Overview

Napier was a man of outstanding merits, a brilliant seaman, a leader of men whose rapport with sailors made him the most popular admiral in the service. A combination of remarkable tactical judgement and astonishing self-control made him the best squadron commander of his generation. He also had faults, of course, though in most cases they were no more than the inverse of his merits: prime among them insubordination and a lack of tact. More striking was his accent - a heavily affected Scots brogue - and the almost surreal nature of his snuff-taking. But what made Napier so remarkable was the range of his professional abilities. An unsuccessful experiment running steamboats on the Seine left him with an astute financial awareness as well as a skill for technological innovation. These abilities, coupled with his strategic insight, made him respected - if not necessarily understood - by the politicians of the time. Young Napier will re-establish the admiral as the leading figure in the mid 19th century Royal Navy and a political phenomenon who was in almost permanent opposition to the official line. Despite this, it was Napier's ideas that shaped the future of the Navy. His willingness to work in the grey area of unofficial correspondence, to take the initiative and rely on the word of his political leaders - particularly the brilliant statesman Lord Palmerston - placed him at the cutting edge of the 'Pax Britannica'.

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Andrew Lambert is Professor of Naval History at King's College, London, and has been described as 'the outstanding British naval historian of his generation' (David Cannadine). His books include Trincomalee: The Last of Nelson's Frigates and The Foundations of Naval History, and his highly successful history of the British Navy, War at Sea, was broadcast on BBC2.

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