Field Marshal Lord Wolseley was an eminent Victorian, one of a handful of late nineteenth-century military men whose reputation transcends his age. He served the British empire in Burma, India, China, the Crimea, Canada, Asante, Egypt, South Africa and the Sudan. He excelled as a regimental soldier, staff officer, army commander and reformer and eventually commander-in-chief. Yet there has been no substantial work on Wolseley for a generation and a reassessment based upon a fresh look at the man and his achievements is long overdue. That is why Stephen Manning’s perceptive military biography, which sets Wolseley firmly in the context of his period and seeks to strip away the legend that developed during his lifetime, is so timely and important.

Each of Wolseley’s campaigns is examined in vivid detail and there are graphic descriptions of the major battles in which he took part, either as an officer or a general. His performance as a commander, from his great success during the expedition against the Asante to his failure to rescue Gordon from Khartoum, is critically assessed to see if he deserves his brilliant reputation. His efforts as an army reformer are examined too, in particular whether he could have done more to prepare Britain for war against the Boers.

Stephen Manning’s incisive account of Wolseley’s career will be fascinating reading for anyone who is interested in the British army in the nineteenth century, in colonial warfare and in the exploits of one of Queen Victoria’s most admired generals.