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Sergeant Bourgogne - with Napoleon's Imperial Guard in the Russian campaign and on the retreat from Moscow 1812 - 13
Sergeant Bourgogne - with Napoleon's Imperial Guard in the Russian campaign and on the retreat from Moscow - 1812-13 Adrien Bourgogne was a seasoned veteran before the campaign of 1812, but nothing in his experience prepared him for the horrors of the infamous retreat from Moscow. Believing he was settling into comfortable winter quarters, Bourgogne found himself together with his comrades of the Vélite Fusilier - Grenadiers of the Imperial Guard - on the road to the west. Bourgogne's account of the agonies of the Russian Winter exacerbated by hunger, brigands and the Russian enemy is graphic and without parallel. This is a story far beyond the common military memoir. It is almost surreal in its portrayal of the nightmarish scenes of the straggling column and the hellish infernos of burning towns. A memoir of war in the raw and an utterly unforgettable classic Napoleonic experience of conflict.
316 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1898
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April 7, 2019
This book contains the personal observations of a member of the Imperial Guard during the Russian campaign of 1812. It is not a military history as much as what happened to him and some of his friends so don't expect more than a mention on Borodino or other military engagements.
It is interesting reading because you can't help but wonder how men survived the campaign even before the terrible days in Moscow, and then the horror of the retreat. Bourgogne encounters countless difficulties, but with the help of friends and some good-hearted women, he makes it back to France.
It is a short but entertaining look at one of the great tragedies of Napoleon's reign, made even more so because of the devastation to the horses that so loyally served the French.
It is interesting reading because you can't help but wonder how men survived the campaign even before the terrible days in Moscow, and then the horror of the retreat. Bourgogne encounters countless difficulties, but with the help of friends and some good-hearted women, he makes it back to France.
It is a short but entertaining look at one of the great tragedies of Napoleon's reign, made even more so because of the devastation to the horses that so loyally served the French.
January 13, 2019
"¡Qué tristes pensamientos debíamos tener ante semejante espectáculo! Pero estábamos en el punto en el que las cosas más trágicas nos eran indiferentes, porque nos decíamos con sangre fría y sin emoción que, pronto, comeríamos los cadáveres de los hombres muertos, ya que en pocos días no habrían caballos para alimentarse!"
"Las memorias del Sargento Bourgogne" nos cuenta las experiencias de un sargento de granaderos de la Guardia Imperial de Napoleón Bonaparte sobre todo de sus vivencias en la terrible campaña de Rusia de 1812.
Me fue un poco difícil de leer sobre todo por su gran extensión, el estilo es relativamente pobre, se nota las limitaciones de las descripciones, pero las vivencias que relata el autor superan grandemente cualquier falencia de estilo o pasaje aburrido (que son pocos en realidad), por ello mi calificación tan alta.
La campaña de Rusia supuso como dijo Napoleón uno de las pruebas más grandes a los que el ser humano pudo haberse expuesto. Bourgogne fue un sobreviviente a esta tragedia que supuso el fin del Gran Ejército Napoleónico, sobre todo por la gran cantidad de muertos (más de 300 000 seguro) y muchos de ellos no en batalla sino en las condiciones climáticas y de hambre que pasaron los soldados.
Aquí uno puede ver el resultado de la desmoralización de un ejército y cómo ésta puede tumbar hasta al ejército más poderoso del mundo. Las condiciones climáticas a los que estuvieron expuestos los franceses en la retirada fueron terribles pero la desmoralización del ejército fue un golpe del cual tampoco se pudo recuperar.
El hambre, el frío terrible que hacía perder dedos, nariz diferentes partes del cuerpo a los soldados por la necrosis de los mismos, el estado de abatimiento, el sueño que los hacía dormir para siempre al estar en la intemperie, el dejar de comer días y a veces semanas, todo ello fue retratado con pinturas increíbles. Los soldados en la retirada iban detrás de la caballería a la espera que los caballos mueran de frío o de hambre al no haber pasto pues todo era hielo y nieve en la ancha Rusia. Los soldados comían a los caballos inmediatamente, se mataban entre ellos a veces, guardaban la sangre de caballos en adoquines pues éstas se congelaban y los soldados llevaban su sangre helada de munición, muchos comían sólo eso durante días de días y para tomar esperaban a que la nieve se derrita pues no había nada más que probar. La cobardía, la traición amenazó el ejército, un episodio dantesco en el cual unos soldados aristócratas fueron encerrados por cosacos y los demás franceses los dejaron a su suerte, todos ellos fueron quemados y muchos incluso lo celebraban pues decía habían sido de los más soberbios. En resumen un estado de degradación del ejército que pocas veces pasó la Grand Armée. Bourgogne pasó esto y mucho más, rodó incontables veces en precipicios, se desmayó incontables veces, fue presa de fiebres voraces, pero aún así pudo contar su historia. Algunos se volvieron locos de la forma más terrible y verlos era un suplicio. Con el avance de la desgracia los franceses que no podían caminar o estaban heridos eran dejados sin contemplación para que los cosacos los asesinen o los hagan esclavos. Era ya común ver como un espectáculo a un grupo de camaradas defenderse contra los cosacos que venían seguros de su victoria pues eran soldados que parecía que ni vivir querían por su estado tan lamentable.
