Wellington’s Voice: The Candid Letters of Lieutenant Colonel John Fremantle, Coldstream Guards, 1808–1821 Hardcover – October 24, 2012

Lieutenant, later Lieutenant Colonel John Fremantle of the Coldstream Guards wrote some 300 letters to his Uncle John Fremantle, his guardian and an influential member of Parliament, during 1808-1837. What makes this collection of letters noteworthy is young Fremantle's status as an aide-de-camp to the Duke of Wellington during the later years of the Peninsular War and the Waterloo Campaign.Fremantle was a diligent correspondent. His letters are generally well written and filled with details of headquarters gossip and campaign updates. His shocking lack of concern about operational security is the historian's gain. The Duke himself is frequently mentioned. If there appear to be no grand revelations about Wellington here, there is much revealing detail about his strong personality. There are also insights into the operation of the British Army with respect to promotions and awards. Gareth Glover has done a terrific job as editor, providing context, continuity, and a score card to keep track of the various personalities who appear in the letters. The text is supplemented with a collection of Fremantle family portraits, but there are no maps."Wellington's Voice" is likely to be tough sledding for the general reader. It is recommended to students of the Napoleonic Wars and in particular of the First Duke of Wellington, who can appreciate how Fremantle's letters fit into the larger story.

This is a very refreshing look at Britain's greatest military general a seen through the eyes of one of his subordinate staff, Colonel John Fremantle. It is a very timely publication offering a far more human look at The Duke of Wellington, so that we gain insight into the politics of his inner circle, the problems he had to overcome, and his often irascible temper.Perhaps the best thing about the book is Fremantle's unvarnished opinions. These are extracted from private correspondence, not intended for publication and therefore free from contamination.It is very fitting that Fremantle's letters remain in the possession of his ancestors and that a great deal of the leg-work for Glover's edited publication has been undertaken by Charles Fremantle and his wife, who have taken a very keen interest in their ancestral archive. I suspect there will be a great deal more to be gleaned from this fantastic new resource, which will help to add colour to life in Regency Britain.