author
David Roberts
1757–1819
A British army officer who turned his experience of the Napoleonic wars into a lively satirical poem, he is best remembered for The Military Adventures of Johnny Newcome. His writing mixes soldierly detail with humor, giving modern listeners a vivid glimpse of life on campaign.
1 Audiobook
About the author
David Roberts (1757–1819) was a British army officer and writer. Sources describe him as a lieutenant-colonel who served in the 22nd Dragoons, the 1st Life Guards, and later with the 51st Foot during the Peninsular War.
He is chiefly known as the author of The Military Adventures of Johnny Newcome, with an Account of His Campaign on the Peninsula and in Pall Mall. The work follows a young officer through military and social misadventures, blending comedy, observation, and firsthand knowledge of army life.
A bibliographic source also notes that Roberts was a poet, and that his brothers Thomas and William were military men as well. I could not confirm a reliable portrait of this specific David Roberts from the sources I found, so no author image is included.