Includes bibliographical references (pages 235-236) and index.

Sir John Moore falls into the category of the classic tragic British hero whose brilliant life was cut short before the complete fulfilment of his genius and leadership. Yet unlike Nelson, Kitchener and Lawrence, comparatively little has been written about him, certainly not recently. Roger Day's biography is greatly to be welcomed not just as a description of a short but remarkable life but also for not succumbing to the fashionable temptation of revisionism. From his careful research of primary source material, much hitherto untapped, the Author concludes that Moore was an even more important and gifted figure than history has judged him thus far. Yet at the same time there were contradictions in his make-up that will surprise the reader. A superb tactician, Moore was unable to kill a man in battle and his letters to his father all too often indicate that he had little appetite for the fight. [This book] provides us with a revealing insight into the complex character and brief but glorious career of one of the legends of Britain's military past. One can only conjecture where this enigmatic general's qualities would have taken him and his country had he not died so tragically at Corunna. -- Dust jacket.