Pero al lado de esta miseria Bourgogne también retrata la humanidad de muchos, la valentía de otros, habían soldados que en su sacrificio antes de morir trataban de eliminar la mayor cantidad de rusos, un granadero al matar casualmente un compatriota se lanzó a los rusos para hacerse matar, pudo con más de ocho y volvió sin haberse muerto. O cómo olvidar al dragón Melet que con su caballo luchó todas las batallas del imperio Francés desde 1808 y que en la campaña de 1812 cuidaba de él incluso con el riesgo de su propia vida, iba al campo ruso para poder adquirir follaje para su caballo y en cada incursión siempre mataba a uno o dos rusos. O la defensa desesperada de la Guardia Imperial contra un ejército ruso en plena retirada.
Con este relato he comprendido varias cosas que ya conocía pero que relatadas en casos particulares son más ilustrativas. Realmente el invierno ruso hizo que muchos soldados mueran sin pelear, las pérdidas fueron enormes, era de lo más cotidiano que mueran cada día centenares de frío, sepultados por algún aluvión o de inanición. Ésa fue la verdadera debilidad del ejército napoleónico en aquella fatídica campaña.
Aparte de los eventos militares hay un sinfín de detalles que sin duda hacen que valga la pena leer todas estas memorias, las actitudes de los judíos, interesada siempre según cuenta el sargento, vendiendo o comprando cualquier cosa a los soldados, los campesinos de las inmedicaciones y sus cuidados y admiración por los soldados de la guardia; pero también a los héroes legendarios de aquel ejército, el valor del mariscal Ney y sus soldados en la peor de las horas cubriendo la retirada del ejército francés, el cuidado del rey Murat incluso con los propios rusos, la impasibilidad de Napoleón durante la campaña, la valentía del virrey Eugene, y así muchos de los más conocidos militares de aquella época pasan como una sombra en todo este fantástico relato.
Una experiencia muy buena y espero leer más memorias de esta época.
"Cuando llegó el rey Murat lo vimos realizar por su propio cirujano la amputación de dos piernas a dos cañoneros de la guardia imperial rusa. Cuando la operación terminó les dio a cada uno un vaso de vino"
"Las memorias del Sargento Bourgogne" nos cuenta las experiencias de un sargento de granaderos de la Guardia Imperial de Napoleón Bonaparte sobre todo de sus vivencias en la terrible campaña de Rusia de 1812.
Me fue un poco difícil de leer sobre todo por su gran extensión, el estilo es relativamente pobre, se nota las limitaciones de las descripciones, pero las vivencias que relata el autor superan grandemente cualquier falencia de estilo o pasaje aburrido (que son pocos en realidad), por ello mi calificación tan alta.
La campaña de Rusia supuso como dijo Napoleón uno de las pruebas más grandes a los que el ser humano pudo haberse expuesto. Bourgogne fue un sobreviviente a esta tragedia que supuso el fin del Gran Ejército Napoleónico, sobre todo por la gran cantidad de muertos (más de 300 000 seguro) y muchos de ellos no en batalla sino en las condiciones climáticas y de hambre que pasaron los soldados.
Aquí uno puede ver el resultado de la desmoralización de un ejército y cómo ésta puede tumbar hasta al ejército más poderoso del mundo. Las condiciones climáticas a los que estuvieron expuestos los franceses en la retirada fueron terribles pero la desmoralización del ejército fue un golpe del cual tampoco se pudo recuperar.
El hambre, el frío terrible que hacía perder dedos, nariz diferentes partes del cuerpo a los soldados por la necrosis de los mismos, el estado de abatimiento, el sueño que los hacía dormir para siempre al estar en la intemperie, el dejar de comer días y a veces semanas, todo ello fue retratado con pinturas increíbles. Los soldados en la retirada iban detrás de la caballería a la espera que los caballos mueran de frío o de hambre al no haber pasto pues todo era hielo y nieve en la ancha Rusia. Los soldados comían a los caballos inmediatamente, se mataban entre ellos a veces, guardaban la sangre de caballos en adoquines pues éstas se congelaban y los soldados llevaban su sangre helada de munición, muchos comían sólo eso durante días de días y para tomar esperaban a que la nieve se derrita pues no había nada más que probar. La cobardía, la traición amenazó el ejército, un episodio dantesco en el cual unos soldados aristócratas fueron encerrados por cosacos y los demás franceses los dejaron a su suerte, todos ellos fueron quemados y muchos incluso lo celebraban pues decía habían sido de los más soberbios. En resumen un estado de degradación del ejército que pocas veces pasó la Grand Armée. Bourgogne pasó esto y mucho más, rodó incontables veces en precipicios, se desmayó incontables veces, fue presa de fiebres voraces, pero aún así pudo contar su historia. Algunos se volvieron locos de la forma más terrible y verlos era un suplicio. Con el avance de la desgracia los franceses que no podían caminar o estaban heridos eran dejados sin contemplación para que los cosacos los asesinen o los hagan esclavos. Era ya común ver como un espectáculo a un grupo de camaradas defenderse contra los cosacos que venían seguros de su victoria pues eran soldados que parecía que ni vivir querían por su estado tan lamentable.
