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Colonel De Gonneville
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.
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As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.
As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
640 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1988
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July 2, 2020
With this book you get exactly what it says on the title. These are the persona recollections of a French cavalryman during the Napoleonic years.
There is little to no reference to politics or great battles. Gonneville only writes about where he was and what he say while he was there. For the most part it is dry. The man is literally doing his best to recollect everything that happened to him during the years of 1804-1815 (he also adds his view of the Revolution of 1830 in the final chapter).
Because of the author's thoroughness we come away from these memoirs with two things; very little of the content in this book is exciting or grandiose. There is none of the flair that makes Napoleonic history so attractive. But the strength of these memoirs lies in that fact. We get a look into the daily life of a soldier. Unlike Jean Rapp (who was Napoleon's translator and the castellan of both Danzig and Hamburg) and Joachim Murat (who rose to become King of Napoli and a Marshal of France), Gonneville's memoirs belong with the letters of Lasalle and the memoirs of Baron de Marbot.
These three men bring the perspective down to the men who actually struggled to bring about Napoleon's vision, and it is the little moments of their lives that make it worth reading their memoirs.
Some interesting things from Gonneville's memoirs; becoming a prisoner and making friends with his captors, hunting for bread and beer in a land ravaged by war, witnesses a feud between two generals, hunting down bandits in the highlands of Spain, and participating in a wild charge to escape a certain-death situation.
There is little to no reference to politics or great battles. Gonneville only writes about where he was and what he say while he was there. For the most part it is dry. The man is literally doing his best to recollect everything that happened to him during the years of 1804-1815 (he also adds his view of the Revolution of 1830 in the final chapter).
Because of the author's thoroughness we come away from these memoirs with two things; very little of the content in this book is exciting or grandiose. There is none of the flair that makes Napoleonic history so attractive. But the strength of these memoirs lies in that fact. We get a look into the daily life of a soldier. Unlike Jean Rapp (who was Napoleon's translator and the castellan of both Danzig and Hamburg) and Joachim Murat (who rose to become King of Napoli and a Marshal of France), Gonneville's memoirs belong with the letters of Lasalle and the memoirs of Baron de Marbot.
These three men bring the perspective down to the men who actually struggled to bring about Napoleon's vision, and it is the little moments of their lives that make it worth reading their memoirs.
Some interesting things from Gonneville's memoirs; becoming a prisoner and making friends with his captors, hunting for bread and beer in a land ravaged by war, witnesses a feud between two generals, hunting down bandits in the highlands of Spain, and participating in a wild charge to escape a certain-death situation.
Displaying 1 of 1 review