Life of Sir John Moore

Sir John Moore is best remembered, indeed was immortalised, by the poem by Charles Wolfe, the first line of which provides the title for this book. Were it not for the poem, memory of Moore would surely have been dimmer. Moore was, single handidly, virtually responsible for the introduction of the Light Infantry, and all who have worn the green cloth and black buttons of the Light Infantry, in no small measure owe a debt to Moore. He was also the first to hold the view that encouragement rather than flogging would provide the best results. In every way he was a man ahead of his time. Roger Day sets the historical background of the Peninsula War with admirable clarity and shows how and why the British Army owes so much to this remarkable man who died so tragically at Corunna at the age of only 48, after conducting the remarkable retreat from Corunna.