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Napoleon's Marshals.
Few military careers have rivalled the drama of those 26 officers who became Napoleon's marshals. First published in 1987, and written by a team of military historians, this text records these individual careers with verve and accuracy.
560 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1973
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326 people want to read
About the author
David G. Chandler
56 books68 followersDavid G. Chandler was a British historian whose study focused on the Napoleonic era. As a young man he served briefly in the army, reaching the rank of captain, and in later life he taught at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. According to his obituary in the The Daily Telegraph, his "comprehensive account of Napoleon's battles" (his classic "The Campaigns of Napoleon") is "unlikely to be improved upon, despite a legion of rivals". He was also the author of a military biography of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough and of "The Art of War in the Age of Marlborough".
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 4, 2022
An outstanding book that gives you a short biography of each marshal alongside a representative battle. One of the reasons Napoleon won so often was his emphasis on promoting officers because of merit, not family connections or nobility. After reading these portraits, many filled with ego, aggression, and ability, you honestly wonder how Napoleon was able to overawe and command them all. It must have been like herding panthers.
Available at the Internet Archive:
https://archive.org/details/napoleons...
Available at the Internet Archive:
https://archive.org/details/napoleons...
June 28, 2021
For all of his genuine genius, Napoleon would not be the legendary figure that he truly is, were he not served by capable, competent subordinates. More than a few of these subordinates were elevated to the highest level of military, and civilian, authority that was possible in the French Empire: the office of Marshal.
Napoleon carried over the office of the Marshalate from the Bourbon's, and the Marshal's Baton still resounds as a symbol of martial authority, bought with glory, to this day.
Napoleon's Marshals, all 26 of them, were incredibly colorful, epic figures in their own right, as such, every single one deserves a full book length study, in English, all on their own. Unfortunately, such is not the case.
The two World Wars have superceded the Napoleonic Wars in the minds of academia, and the imagination of the public.
English language studies of the individual Marshals are few and far between, and most of them are nearly fifty years old or older.
Hence, what is a young military historian to do when the itch to delve into the lives of these colorful men must be scratched?
For now, at least, this book, edited by the late, great, David G. Chandler, is the only thorough, academic, treatment of the Imperial Marshalate available.
Each Marshal has their own chapter, written by a different expert in military history. Some Marshals have more page space devoted to them than others, and the writing quality of the chapters varies, widely, by author.
Some of these biographies are quite good, MacDonald's, Masséna's, Davout's, Ney's, and Murat's stick with me in particular. However, some of them are a mere, fairly dry, recitation of facts.
Each chapter ends with a single battle study to showcase the chosen Marshals skill, or lack thereof as the case may be, in command. Sometimes, these battle studies are far too short to get the point across, other times one wonders why that particular engagement, and not others, were chosen to highlight.
So why four stars if there are these complaints? First and foremost, the subject matter.
The Marshal's of Napoleon were one of the greatest collection of larger than life soldiers, colorful men in a colorful age, whose exploits, and personalities cannot help but leap off the page. How can you not smile when Marshals Berthier and Mortier decide, in a ball held in a town in Germany, to pass the time by shooting out candle flames with their pistols...while indoors?
Or of the restored Bourbon King, Louis XVIII, upon seeing Marshal MacDonald, appointed as military advisor to the Bourbon Court following Napoleon's first abdication, growls his frustration and mutters: His Outspokenness... Not to mention the most colorful, and hard partying of them all, Joachim Murat.
Likewise, some of the chapters are very well written, enough so that the excellent chapters balance out the fairly mundane chapters. One oddity about the book, also, is a focus more on the earlier careers of the Marshal's in the pre war and Revolutionary phase of their careers as opposed to the period of the Empire.
Not a complaint, merely something to note.
Part biography, part military history of the era that forged the modern world, this is a highly valuable title to have, and one of the very few to offer any kind of retelling of the lives of the great Marshals of Napoleon in English.
Highly recommended.
Napoleon carried over the office of the Marshalate from the Bourbon's, and the Marshal's Baton still resounds as a symbol of martial authority, bought with glory, to this day.
Napoleon's Marshals, all 26 of them, were incredibly colorful, epic figures in their own right, as such, every single one deserves a full book length study, in English, all on their own. Unfortunately, such is not the case.
