A Peer Among Princes

Sir Thomas Graham, Lord Lynedoch, is best known for his exceptional military career. He was one of the Duke of Wellington’s ablest lieutenants during the Peninsular War – he won a great victory against the French at the Battle of Barrosa, conducted the siege of San Sebastian and acted as the duke’s second in command. But he was much more than a soldier – he had broad interests as a wealthy and innovative Scottish landowner, politician, sportsman and traveller. He was a remarkable man of his age, and Philip Grant’s biography, the first to be published in recent times, does justice to his remarkable life and reputation.

Graham only took up his military career in 1792 when he was outraged by the violation of his wife’s coffin by French revolutionaries. He determined to fight them and he raised his own regiment to do so, soon establishing himself as an outstanding leader and field commander. He saw action at Toulon, made a daring escape from the siege of Mantua, served in Malta and Egypt and with Sir John Moore during the Corunna campaign. He eventually rose to the highest rank.

Philip Grant describes Graham’s long and varied life in absorbing detail, often quoting from his vivid letters and diaries.