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Swords around a Throne: Napoleon's Grande Armee
This authoritative, comprehensive, and enthralling book describes and analyzes Napoleon's most powerful weapon -- the Grande Armee which at its peak numbered over a million soldiers. Elting examines every facet of this incredibly complex human machine: its organization, command system, logistics, weapons, tactics, discipline, recreation, mobile hospitals, camp followers, and more. From the army's formation out of the turmoil of Revolutionary France through its swift conquests of vast territories across Europe to its legendary death at Waterloo, this book uses excerpts from soldiers' letters, eyewitness accounts, and numerous firsthand details to place the reader in the boots of Napoleon's conscripts and generals. In Elting's masterful hands the experience is truly unforgettable.
784 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1988
81 people are currently reading
797 people want to read
About the author
John R. Elting
51 books13 followersJohn Robert Elting was a soldier for thirty-five years (1933-1968), with a couple of civilian interludes as a high school instructor. His first commission had been from the Reserve Officer Training Corps at Stanford University in 1932. He combined this with summer duty in Company H (machine-guns), 163rd Infantry Regiment, Montana National Guard, and then as an officer in the Civilian Conservation Corps.
In 1940 Elting became an ROTC instructor at Oregon State College. From then on he was continually in service until 1947 (71st Armored Field Artillery Battalion, the Tactics Department of the Armored School at Fort Knox, Combat Command B, 8th Armored Division in the Rhineland, Ardennes, Alsace, and Central Europe campaigns, 24th Field Artillery Battalion of the Philippine Scouts). In 1948 he was recalled, after a short civilian interlude as a teacher, and was assigned to the Armed Forces Information School and, from there, to the Military Academy, West Point.
In 1954 John Elting's turn for overseas duty came up and he was posted to the J-2 (Intelligence) Division of the Far East Command, returning to West Point in 1957. There he began researching and writing the Military History and Atlas of the Napoleonic Wars, with Colonel Esposito acting as overall editor and advisor.
Between 1965 and 1968, Colonel Elting served as G-2 of the Washington Military District, before retiring in 1968.
After his retirement, Elting turned his attention to writing and research (in his own modest words, he "tried to be a historian"). He was the author, co-author or editor of sixteen books, including The Battles of Saratoga, American Army Life, A Dictionary of Soldier Talk, A Military History and Atlas of the Napoleonic Wars, Swords Around a Throne and Napoleonic Uniforms. He took particular delight in the history of Napoleon's Army - and the French emperor's campaigns - and in the study of the American Revolution, but was a considerable authority on all aspects of military history. His knowledge was deep, and he gave generously of it, and for many he served as an inspiration. He also served as a historical consultant on the Time-Life World War II book series and authored "Battles for Scandinavia" in the series.
In 1940 Elting became an ROTC instructor at Oregon State College. From then on he was continually in service until 1947 (71st Armored Field Artillery Battalion, the Tactics Department of the Armored School at Fort Knox, Combat Command B, 8th Armored Division in the Rhineland, Ardennes, Alsace, and Central Europe campaigns, 24th Field Artillery Battalion of the Philippine Scouts). In 1948 he was recalled, after a short civilian interlude as a teacher, and was assigned to the Armed Forces Information School and, from there, to the Military Academy, West Point.
In 1954 John Elting's turn for overseas duty came up and he was posted to the J-2 (Intelligence) Division of the Far East Command, returning to West Point in 1957. There he began researching and writing the Military History and Atlas of the Napoleonic Wars, with Colonel Esposito acting as overall editor and advisor.
Between 1965 and 1968, Colonel Elting served as G-2 of the Washington Military District, before retiring in 1968.