Pero al lado de esta miseria Bourgogne también retrata la humanidad de muchos, la valentía de otros, habían soldados que en su sacrificio antes de morir trataban de eliminar la mayor cantidad de rusos, un granadero al matar casualmente un compatriota se lanzó a los rusos para hacerse matar, pudo con más de ocho y volvió sin haberse muerto. O cómo olvidar al dragón Melet que con su caballo luchó todas las batallas del imperio Francés desde 1808 y que en la campaña de 1812 cuidaba de él incluso con el riesgo de su propia vida, iba al campo ruso para poder adquirir follaje para su caballo y en cada incursión siempre mataba a uno o dos rusos. O la defensa desesperada de la Guardia Imperial contra un ejército ruso en plena retirada.
Con este relato he comprendido varias cosas que ya conocía pero que relatadas en casos particulares son más ilustrativas. Realmente el invierno ruso hizo que muchos soldados mueran sin pelear, las pérdidas fueron enormes, era de lo más cotidiano que mueran cada día centenares de frío, sepultados por algún aluvión o de inanición. Ésa fue la verdadera debilidad del ejército napoleónico en aquella fatídica campaña.
Aparte de los eventos militares hay un sinfín de detalles que sin duda hacen que valga la pena leer todas estas memorias, las actitudes de los judíos, interesada siempre según cuenta el sargento, vendiendo o comprando cualquier cosa a los soldados, los campesinos de las inmedicaciones y sus cuidados y admiración por los soldados de la guardia; pero también a los héroes legendarios de aquel ejército, el valor del mariscal Ney y sus soldados en la peor de las horas cubriendo la retirada del ejército francés, el cuidado del rey Murat incluso con los propios rusos, la impasibilidad de Napoleón durante la campaña, la valentía del virrey Eugene, y así muchos de los más conocidos militares de aquella época pasan como una sombra en todo este fantástico relato.
Una experiencia muy buena y espero leer más memorias de esta época.
"Cuando llegó el rey Murat lo vimos realizar por su propio cirujano la amputación de dos piernas a dos cañoneros de la guardia imperial rusa. Cuando la operación terminó les dio a cada uno un vaso de vino"
February 8, 2022
Adrien-Jean-Baptiste-François Bourgogne 1785-ben született az észak-franciaországi Condé-sur-Escaut-ban – apja kereskedő, ő pedig, a legidősebb fiú, húszévesen beáll Napóleon seregébe – ezt apja anyagi helyzete tette lehetővé. Vagyis az léphetett katonai pályára, aki azt megengedhette magának – ebben és az eggyel felette lévő generációban a katonai karrier volt a nagy álom. Végigharcolja Európát, aztán, ha az addig nem volt elég, jött az első nagy kiábrándulás, az orosz hadjárat. (A második, végső, Waterloo.) 1813-ban hadifogságba esik, ott kezdi el megírni az emlékiratokat – hogy aztán húsz évvel később elrendezze az egészet.
Valami miatt azt hittem, ez teljesen egyedi. Az első, de főleg a második világháború idején már minden grafomán feljegyzéseket vezetett, korábban, gondoltam, csak a tehetősek – végül is ehhez tudni kell írni és kell papír is, esetleg saját szoba, de legfőképp: belső kulturális igény. De kiderült, más is írt feljegyzéseket, ha nem is egészen a közkatonák, de egy strázsamester (őrmester) majdnem az: történelem alulnézetből. (Vajon melyik volt az első háború, amelyből nagy számban maradtak fel feljegyézsek, naplók a köznép fiaitól...?)
B. nem a stílus nagymestere – de azt se lehet mondani, hogy nincs felismerhető stílusa, vagyis az írásban gyakorlott – a dramaturgiában nem: gyakran eszembe jutott Tolsztoj, aki ugye maga is, ha nem is szemtanúként, de megörökítette egyanezt a hadjáratot – hát, neki azért jobban sikerült – esztétikailag, dramaturgiailag. Valami nagyon érdkes dolog történik itt: amit leír, az ugyanis a pokol – talán a Don-kanyarban is hasonló dolgok történtek – közben pedig, mivel nincs dramaturgiai kidomborítás, meseszerűvé válnak a történések – a borzalom magával a borzalommal hat, lefagyott kezek, lábak, orrok, a lovak lemészárlása – a Vámpírok báljában behoznak a hidegből egy favágót, aki a fára fagyott – ez nem borzaszt mégsem el. De hatás végül mégis van, egyszerűen mert ha száz oldalon keresztül a borzalmakat sorolják, akkor annak hatnia kell. (Különben furcsa, hogy nem dolgozták ezt fel még pl. egy netflixes sorozatban, tényleg pokoljárás lehetett.)
Nem követem el a hibát, hogy B. jelleméből következtetnék a kor egészének gondolkodására – ebben az emberben nem volt rosszindulat, talán egyenesen a naivitásig ostoba volt – miközben nagyon is praktikuis ember – éppen ezért elég pártatlannak hatnak a megfigyelései: nem gyűlöl senkit, sem az oroszokat, sem a kozákokat, sem pedig azt a francia tisztet, akinek senki nem segít, amikor megsebesül, mert mindenki gyűlöli a kegyetlenségéért – a világban minden a maga természetességével van jelen a szemében.
