Comissary-General Tupper Carey (16 April 1788-1867) joined the Commissariat Department in 1808 at the age of sixteen and was immediately sent out to the Peninsula. He accompanied the Light Brigade of Cavalry on their retreat to Vigo. With the exception of a few months, when he was invalided to Lisbon, he went through the whole of the Peninsula Campaign, and was present at the battles of Talavera, Salamanca, Vittoria, Nivelles, Orthes, and Toulouse.
In 1812, at the age of twenty, he was placed in charge of the Commissariat Department of a whole Division, and this post he held during the Waterloo Campaign.
He married Anne Le Mesurier and they had 4 children. Tupper came from a large family,and his parents were Isaac Carey and Marguerite Tupper. In 1809 the appointment of a Commissary-in-chief was to superintend both the home and foreign Commissariat services. The Commissariat was still a department of HM Treasury and its personnel were uniformed civilians (though they were subject to military discipline). It supplied food, fuel and forage for all troops, as well as certain other equipment including barrack stores. The main items outside its remit were arms and ammunition, which were the responsibility of the Board of Ordnance.They were given rank as follows:
Commissary General (equivalent to a Brigadier General)
Deputy Commissary General (equivalent to a Lieutenant Colonel or Major)
Assistant Commissary General (equivalent to a Captain)
Deputy Assistant Commissary General (equivalent to a Lieutenant)
Commissary Clerk (equivalent to an Ensign).
The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain, it is considered to overlap with the Spanish War of Independence.Britain's involvement in the Peninsular War was the start of a prolonged campaign in Europe to increase British military power on land and liberate the Iberian peninsula from the French.

Transcribed from handwritten journals, this first of two volumes chronicles Commissary General Tupper Carey’s dynamic career during the Peninsular War. Offering a unique perspective, the candid journals emphasize his vital role supplying the troops while offering insider observations of historical battles and figures.

This book is interesting, easy to read, and well annotated. Because it’s a journal, the content is episodic and reflects the prejudices of the time. The book is informative for anyone with an interest in the Napoleonic Wars.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

An extraordinary book compiled from the journals of Commissary General Tupper Carey, who supported the British Army under Wellington, in Portugal and Spain. To be honest, I didn't know what to expect when I started to read the book - Carey wasn't a famous general or politician, but an everyday fellow who chose the life of a non-combatant alongside Wellington's army.
The journals give a detailed insight into the awful privations and conditions that both the army, and those supporting it, had to endure. Carey found himself in some very dangerous situations, especially with the ever-changing military advances and reverses of the Peninsular campaign.
The journals were surprisingly easy to read, and Glover the author, gave useful explanatory notes where some of the words and slight errors needed to be clarified.
I particularly enjoyed understanding through his journals, how he matured over the years from a young, slightly bigoted, clerk to a mature Commissary General who was willing to stand his ground against senior officers.
In summary, a really interesting book from the military history aspect, well compiled and a pleasure to read. I am looking forward reading Part 2!