After his retirement, Elting turned his attention to writing and research (in his own modest words, he "tried to be a historian"). He was the author, co-author or editor of sixteen books, including The Battles of Saratoga, American Army Life, A Dictionary of Soldier Talk, A Military History and Atlas of the Napoleonic Wars, Swords Around a Throne and Napoleonic Uniforms. He took particular delight in the history of Napoleon's Army - and the French emperor's campaigns - and in the study of the American Revolution, but was a considerable authority on all aspects of military history. His knowledge was deep, and he gave generously of it, and for many he served as an inspiration. He also served as a historical consultant on the Time-Life World War II book series and authored "Battles for Scandinavia" in the series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
August 8, 2022
Elting's history of the Grand Armee of Napoleonic France is justly well regarded. It's a massive tome that dives into just about every aspect of one of the most successful armies of military history. The main problem is that it isn't really a history. The beginning talks about the French Royal Army before the Revolution and what got carried forward, the end talks about what came afterward, but the rest is a muddle, as far as chronology goes, going back and forth on whims over a span of well over a decade in which things changed drastically.
This is of course so various topics can be examined in quite a lot of depth, and all the things that go into an organization as complex as a large field army can be looked at. Even within a subject, this discussion free-flowing and by subtopic, but the book is wide ranging and thorough enough that you could start with the easy mechanical parts of the Grand Armee at any point in time, and use this book to build outwards and get a sense of all the things (logistics, supply, replacements and reserves, etc) that are a part of it.
An interesting point about the book is that Elting is American, and makes no bones about it. At one point in his description of the Revolution he pauses and says, 'okay, here's what this is all about, because there's no parallel to these events in American political history.' He makes a number other references to his background, but that is by far the most germane, though there's some good ones comparing his first-hand experience of military matters to Napoleon's campaigns.
Overall, the book lives up to its good reputation, and is worth a read for anyone interested in Napoleonic military history. The wide variety of subjects handled means that any non-specialist will get something new out of it, and possibly a good number of specialists, which is a pretty good feat for a general market work.
The bad news is that the Da Capo Kindle version is in desperate need of post-OCR cleanup. Like with many such, it starts okay, but slowly goes downhill the further through the book you get. In this case, much of the book has one or more noticeable errors per page, which is one of the worst rates of errors I've seen. Obviously the cleanup effort was especially perfunctory in this case, which is a real shame in a book this important.
This is of course so various topics can be examined in quite a lot of depth, and all the things that go into an organization as complex as a large field army can be looked at. Even within a subject, this discussion free-flowing and by subtopic, but the book is wide ranging and thorough enough that you could start with the easy mechanical parts of the Grand Armee at any point in time, and use this book to build outwards and get a sense of all the things (logistics, supply, replacements and reserves, etc) that are a part of it.
An interesting point about the book is that Elting is American, and makes no bones about it. At one point in his description of the Revolution he pauses and says, 'okay, here's what this is all about, because there's no parallel to these events in American political history.' He makes a number other references to his background, but that is by far the most germane, though there's some good ones comparing his first-hand experience of military matters to Napoleon's campaigns.
Overall, the book lives up to its good reputation, and is worth a read for anyone interested in Napoleonic military history. The wide variety of subjects handled means that any non-specialist will get something new out of it, and possibly a good number of specialists, which is a pretty good feat for a general market work.
The bad news is that the Da Capo Kindle version is in desperate need of post-OCR cleanup. Like with many such, it starts okay, but slowly goes downhill the further through the book you get. In this case, much of the book has one or more noticeable errors per page, which is one of the worst rates of errors I've seen. Obviously the cleanup effort was especially perfunctory in this case, which is a real shame in a book this important.
February 18, 2017
The amount of research that must have gone into this book blows my mind. Every now and then you tend to lose track with all the numbers and names of countless combat units. But the chapters on 'Les Maréchaux d'Empire', Napoleon's allies and the ennemies of the French Republic/Empire are some of the best 'napoleonic pages' I have ever read.
