Britain and the Defeat of Napoleon, 1807-1815

Britain and the Defeat of Napoleon, 1807-1815. By Rory Muir. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1996. Maps. Illustrations. Notes. Bibliography. Index. Pp. xiv, 466. $45.00.

This first-rate study, written primarily from the British point of view, is packed full of information about the role played by the British cabinet in their struggle against Napoleonic France. Based primarily upon manuscript collections scattered throughout England, this volume is concerned with the men who formulated and implemented Britain's Grand Strategy against Napoleon. In addition to the various manuscript and published collections of Wellington and the Wellesley family, the author has made excellent use of the papers of various cabinet members. The complex and diverse activities of the government, the policies of the cabinet members (especially Canning, Liverpool, and Castlereagh) concerning Parliament, the King, the Regent, the Opposition, and various foreign governments are carefully examined. In doing so, the author effectively delineates the extraordinary efforts made by...