governor of Sindh (unknown artist)
William Francis Napier (1785-1860
Known for his aquiline good looks and his athletic build, William Napier was more high-spirited than his elder brother, and was known for his sense of humour and daredevil courage. But like all the Napiers he was high-minded; he detested injustice, and was easily moved to tears. He spoke out strongly in favour of the Emancipation of Slaves, a cause which he especially espoused. Although a ladies’ man in his youth, William remained resolutely faithful to his wife Caroline Amelia Fox once they married in 1812.
William was seriously wounded at the disastrous action at Cazal Noval in 1811, taking a bullet to the spine, which was subsequently never removed. It caused him great discomfort throughout his life. Napier always attributed his survival to the arrival of William Light who saved both William and his younger brother George who were stranded injured behind enemy lines. They remained close friends from then on.
William subsequently became a Lt. Colonel and was given command of his regiment, the famous Light Brigade, on the death of its founder General Robert Craufurd. But by Waterloo and the end of hostilities, William had grown disenchanted with military life. He devoted the rest of his life to painting and writing, for which he became celebrated, notably for his great work in several volumes: ‘A History of the Peninsular War’.
Throughout his life, he espoused liberal causes and democratic views, even putting aside his distaste for politics by campaigning for the Reform Bill of 1832 to widen the vote and redistribute parliamentary seats. A statue of William Napier (by George Gammon Adams) stands in the crypt of St. Paul’s Cathedral.
[Photo credit: Wikipedia Commons, contributor 14GTR]