August 8, 2020
The ultimate guide to Napoleon’s Grand Armée. I can’t recommend this enough for anyone who is even remotely interested in the military history of the Napoleonic era. Written in a lively, colorful and anecdotal fashion, what could have been overly dry and meticulous detail instead flies by. I was sad to see it come to an end.
April 5, 2021
Swords Around A Throne is something of an awkward beast. It's very much pop history, but it's also (at least in parts) extremely in-depth, to the point where I'm told it's the definitive introduction to Napoleon's Grande Armee.
There's a real tension there that's never fully resolved - it's hard to imagine a casual reader who will make it through the chapters about the Armee's different uniforms or the exact details of conscription. At the same time, there are a number of subjects that the book brings up, but deals with in far less detail than they merit. This is particularly noticeable when senior officers are discussed - they rarely get more than a paragraph or two, when many of them would be better served with a chapter, or even an entire book. This is a book that will frequently send you to Wikipedia looking for more information.
Unevenness aside, this is a reasonably entertaining and extremely informative work, within its limits. This is all about how the Grande Armee was recruited, supplied, equipped, and led - if you're looking for information about battles or campaigns, look elsewhere. That isn't necessarily a bad thing - there's been plenty written about actual fighting, and less about the formation of the army that did the fighting. Swords Around A Throne is basically Organizing An Army 101 - if you found yourself in the 18th century and needed to assemble a fighting force, this is the perfect guide - no more and no less.
There is one issue that made me rather uncomfortable - there are a number of references to the Jews, and they're pretty much always sweeping and negative. You'll see lines like "Jews made for good spies, but couldn't be trusted because they were only interested in serving the winning side", and "Jews could also come up with food and supplies from the countryside, even when others couldn't" (both paraphrased). It's awkward as hell, to say the least.
There's a real tension there that's never fully resolved - it's hard to imagine a casual reader who will make it through the chapters about the Armee's different uniforms or the exact details of conscription. At the same time, there are a number of subjects that the book brings up, but deals with in far less detail than they merit. This is particularly noticeable when senior officers are discussed - they rarely get more than a paragraph or two, when many of them would be better served with a chapter, or even an entire book. This is a book that will frequently send you to Wikipedia looking for more information.
Unevenness aside, this is a reasonably entertaining and extremely informative work, within its limits. This is all about how the Grande Armee was recruited, supplied, equipped, and led - if you're looking for information about battles or campaigns, look elsewhere. That isn't necessarily a bad thing - there's been plenty written about actual fighting, and less about the formation of the army that did the fighting. Swords Around A Throne is basically Organizing An Army 101 - if you found yourself in the 18th century and needed to assemble a fighting force, this is the perfect guide - no more and no less.
There is one issue that made me rather uncomfortable - there are a number of references to the Jews, and they're pretty much always sweeping and negative. You'll see lines like "Jews made for good spies, but couldn't be trusted because they were only interested in serving the winning side", and "Jews could also come up with food and supplies from the countryside, even when others couldn't" (both paraphrased). It's awkward as hell, to say the least.
January 30, 2016
"Discipline and Disciplinary Units," page 433:
"As for the genuinely unsavory 'mauvais sujets'- thieves, congenital AWOLS, bullies, sadists, and perverts- that even the strongest-stomached regiment would not tolerate, it was established French custom to sentence them to service in some colonial pesthole. Justice was served, the price of a rope was saved, and- should an occasional gallows bird survive fevers, savages, spoiled rations, and the local women and drink- the colony's population was increased. Two generations later, his descendants would remember his as a gallant adventurer, descended on the left hand from the noblest blood of France."
"As for the genuinely unsavory 'mauvais sujets'- thieves, congenital AWOLS, bullies, sadists, and perverts- that even the strongest-stomached regiment would not tolerate, it was established French custom to sentence them to service in some colonial pesthole. Justice was served, the price of a rope was saved, and- should an occasional gallows bird survive fevers, savages, spoiled rations, and the local women and drink- the colony's population was increased. Two generations later, his descendants would remember his as a gallant adventurer, descended on the left hand from the noblest blood of France."