The two World Wars have superceded the Napoleonic Wars in the minds of academia, and the imagination of the public.
English language studies of the individual Marshals are few and far between, and most of them are nearly fifty years old or older.
Hence, what is a young military historian to do when the itch to delve into the lives of these colorful men must be scratched?
For now, at least, this book, edited by the late, great, David G. Chandler, is the only thorough, academic, treatment of the Imperial Marshalate available.
Each Marshal has their own chapter, written by a different expert in military history. Some Marshals have more page space devoted to them than others, and the writing quality of the chapters varies, widely, by author.
Some of these biographies are quite good, MacDonald's, Masséna's, Davout's, Ney's, and Murat's stick with me in particular. However, some of them are a mere, fairly dry, recitation of facts.
Each chapter ends with a single battle study to showcase the chosen Marshals skill, or lack thereof as the case may be, in command. Sometimes, these battle studies are far too short to get the point across, other times one wonders why that particular engagement, and not others, were chosen to highlight.
So why four stars if there are these complaints? First and foremost, the subject matter.
The Marshal's of Napoleon were one of the greatest collection of larger than life soldiers, colorful men in a colorful age, whose exploits, and personalities cannot help but leap off the page. How can you not smile when Marshals Berthier and Mortier decide, in a ball held in a town in Germany, to pass the time by shooting out candle flames with their pistols...while indoors?
Or of the restored Bourbon King, Louis XVIII, upon seeing Marshal MacDonald, appointed as military advisor to the Bourbon Court following Napoleon's first abdication, growls his frustration and mutters: His Outspokenness... Not to mention the most colorful, and hard partying of them all, Joachim Murat.
Likewise, some of the chapters are very well written, enough so that the excellent chapters balance out the fairly mundane chapters. One oddity about the book, also, is a focus more on the earlier careers of the Marshal's in the pre war and Revolutionary phase of their careers as opposed to the period of the Empire.
Not a complaint, merely something to note.
Part biography, part military history of the era that forged the modern world, this is a highly valuable title to have, and one of the very few to offer any kind of retelling of the lives of the great Marshals of Napoleon in English.
Highly recommended.
February 3, 2019
Must-have resource for Napoleonic War aficionados. This is not a work about the marshalate itself. Rather it is 26 separate essays by individual authors about the 26 men selected as marshals by Napoleon. The essays run about 30 pages long for notables like Davout and Lannes down to 15 for lesser-knowns like Victor and Perignon. The essays are surface level treatments running from youth to death, so no one incident is treated in depth. Also, each essay concludes with a description of the marshal's hallmark military engagement (n0t always a victorious one!). In total, this collection offers an interesting overview of the competing military and political challenges of the era. There are also several handy appendices on the French republican calendar and the French military rank structure.
December 21, 2019
An interesting collection of mini-bios by a range of historians. The styles vary from author to author and while there are some which I found very good, attempting to elucidate the development of military mastery, others were a bit less enlightening.
Worth the effort.
Worth the effort.
August 7, 2022
I don't know what you folks are like, in this respect, but, when it comes to reading books, I like to systematically plod through; start at the beginning, and work to the end. Sometimes, however, a book lends itself to dipping in. This is such a book.
Nonetheless, even under such circumstances, I'd usually start at A and work stolidly to Z, just so as to be sure to cover all points and not miss anything. However, my 'Jones' for things Napoleonic is sufficiently overpowering as to overcome this aversion.
The handsome weighty hardback under review here, that has seduced me away from my usual reading m.o, is Napoleon's Marshals. Authored by a collection of authors known for their interest in and expertise on the period, under the editorial eye of Napoleonic über-buff, David Chandler.
One of many things that helps me cross the threshold in this instance is the fact that one may be reading about a certain episode or period within the Napoleonic Wars - say for example Davout's incredible feat at Auerstadt, or the heroics of Ney in the retreat from Russia, the many nigh comical caperings of Murat, or Poniatowski's tragically short spell as a baton-wielder - and feel the urge to know more about that particular character.