Mi volt ez az egész napóleoni vállalkozás? Olyan érthetetlen, tényleg lemészáraltatott/”megfagyasztott” egy komplett hadsereget, egy generáció felét feláldozta – evvel oda is lett a franciák világbirodalomról szőtt álma – közben pedig azt látom, ez egy összeurópai hadjárat volt, részben még nemeztek előtti, mert a nápolyi vagy a bajor jelzőként ugyanúgy bukkan föl, mint az olasz vagy a német. Külön érdekes adalék a zsidókhoz való viszony – mennyire elkülönültek azok és mennyire jól látszik a nemzetek fölöttiségük. Azt hiszem, tényleg egy eszme harcolt itt a középkorral – bár az eszmét, de inkább a középkort illetően tartózkodnék a pontosabb leírástól.
Valami ilyen futó benyomásam vannak.
Valami miatt azt hittem, ez teljesen egyedi. Az első, de főleg a második világháború idején már minden grafomán feljegyzéseket vezetett, korábban, gondoltam, csak a tehetősek – végül is ehhez tudni kell írni és kell papír is, esetleg saját szoba, de legfőképp: belső kulturális igény. De kiderült, más is írt feljegyzéseket, ha nem is egészen a közkatonák, de egy strázsamester (őrmester) majdnem az: történelem alulnézetből. (Vajon melyik volt az első háború, amelyből nagy számban maradtak fel feljegyézsek, naplók a köznép fiaitól...?)
B. nem a stílus nagymestere – de azt se lehet mondani, hogy nincs felismerhető stílusa, vagyis az írásban gyakorlott – a dramaturgiában nem: gyakran eszembe jutott Tolsztoj, aki ugye maga is, ha nem is szemtanúként, de megörökítette egyanezt a hadjáratot – hát, neki azért jobban sikerült – esztétikailag, dramaturgiailag. Valami nagyon érdkes dolog történik itt: amit leír, az ugyanis a pokol – talán a Don-kanyarban is hasonló dolgok történtek – közben pedig, mivel nincs dramaturgiai kidomborítás, meseszerűvé válnak a történések – a borzalom magával a borzalommal hat, lefagyott kezek, lábak, orrok, a lovak lemészárlása – a Vámpírok báljában behoznak a hidegből egy favágót, aki a fára fagyott – ez nem borzaszt mégsem el. De hatás végül mégis van, egyszerűen mert ha száz oldalon keresztül a borzalmakat sorolják, akkor annak hatnia kell. (Különben furcsa, hogy nem dolgozták ezt fel még pl. egy netflixes sorozatban, tényleg pokoljárás lehetett.)
Nem követem el a hibát, hogy B. jelleméből következtetnék a kor egészének gondolkodására – ebben az emberben nem volt rosszindulat, talán egyenesen a naivitásig ostoba volt – miközben nagyon is praktikuis ember – éppen ezért elég pártatlannak hatnak a megfigyelései: nem gyűlöl senkit, sem az oroszokat, sem a kozákokat, sem pedig azt a francia tisztet, akinek senki nem segít, amikor megsebesül, mert mindenki gyűlöli a kegyetlenségéért – a világban minden a maga természetességével van jelen a szemében.
Mi volt ez az egész napóleoni vállalkozás? Olyan érthetetlen, tényleg lemészáraltatott/”megfagyasztott” egy komplett hadsereget, egy generáció felét feláldozta – evvel oda is lett a franciák világbirodalomról szőtt álma – közben pedig azt látom, ez egy összeurópai hadjárat volt, részben még nemeztek előtti, mert a nápolyi vagy a bajor jelzőként ugyanúgy bukkan föl, mint az olasz vagy a német. Külön érdekes adalék a zsidókhoz való viszony – mennyire elkülönültek azok és mennyire jól látszik a nemzetek fölöttiségük. Azt hiszem, tényleg egy eszme harcolt itt a középkorral – bár az eszmét, de inkább a középkort illetően tartózkodnék a pontosabb leírástól.
Valami ilyen futó benyomásam vannak.
June 16, 2011
this book is a brilliant ground level look at one of histories most atrocious retreats. in the winter of 1812-1813, after successfully taking moscow, napoleon realized his supply line was too long and that his grande armee wouldn't last the winter in russia. instead of immediatly acting upon this, he waited a couple weeks before leaving, thinking that people were overestimated the decimating effects of the russian winter. within a month of leaving russia, the grande armee was already falling to pieces, from disease, hypothermia, and the ever-present cossacks, who attacked with guerilla warfare tactics. it is these hardships that bourgogne writes of. his narrative reads like the odyssey, where after a war a soldier and his men are just trying to get back home. but, before they can arrive there they must face down countless perils, and overcome mountainous obstacles. along they way, they encounter friends, who aid them in their retreat; but the also encounter manipulative souls looking out for anychance to rob, steal or simply terrorize soldiers who are suffering through the worst hardships. these were men who were so hungry they would cut a rump steak off of a horse while the horse was marching and because of the fierce cold the horse never noticed (until the open wound began to fester in the presence of any heat source). these men would betray their best friend over nine frozen potatoes, would were womans dresses and scarves as extra protection from the cold.
this retreat is well documented in history books. i found bourgogne's book while doing research for 'war and peace'. and outside of that novel, this is the single most haunting and human document i have read about that cursed retreat from russia. there are countless small acts of mercy and cruelty that can be related, or unreal stories of treature found in the midst of despair, but bourgogne describes them much better than i can. this book seems random and disconnected form the lives we live, but this single document shows what makes humans a spectacular and awesome species, with all our capacity for hate, and love, whether it's for a stranger or a fellow soldier who has fought beside you through a decade of war. what allows a starving man to share a frozen piece of bread with another man? where does the strength come from to carry a fellow soldiers whose feet have frozen off? what does any of this to do with survival and the perpetuation of genes? this text forces you to analyze these questions and allows you a window into perfect desperation and the way a man can act when there is nothing to gain for himself but the fulfilling feeling of an honor upheld.
this retreat is well documented in history books. i found bourgogne's book while doing research for 'war and peace'. and outside of that novel, this is the single most haunting and human document i have read about that cursed retreat from russia. there are countless small acts of mercy and cruelty that can be related, or unreal stories of treature found in the midst of despair, but bourgogne describes them much better than i can. this book seems random and disconnected form the lives we live, but this single document shows what makes humans a spectacular and awesome species, with all our capacity for hate, and love, whether it's for a stranger or a fellow soldier who has fought beside you through a decade of war. what allows a starving man to share a frozen piece of bread with another man? where does the strength come from to carry a fellow soldiers whose feet have frozen off? what does any of this to do with survival and the perpetuation of genes? this text forces you to analyze these questions and allows you a window into perfect desperation and the way a man can act when there is nothing to gain for himself but the fulfilling feeling of an honor upheld.
November 13, 2011
Much as I was determined to like Sergeant Bourgogne's diary, I read it after a couple of others by individuals involved in Napoleon's pretty horrific Russian campaign. So after chapters describing the freezing conditions and a lack of most basic necessities for human (or animal) existence, it began to lose its appeal.
Great if you're into detail on the French retreat from Moscow, but not straight after Barres, Coignet and Jakob Walter. Oh dear, Zamoyski's next!
Great if you're into detail on the French retreat from Moscow, but not straight after Barres, Coignet and Jakob Walter. Oh dear, Zamoyski's next!
April 1, 2016
If you enjoyed Xenephon's Anabasis you will love this book even more. Really excellent book which I could hardly put down. Pathos and humor - just wonderful !
April 24, 2022
Every student of military history is familiar with Napoleon’s disastrous retreat from Moscow in 1812. But the student who has not read The Memoirs of Sergeant Bourgogne, is missing a boots-on-the-ground understanding of the incredible misery and acute suffering that the French army experienced during the late autumn and early winter of 1812-1813.
This true story depicts the trials of Napoleon’s Imperial Guard as told by Adrien Bourgogne. Bourgogne was a veteran of several previous campaigns, including Spain, Italy, and Egypt. With his wide range of experience, he brings credibility as he describes the horrific and chaotic retreat acerbated by intense cold, gnawing hunger and relentless raids from Russian and Cossack forces.
There are a few minor drawbacks in this otherwise excellent narrative. For example, Bourgogne oftentimes depicts the passage of time in detail, i.e., he slept for 15 minutes or they marched for half an hour. But, the majority of his story revolves around a 75-day ordeal of marching, fighting, sleeping and eating. The reader wonders how the author can accurately state the passage of time on any given day – especially considering that he offers no evidence of keeping notes during the march. Rather, Bourgogne states that he drafted an outline and captured notes later while he was imprisoned. This critique is not meant to be overly critical or pedantic. There is no doubt that Bourgogne and a few thousand other survivors were tested to the limits of human endurance, but these trials certainly would have fogged his memory. Based on this logic, the reader has to wonder what other events in the book are questionable.
Despite these few shortcomings, The Memoirs of Sergeant Bourgogne is highly recommended to augment the understanding of the Russian Campaign and as a timeless reminder of how men in arms suffer when a poor strategy, inadequate logistics, and an under estimated enemy leads to a defeat of a once mighty army.
This true story depicts the trials of Napoleon’s Imperial Guard as told by Adrien Bourgogne. Bourgogne was a veteran of several previous campaigns, including Spain, Italy, and Egypt. With his wide range of experience, he brings credibility as he describes the horrific and chaotic retreat acerbated by intense cold, gnawing hunger and relentless raids from Russian and Cossack forces.
There are a few minor drawbacks in this otherwise excellent narrative. For example, Bourgogne oftentimes depicts the passage of time in detail, i.e., he slept for 15 minutes or they marched for half an hour. But, the majority of his story revolves around a 75-day ordeal of marching, fighting, sleeping and eating. The reader wonders how the author can accurately state the passage of time on any given day – especially considering that he offers no evidence of keeping notes during the march. Rather, Bourgogne states that he drafted an outline and captured notes later while he was imprisoned. This critique is not meant to be overly critical or pedantic. There is no doubt that Bourgogne and a few thousand other survivors were tested to the limits of human endurance, but these trials certainly would have fogged his memory. Based on this logic, the reader has to wonder what other events in the book are questionable.
Despite these few shortcomings, The Memoirs of Sergeant Bourgogne is highly recommended to augment the understanding of the Russian Campaign and as a timeless reminder of how men in arms suffer when a poor strategy, inadequate logistics, and an under estimated enemy leads to a defeat of a once mighty army.
December 24, 2017
Il faut toujours prendre des mémoires avec des pincettes car l'écrivain peut choisir de courber la réalité pour se donner un rôle plus flatteur. Cependant, ces mémoires ne semblent pas tomber dans ce piège. En fait, cet ouvrage retrace en détails la retraite de Russie en 1812. On est sidéré par ce que l'auteur raconte et on se demande même comment il a pu survivre à une telle épreuve! Écrit de manière simple, on devine une certaine bonhomie chez cet homme qui était tout entier dévoué à Napoléon. On voit dans ce livre qu'il n'était pas le seul à affirmer sa loyauté envers l'Aigle malgré les circonstances. Il raconte aussi comment les soldats de Napoléon faisaient face aux Russe alors qu'ils étaient blessés, affamés, malades, mal habillés, mal armés, et j'en passe. On sait que seulement quelques dizaines de milliers reviendront en France mais on ne peut que saluer le courage de ceux qui se sont battus jusqu'au bout face à un adversaire bien plus avantagé. Si vous souhaitez un témoignage direct décrivant la retraite de Russie, ne cherchez pas plus loin, ce livre qui se lit rapidement fera votre affaire!
December 21, 2017
A vivid tale about one of the most famous military disasters in history lived through the eyes of a common soldier, sergent Bourgogne. The author/ narrator writes in simple words and style the hell the soldiers of the "grande armee" had to go through during a retreat that quickly turns into suicide. More than just a collection of horryfying annedocts, this books gives us through the candid eyes of Sergent Bourgogne a unique insight into the minds of the common French soldiers that formed the masses of Napoleon's Army, that he took to glory and ultimately to oblivion. At times pure horror, in its depiction of the hell and privation the soldiers of the Grande Armee had to go through, it is more often than not disarming with candor and sheer optimism. As the debris of the Army assemble on the shores of the Berezina , we have for example a glimpse of the unshakable faith they had in their leader as the remnant of the Army catches sight of Napoleon and cheers him. I would recommend that book to anybody who is interested in this period.
September 21, 2019
As i have readed some german soldiers memories of the eastern front in ww2, i was keen for the memoirs of Sergant Bourgonge: 18-12-1813. Comparing it, the german soldiers experienced the same as Sergerant Bourgogne. Just airplanes, tanks and automatic guns are missing.
It is close to wonder Adroem Bourgonge survived the horrors of the eastern front in the napoleonic war.
It is close to wonder Adroem Bourgonge survived the horrors of the eastern front in the napoleonic war.
September 6, 2018
What a lucky bugger. He lived to 81!
December 9, 2019
Awesome survival adventure tale, if you think we have it bad, read this. This book is a first person translated account of a historically interesting event from one person's point of view.
April 4, 2018
A compelling account of a French soldier in Napoleon's Imperial Guard. Sergeant Bourgogne tells of his monumental endeavour to survive a catastrophe. He is with the Grand Army when it invades Russia in 1812. He is in Moscow when the city is abandoned to the advancing French army and all the prisoners are released to loot and burn by order of the Russian Tsar. When there is no sign of a negotiation or treaty with the Tsar, the imperial French army decided to abandon the burning city. And so begins the diabolical retreat from Moscow. Sergeant Bourgogne gives an ordinary soldier's perspective of these historical events. Through it all, we see the depleting resources of the Grand Army. The following groups of Cossacks killing the stragglers of the Grand Army. Starvation killing the Grand Army. Soldiers of the Grand Army killing each other. Scattered remnants of more disciplined men try to fight a rearguard action all the way back. Everything seems to be collapsing, but some manage to reach the River Nieman. The journey takes many weeks and it is in bitter Russian winter conditions. Hordes of them freeze to death. For history buffs who like to learn about the Napoleonic Wars. This is a must. A compelling and biographical account of a man who lived every moment of the dreadful ordeal and tells his story about it in his old age.
August 9, 2025
A good (and for the time very rare) insight into the campain into Russia from the ''Meat and potatoes'' perspective of the inlisted men and the NCO's.
If you are looking for strategic (and in most cases even tactical) insights into Napoleons warmachine, You will be dissapointed. This is not that kind of book.
However its a wonderfull glimpse behind the velvet curtains of glory that Napoleon, like so many officers and field marshalls of his time, loved to shroud themselves in.
This is a book about, featuring and giving respect to the men who helped Napoleon become an icon of his time, and indeed military hitory.
It bears an uncanny resemblnce to books about an ill fated german campain much later If you have read books like ''Blood Red Snow'', the perspecive from the riflemen are all but identical in quite a few places, which raises more than a few questions about the german political and military leadership of the Barbarossa campain. First of all, ''Why the hell didn't they read this book first, and save themselves half of the problems?''.
Its a good read, but don't expect anything about ''battlefild lore'', but base tactical advice you should allready have picked up if you did national service or serveda minimum contract.
If you are looking for strategic (and in most cases even tactical) insights into Napoleons warmachine, You will be dissapointed. This is not that kind of book.
However its a wonderfull glimpse behind the velvet curtains of glory that Napoleon, like so many officers and field marshalls of his time, loved to shroud themselves in.