September 12, 2007
This is THE book about the French army of the Napoleonic era. Very detailed, with hundreds of quotes from people who were realy there to back up the author's points, or to interject
However, the layout of this book is terrible, and it certainly could have used a few chapters about the period and history before diving right into uniformology. Also, color plates would definately enhance the sections about uniforms.
However, the layout of this book is terrible, and it certainly could have used a few chapters about the period and history before diving right into uniformology. Also, color plates would definately enhance the sections about uniforms.
October 6, 2015
I would rate this between 4 and 5 stars for its readability, but I finally went for 5 since this was the book that introduced me to Marshal Louis-Nicholas Davout in the section dealing with Napoleon's marshals. Besides that section the book deals with practically every facet of Napoleon's Grande Armee. The research is phenomenal. Admittedly, some of the material is somewhat dry; but if you are interested in knowing more about how Napoleon gained his reputation, this book helps.
April 23, 2018
A massive rambling book, written with more gusto than one would expect. There is a lot of information here, and I particularly liked Elting's discussions of the Restoration army. He also has his share of opinions, such as Napoleon being better for the navy than most would say, arguing that by 1816 the French navy would have been ready to take on the British again. Overall, it might be too long and too conversational, but its never dull.
June 14, 2019
A beautifully detailed book describing the Military prowess of Napoleon’s Grande Armée (Grand Army) from a logistic, economic, and tactical point of view. Giving much insight into units such as the Line Infantry, Grenadiers, Skirmishers, Calvary, Artillery, and the Navy too. Also providing details of the production routines and the manufacturing facilities.
I’ve learned a lot from this book at it will certainly help me with my world building for some of my stories.
I’ve learned a lot from this book at it will certainly help me with my world building for some of my stories.
January 18, 2012
Basically this is an encyclopaedia of Napoleon's field army - their units, their uniforms, their generals and so on. Written in a dry yet chatty way this is a lot more enjoyable than one might expect. Recommended if you're interested in the subject. Rated G. 3.5/5
November 7, 2022
Alright listen up you bunch of Johnny Raw shavetails, I’m gonna tell you how it fookin’ is! Nobody gets to paint a single cartridge box on their widdle 20mm “Napoleonics” til you read this fookin’ book, hear what I’m saying?! Not a single horse, either? Know why?
No you fookin’ don’t. What color is the leather equipment of your miniature re-enactment Corsican tirailleur, eh? [Buff] Do you know that, shavetail? You know, the Corsican light infantryman, fed on the feud, who shot French revenuers for dessert? No? How about the color of their uniform coats [brown], much less the facings, originally [red] and later [green]? Still no? OK then tell me what color were the actual horses of the first, second, third, and fourth cavalry squadrons in the Grande Armée? Sing with me: black, bay, chestnut, gray, with piebald for the kettledrummer.
This book will drill you down so far you’ll think you'll hear Ulysses' sirens, but they'll be the saw-edged voices of washerwomen with vocabularies that make even a topkick like me wince! Holy unshirted hell for the whole crowd of us, I tell you. Not to mention the horses: three of them dead for every man killed wounded or captured. And you still with teeth in your ass, the whole stinking hippodromatic lot of you! May you earn the services of your own surgeons, those espèces de pacotille — untranslateable cheapjack, is what I mean! Understand? No! Of course not! But deadlier than the Russian artillery!
Tell you what then, let’s move out to the thudding drums against a waiting line of leveled muskets and listen for that dry Scots voice! Still echoing: “For what we are about to receive, Lord make us truly thankful.” Oh, you miserable, helpless yardbirds, dreaming of life as the drum major of the 2d Foreign Regiment, looking like a Chinese paint factory in a sunset. Better dream of a disabling wound! So you can be invalided out to some provincial hospital and read fookin’ books like this one: incredible detail, fascinating anecdotage, and regular doses of military argot as impenetrable as a dromedary’s hump [e.g.].