Or, alternatively, a cumulative interest may build, as it has with me in regard to particular figures, such as Davout, for his staunch dependability, or Bernadotte for his far more volatile and mercurial relationship with Napoleon. And in some instances, it's my general ignorance of a character, such as the oft-lauded Lannes or Massena, about both of whom - despite noting the reverence frequently accorded their names - I had next to no knowledge at all.
When I posted my first review of this book I'd only read chapters on four or five of the Marshals (Murat, Ney, Bernadotte, Davout and - I think? - Berthier). I’ve subsequently read them all. And I’ve found them to be of quite a variable flavour, according to who wrote about who; ranging from gruffly factual to almost homely and anecdotal. Interestingly, it struck me that even the supposedly pro’ historians (inc. and perhaps esp’ ex-miliatry types) are as much given to romantic reveries as the seriously interested and knowledgeable amateur, such as novelist and Nap’ enthusiast/amateur historian R F Delderfield.
A little patchy, in terms of prose quality, and quite varied in terms of levels of detail and interest - for some there's not a great deal to say, whilst for others, this format (according all 26 Marshals a roughly equal weighting of a chapter each) doesn't give enough room to go into sufficient detail - and with as much trad’ old-soldier's anecdote as scholarly meat... well? Whilst not an out and out classic, this is still an essential addition to the Napoleonic buff's library.
Nonetheless, even under such circumstances, I'd usually start at A and work stolidly to Z, just so as to be sure to cover all points and not miss anything. However, my 'Jones' for things Napoleonic is sufficiently overpowering as to overcome this aversion.
The handsome weighty hardback under review here, that has seduced me away from my usual reading m.o, is Napoleon's Marshals. Authored by a collection of authors known for their interest in and expertise on the period, under the editorial eye of Napoleonic über-buff, David Chandler.
One of many things that helps me cross the threshold in this instance is the fact that one may be reading about a certain episode or period within the Napoleonic Wars - say for example Davout's incredible feat at Auerstadt, or the heroics of Ney in the retreat from Russia, the many nigh comical caperings of Murat, or Poniatowski's tragically short spell as a baton-wielder - and feel the urge to know more about that particular character.
Or, alternatively, a cumulative interest may build, as it has with me in regard to particular figures, such as Davout, for his staunch dependability, or Bernadotte for his far more volatile and mercurial relationship with Napoleon. And in some instances, it's my general ignorance of a character, such as the oft-lauded Lannes or Massena, about both of whom - despite noting the reverence frequently accorded their names - I had next to no knowledge at all.
When I posted my first review of this book I'd only read chapters on four or five of the Marshals (Murat, Ney, Bernadotte, Davout and - I think? - Berthier). I’ve subsequently read them all. And I’ve found them to be of quite a variable flavour, according to who wrote about who; ranging from gruffly factual to almost homely and anecdotal. Interestingly, it struck me that even the supposedly pro’ historians (inc. and perhaps esp’ ex-miliatry types) are as much given to romantic reveries as the seriously interested and knowledgeable amateur, such as novelist and Nap’ enthusiast/amateur historian R F Delderfield.
A little patchy, in terms of prose quality, and quite varied in terms of levels of detail and interest - for some there's not a great deal to say, whilst for others, this format (according all 26 Marshals a roughly equal weighting of a chapter each) doesn't give enough room to go into sufficient detail - and with as much trad’ old-soldier's anecdote as scholarly meat... well? Whilst not an out and out classic, this is still an essential addition to the Napoleonic buff's library.
January 17, 2023
Interesting and informative
May 9, 2024
Great book that contains entries on all the marshals of that time era, their history, along with their famous/main battles, and illustrations.
Very easy to understand also
Very easy to understand also
October 30, 2025
Krásna kniha! odporúčam pre každého kto chce spoznať napoleonovych 26 marsalov!
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September 28, 2015Rather than a proper history, this is a series of articles on each individual Marshal of Napoleon written by major Napoleonic scholars in the 80s. Here you'll find an essay on Augereau by Elting, an essay on Davout by Chandler, and an essay by Lefebvre by Rothenberg. Each essay gives a biographical essay of each Marshal and ends with an in depth analysis of a major battle of each Marshal to detail that Marshal's skill and ability. Recommended are the essays on Davout and Suchet.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews