Courts Martial and Libel: A Waterloo Officer’s Military Career and the Contemporary Press

Abstract

Captain John Montmorency Tucker, a veteran of the Peninsular Wars and Waterloo, was twice court martialled. After the first court martial in 1815, he was sentenced to be discharged, but this was mitigated to no punishment and the prosecutor was reprimanded. The trial was reported by the Military Register , which publicly criticized the prosecutor, and a libel action against the editor soon followed. After the second court martial in 1822, Tucker was sentenced to be reprimanded, but the king, in view of the first court martial, judged him unfit for service, and he was ordered to sell his commission. The official army report of this court martial published the charges, verdict, sentence, and change of sentence with no commentary. This article examines why the cases were reported differently and the significance of the libel charge against the Military Register .

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