author
Sir William Warre
1784–1853
A British Army officer remembered for his service in the Peninsular War, he left behind vivid letters that bring the campaigns against Napoleon to life. Born in Oporto to a family linked with the wine trade, he combined frontline experience with a sharp eye for detail.
1 Audiobook
Letters from the peninsula, 1808-1812
by Sir William Warre
About the author
Born on 15 April 1784 in Oporto, Portugal, Sir William Warre was the eldest son of James Warre, a partner in the port wine house Warre & Co. Educated at Harrow, he entered the British Army in 1803 and joined the 52nd Regiment of Foot.
He served with distinction in the Peninsular War, where he became known not only as a capable officer but also as an observant letter writer. His correspondence from Spain and Portugal was later published as Letters from the Peninsula, 1808–1812, and it remains one of the most engaging firsthand accounts of the war.
Warre rose to the rank of lieutenant-general and later became colonel of the 94th Foot. He died on 26 July 1853, leaving a reputation shaped both by his military career and by the lively, clear-eyed record he left of one of the great campaigns of the Napoleonic era.