Paul David Nelson has written an exciting biography of an exciting figure—the military hero of the American Revolution and the Indian Wars in the Northwest Territory—"Mad" Anthony Wayne. Some of his contemporaries called him rash and impetuous, a braggart and a dandy. "More active and enterprising than judicious and cautious" was George Washington's verdict. True, Wayne had a flair for the dramatic and consciously acted the role of swashbuckler, but he proved himself one of the best and most successful military leaders of the early American republic. Despite his reputation for madness, Wayne, as Nelson points out, was a prudent and careful officer whose military record belies the myth. When he ran out of wars to fight, Wayne turned to the political arena. Nelson shows that the qualities which made Wayne a great military leader served him well in politics. He proved himself articulate and shrewd in statecraft in a critical time for the young republic, the years just after ratification of the Constitution.
Though Major General James Grant's name appears in many early histories of Florida, he has been remembered primarily for one speech he delivered in Parliament in 1775 that disparaged American military might. In this biography, Nelson aims to establish Grant as an intelligent participant in the political and military events of his age. As the first royal governor of British colonial Florida (1763-73), Grant practically created the colony once it was secured from Spain at the end of the Seven Years' War. His deliberate cultivation of friendships in the neighbouring colonies of Georgia and South Carolina is part of the annals of royal administration, and he left behind a record of balanced, careful leadership. Even after he returned to Great Britain, where he represented Scottish constituencies in Parliament, he maintained an interest in Florida's fate, not least because he held tracts of land in East Florida that yielded profits from indigo. Using previously neglected Grant papers at Ballindalloch Castle in Scotland, as well as better-known materials, Nelson documents the roots of Grant's personality and ambitions, aiming to produce a work of interest for scholars of the American revolution and of military history, as well as early Florida and 18th century British history.
Considering the importance of Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings and 2nd Earl of Moira, it is surprising that no full-length biography has been written about him. The only significant studies of his career have been analysis of his role as governor-general of India in the early nineteenth century. Paul David Nelson's study rectifies this situation by providing a well-crafted scholarly analysis of the life of Lord Hastings. He covers in depth all aspects of the man's multifaceted career as a professional soldier, peer in the House of Lords, and governor-general of India. He also provides a character study of this intelligent, affable man, pointing out his strengths as a father, husband, and friend. In the process, Nelson does not lose sight of Hastings's personal ineptitude. He shows how the marquess ran up debts of nearly 1,000,000 by the time of his death and left his family almost penniless. The most important role that Hastings played was as a soldier in the British army. He was a young officer during the American war, fighting at Bunker Hill in 1775 as a lieutenant in the grenadier company of the 5th Regiment. Distinguishing himself, he was promoted captain and appointed aide-de-camp to General Henry Clinton. He went on to lead the Volunteers of Ireland, serve as adjutant general under Clinton, and to command an independent army in South Carolina in 1780-81. As governor-general of India from 1813 to 1823, he successfully led campaigns against the Nepalese, Pindaris, and Marathas. Hastings's second most important role was as an administrator in India. Although supported by able civilian subordinates, he sometimes made poor choices in his own appointments and became mired in the cloudy dealings of the Palmer Company. He was not guilty of any chicanery, but his reputation was marred by his defense of some questionable company activities. Hastings's third role was as a politician in the House of Lords. Here he was least successful, partly because he was not ruthless enough to rise to the
