John Fremantle was on Wellington's personal staff from through the later years of the Peninsular War and Waterloo campaigns. He had a uniquely privileged view of the general and tells of his exploits ? good and bad. The letters were written to his uncle, who was effectively his guardian, an army man and no shrinking violet. Fremantle deals with military matters in detail and gives a great insight to Wellington's honest views of matters ? not the sanitized diplomatic versions Wellington allowed published in later life. He also talks a great deal about the personalities in ?Wellington's family' and the ?Great Man', giving very honest, forthright views of their strengths and failings and brings many little known incidents to light. An expose of what life was like working with Wellington and an honest portrait of the man warts and all. This is a truly remarkable find and will certainly cause debate in the Napoleonic community. AUTHOR: Gareth Glover is a historian specialising in the Waterloo campaign and the Peninsular War. He left school at eighteen to join the Royal Navy as a Seaman Officer and completed his extensive training course at Dartmouth College. He has published articles in The Waterloo Journal and the Journal of the Royal Artillery, and a novel about Waterloo, Voices of Thunder. *