This is a book about, featuring and giving respect to the men who helped Napoleon become an icon of his time, and indeed military hitory.
It bears an uncanny resemblnce to books about an ill fated german campain much later If you have read books like ''Blood Red Snow'', the perspecive from the riflemen are all but identical in quite a few places, which raises more than a few questions about the german political and military leadership of the Barbarossa campain. First of all, ''Why the hell didn't they read this book first, and save themselves half of the problems?''.
Its a good read, but don't expect anything about ''battlefild lore'', but base tactical advice you should allready have picked up if you did national service or serveda minimum contract.
August 28, 2018
A lot of this reads like a boy's own adventure - think Sharpe but from the French side. It's easy to forget at at times that the events were real, although I doubt they were quite as picaresque as the writing style makes them seem in places. Conversely, I also suspect the bleaker parts were far worse, and they're grim enough. A very interesting read.
July 26, 2022
Required reading for anyone with the slightest interest in history. The viscerality of this account has not diminished at all over the years. However, one is left wondering about the fate of Picart. He's alive at the end of the account, but he is not mentioned in the list of witnesses provided at the end.
October 1, 2022
A wonderful eyewitness account of the Retreat.
One can almost feel the bitter numbing cold he and the rest of The Grande Armee endured during this terrible journey.
Even allowing for the many years passed that he published his memoirs, it is still considered one of the most truthful and accurate accounts….
One can almost feel the bitter numbing cold he and the rest of The Grande Armee endured during this terrible journey.
Even allowing for the many years passed that he published his memoirs, it is still considered one of the most truthful and accurate accounts….
May 10, 2017
a true story of a French soldier who (barely) survived Napolean's disastrous retreat from Russia--1812-1813
he endured starvation, sleeping and walking outside for 2 months in below zero temps, having to eat horse flesh or drink their blood to survive....
honest & well-written
he endured starvation, sleeping and walking outside for 2 months in below zero temps, having to eat horse flesh or drink their blood to survive....
honest & well-written
October 8, 2024
Unbelievable harrowing account of Napoleons French army walking back through Russian winter.
Follow on from the memoir about the march up to Moscow so some bits are a bit confusing.
Accounts of death, despair and survival on a seemingly daily basis.
Follow on from the memoir about the march up to Moscow so some bits are a bit confusing.
Accounts of death, despair and survival on a seemingly daily basis.
September 2, 2017
Whilst giving a good insight into the period, the prose is heavy going, and does not come across as 'authentic'.
February 3, 2018
Tremendous tale of the horrific experiences of the retreat from Moscow. Really good memoir
January 10, 2019
Un testimonio impresionante sobre el esfuerzo, la tragedia y el límite de la humanidad
February 23, 2020
Disjointed, choppy, inconsistent...fascinating!
December 7, 2022
Impossible suvival
A view inside the history of Napoleon's efforts to conquer Russia. Almost unbelievable amount of suffering and destruction of the Army.
A view inside the history of Napoleon's efforts to conquer Russia. Almost unbelievable amount of suffering and destruction of the Army.
February 20, 2023
Excellent
Excellent, unbelievable the stories on each page, one of which is enough for any person. A very detailed account. I'd highly recommend the Memoirs of Marbot too,
Excellent, unbelievable the stories on each page, one of which is enough for any person. A very detailed account. I'd highly recommend the Memoirs of Marbot too,
February 19, 2025
Make sure you've got a fridge-full of grub and turn up the furnace before you read this one.
I hate cry-babies and cry-baby stuff, but The Sarge is no cry-baby.
I hate cry-babies and cry-baby stuff, but The Sarge is no cry-baby.
July 13, 2020
Fantastic to read a firsthand account of Napoleon's retreat from Moscow.
March 19, 2022
Es un libro original que no es para todo el mundo. Al tratarse de un diario de guerra, no hay un hilo conductor claro, si no que las historias van surgiendo según pasan.
Lo que más me ha gustado es que te enseña otra cara de la historia. Si se sabía lo que había pasado, con el diario se ven las penurias que viven, las alegrías, las necesidades que tenían (si bien algunas inimaginables)... Es un libro sencillo que puede capturarte o martirizarte. Pero aún si no es de tu estilo, es fácil apreciar su lectura.
Lo que más me ha gustado es que te enseña otra cara de la historia. Si se sabía lo que había pasado, con el diario se ven las penurias que viven, las alegrías, las necesidades que tenían (si bien algunas inimaginables)... Es un libro sencillo que puede capturarte o martirizarte. Pero aún si no es de tu estilo, es fácil apreciar su lectura.
June 30, 2012
In June 1812, Napoleon's Grande Armee, numbering approximately half a million men, crossed the river Neman to punish the Tsar's failure to maintain the European trade blockade against Great Britain. By September, having fought the Battles of Smolensk and Borodino (which cost the emperor thousands of soldiers he could not replace) Napoleon possessed Moscow, his secondary objective. However, the Russians fired the city and scorched the earth leaving his army without supplies and support such that retreat was the only option. The retreat took three months through destroyed Russian land in the height of the Russian winter. When the army finally crossed the Berezina river Napoleon had twenty seven thousand fit men left. The rest had died in battle, of starvation, of cold or had been taken prisoner and Napoleon had gained nothing. Curiously, in 1941 it was clear that Adolf Hitler had learned nothing from history.
