Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 40.djvu/90

 suddenly attacked by Soult. Napier and the 43rd were on picquet duty in front, and fortunately detected suspicious movements of the enemy, so that General Kempt was prepared. When the picquet was attacked, Napier withdrew without the loss of a man to the church of Arcangues, the defence of which had been assigned to him. Here he was twice wounded; but he continued to defend the church and churchyard until the 13th, when the fighting terminated by Lord Hill's victory at St. Pierre. Napier was promoted brevet lieutenant-colonel on 22 Nov. 1813.

Napier was present at the battle of Orthez on 27 Feb. 1814, but his wounds and ill-health afterwards compelled him to go to England. On his recovery from a protracted illness he joined the military college at Farnham, where his brother Charles was also studying. On the return of Napoleon from Elba, Napier made arrangements to rejoin his regiment, and embarked at Dover on 18 June 1815, too late for Waterloo. He accompanied the army to Paris. Napier, with the 43rd, was quartered at Bapaume and Valenciennes. On the return home of the army of occupation, the regiment was sent to Belfast. Want of means to purchase the regimental lieutenant-colonelcy of his regiment determined Napier to go on half-pay, and he accordingly retired from the active list at the end of 1819. He received from the officers of the 43rd a very handsome sword, with a flattering inscription, and was granted the gold medal and two clasps for Salamanca, Nivelle, and Nive, and the silver medal with three clasps for Busaco, Fuentes d'Onoro, and Orthez. He was also made a C.B.

Napier took a house in Sloane Street, London, and devoted himself to painting and sculpture, for which he had considerable talent, spending much of his time with the sculptor Chantrey, George Jones, R.A., Mr. Bickersteth (afterwards Lord Langdale), and several old friends of the Peninsula. He contributed to periodical literature and wrote an able article which appeared in the ‘Edinburgh Review’ in 1821 on Jomini's ‘Principes de la Guerre.’ In connection with this contribution he visited Edinburgh, where he made the acquaintance of Jeffrey and other literary celebrities. He also visited Paris with Bickersteth, and was introduced to Soult.

In 1823, on the suggestion of Lord Langdale, Napier decided to write a ‘History of the Peninsular War.’ He lost no time in collecting materials. He went for some time to Paris, where he consulted Soult, and then to Strathfieldsaye, to be near the Duke of Wellington. The duke handed over to him the whole of Joseph Bonaparte's correspondence which had been taken at the battle of Vittoria, and which was deciphered with infinite patience by Mrs. Napier.

In the autumn of 1826 Napier moved with his family to Battle House, Bromham, near Devizes. Here he was only a quarter of a mile from Sloperton, the residence of the well-known poet, Thomas Moore, and a warm friendship sprang up between the two families. At the end of 1831 he settled at Freshford, near Bath.

In the spring of 1828 the first volume of his ‘History’ was published, and Napier found himself at a bound placed high among historical writers. The proofs were sent to Marshal Soult, who had arranged that Count Dumas should make a French translation. Although the book was well received, John Murray the publisher lost money by it, and would not undertake the publication of the second volume on the same terms. Napier determined to publish the remainder of the work on his own account. The second volume appeared in 1829, when he had a very large subscription list. The third volume was issued in 1831. Early in 1834 the fourth volume was published, and the description of the battle of Albuera and the sieges of Badajos and Ciudad Rodrigo elicited unqualified admiration. Towards the end of 1836 Napier was introduced to the King of Oude's minister, then in London, who told him that his master had desired him to translate six works into Persian for him, and that Napier's ‘History’ was one. In the spring of 1840 Napier completed his ‘History’ by the publication of the sixth volume. The French translation by Count Mathieu Dumas was completed shortly after, and translations appeared in Spanish, Italian, and German. The work steadily grew in popularity, and has become a classic of the English language, while the previous attempts of Captain Hamilton, of Southey, and of Lord Londonderry have been completely forgotten. It is commended to the general reader no less by its impartial admiration for the heroes on both sides than by the spontaneity of its style. Its accuracy was the more firmly established by the inevitable attacks of actors in the scenes described, who thought the parts they had played undervalued.

Napier was promoted colonel on 22 July 1830. In April 1831 he declined, on account of his ill-health, his large family, and his small means, an offer of a seat in parliament from Sir Francis Burdett. Other offers came in succeeding years from Bath, Devizes, Birmingham, Glasgow, Nottingham, Westminster, Oldham, and Kendal, but Napier de-