Adrien-Jean-Baptiste-Francois Bourgogne survived the retreat and wrote his memoirs in 1813, after he was made a prisoner at the battle of Dessau. His account starts in Spain, at Almeida in March 1812, from which he marched and waggoned to Moscow. A sergeant in the skirmishers of the Old Guard he was no stranger to battle but the retreat from Moscow was something that nobody had anticipated. He describes the descent of the army into a rabble, exposing the more unpleasant side of humanity, as they try to survive the hardship of the Russian winter and the constant skirmishing with Cosssacks. As the horses die they stop being transport and become food, but only if you can get the meat off the carcasses before it freezes. A dying man becomes a source of extra layers of clothing which might allow you to survive and extra day. Too weak even to kill the civilians who exploit their vulnerability he records the decline of a great army into a disorganised mass of humankind who are looking for something to eat and somewhere to sleep so they don't freeze to death.
The Napoleonic Wars are the stuff of numeric legend. Here we have an excellent, laconic and dry detail of the personal impact of another's megalomania. For military historians it is a must-read, for students of dystopia it is gripping.
Adrien-Jean-Baptiste-Francois Bourgogne survived the retreat and wrote his memoirs in 1813, after he was made a prisoner at the battle of Dessau. His account starts in Spain, at Almeida in March 1812, from which he marched and waggoned to Moscow. A sergeant in the skirmishers of the Old Guard he was no stranger to battle but the retreat from Moscow was something that nobody had anticipated. He describes the descent of the army into a rabble, exposing the more unpleasant side of humanity, as they try to survive the hardship of the Russian winter and the constant skirmishing with Cosssacks. As the horses die they stop being transport and become food, but only if you can get the meat off the carcasses before it freezes. A dying man becomes a source of extra layers of clothing which might allow you to survive and extra day. Too weak even to kill the civilians who exploit their vulnerability he records the decline of a great army into a disorganised mass of humankind who are looking for something to eat and somewhere to sleep so they don't freeze to death.
The Napoleonic Wars are the stuff of numeric legend. Here we have an excellent, laconic and dry detail of the personal impact of another's megalomania. For military historians it is a must-read, for students of dystopia it is gripping.
May 28, 2013
I first read Bourgogne nearly twenty years ago - I have read it at least four times since. It is quite simply, the best book I have ever read in my life. It is the ultimate in historical terms - an account of an epic event written by someone who actually went through it all, a survivor of 40 degrees of frost, warfare, starvation and poisoning. This small man, 'petiot' to Grangier his friend, was an incredibly tough individual and he writes with a verve and preciseness that captures in exquisite detail all that he went through. Whether it be a fleeting glimpse of Le Tondu - Napoleon - or a vignette of the starving, frozen human wrecks fighting over the Army gold strewn by the wayside at Ponari hill, he brings a vividness to his tale that is seldom there in the accounts of his contemporaries.
I particularly like his adventures with Picart, the regimental marksman, his best friend who he met up with by sheer accident in the vast frozen wastes of Russia. Their struggle to get back to the Sacred Squadron that guarded the Emperor is worth a film in its own right. For a brief moment, Picart loses faith in Napoleon, and Bourgogne is shattered by his friend's slide into apparent insanity. But then the two come across a wandering Jew who saves their lives by taking them to the Grande Armee. This makes up for an earlier encounter with another couple of Jews who poisoned Bourgogne and tossed him off a sledge in order to steal his belongings.
All life is here, heroism and treachery at every turn. The weather grows so cold that frozen birds literally fall out of the sky, men cut open the frozen rumps of living horses and drink their blood as they stumble on in misery and despair, like wraiths or vampires. And at Krasny the immortal Guard goes through the Russian Army like a battleship through the middle of a fishing fleet. At the Berezina, the remnants of the once proud army are saved by the self-sacrifice of others - Bourgogne slips across the bridge in the silence of night, one of the very last to do so. What a survivor! I'm amazed that no one has yet made this astounding tale into a Hollywood blockbuster.
Finished for the sixth time on March 8th 2009
I particularly like his adventures with Picart, the regimental marksman, his best friend who he met up with by sheer accident in the vast frozen wastes of Russia. Their struggle to get back to the Sacred Squadron that guarded the Emperor is worth a film in its own right. For a brief moment, Picart loses faith in Napoleon, and Bourgogne is shattered by his friend's slide into apparent insanity. But then the two come across a wandering Jew who saves their lives by taking them to the Grande Armee. This makes up for an earlier encounter with another couple of Jews who poisoned Bourgogne and tossed him off a sledge in order to steal his belongings.
All life is here, heroism and treachery at every turn. The weather grows so cold that frozen birds literally fall out of the sky, men cut open the frozen rumps of living horses and drink their blood as they stumble on in misery and despair, like wraiths or vampires. And at Krasny the immortal Guard goes through the Russian Army like a battleship through the middle of a fishing fleet. At the Berezina, the remnants of the once proud army are saved by the self-sacrifice of others - Bourgogne slips across the bridge in the silence of night, one of the very last to do so. What a survivor! I'm amazed that no one has yet made this astounding tale into a Hollywood blockbuster.
Finished for the sixth time on March 8th 2009
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