And now about face! Loopdeloop! Shovels out! Dig your bed then report for mess and better graissez la marmite, all you nouveaux bitches! What do you mean, what do I mean? Likker for the pot/what’s the new guy got? And you better thank me for keeping you entertained, because it’s a long way to Dieppe, O’Reary, much less to the other side of the Berezina. What do you think this is, the Irish Regiment? Is Notre Dame football team really the Fighting Irish? [spoiler alert: p. 359]
One foot after another. Follow your topkick. Leave the editors out of this. If I want to “comparison” the elephant that was the semi-uniformed Louis XVIII, I will, and if I want his Minister of War Dupont to be a “crowning bobble,” then fookin’ give me a Boney Head for the dashboard of my char. Because “unfortunately” the British stood at Quatre Bras. Holy unshirted hell.
No you fookin’ don’t. What color is the leather equipment of your miniature re-enactment Corsican tirailleur, eh? [Buff] Do you know that, shavetail? You know, the Corsican light infantryman, fed on the feud, who shot French revenuers for dessert? No? How about the color of their uniform coats [brown], much less the facings, originally [red] and later [green]? Still no? OK then tell me what color were the actual horses of the first, second, third, and fourth cavalry squadrons in the Grande Armée? Sing with me: black, bay, chestnut, gray, with piebald for the kettledrummer.
This book will drill you down so far you’ll think you'll hear Ulysses' sirens, but they'll be the saw-edged voices of washerwomen with vocabularies that make even a topkick like me wince! Holy unshirted hell for the whole crowd of us, I tell you. Not to mention the horses: three of them dead for every man killed wounded or captured. And you still with teeth in your ass, the whole stinking hippodromatic lot of you! May you earn the services of your own surgeons, those espèces de pacotille — untranslateable cheapjack, is what I mean! Understand? No! Of course not! But deadlier than the Russian artillery!
Tell you what then, let’s move out to the thudding drums against a waiting line of leveled muskets and listen for that dry Scots voice! Still echoing: “For what we are about to receive, Lord make us truly thankful.” Oh, you miserable, helpless yardbirds, dreaming of life as the drum major of the 2d Foreign Regiment, looking like a Chinese paint factory in a sunset. Better dream of a disabling wound! So you can be invalided out to some provincial hospital and read fookin’ books like this one: incredible detail, fascinating anecdotage, and regular doses of military argot as impenetrable as a dromedary’s hump [e.g.].
And now about face! Loopdeloop! Shovels out! Dig your bed then report for mess and better graissez la marmite, all you nouveaux bitches! What do you mean, what do I mean? Likker for the pot/what’s the new guy got? And you better thank me for keeping you entertained, because it’s a long way to Dieppe, O’Reary, much less to the other side of the Berezina. What do you think this is, the Irish Regiment? Is Notre Dame football team really the Fighting Irish? [spoiler alert: p. 359]
One foot after another. Follow your topkick. Leave the editors out of this. If I want to “comparison” the elephant that was the semi-uniformed Louis XVIII, I will, and if I want his Minister of War Dupont to be a “crowning bobble,” then fookin’ give me a Boney Head for the dashboard of my char. Because “unfortunately” the British stood at Quatre Bras. Holy unshirted hell.
May 21, 2018
Utterly fascinating dissection of how the Grande Armée was put together. From the cavalry, infantry and artillery through the veterinary services, logistics services, MP, even down to the vivandières and other camp followers, every part is detailed and discussed.
Not strictly a traditional history - if you want to know where, how and why the battles were fought, look elsewhere - this is more of an encyclopedia. Every chapter discusses a different part of the army. In these chapters, the history what is under discussion is told: say, how the line infantry changed from pre-Revolutionary times up until after Waterloo. Also included is an in-depth description of the uniforms worn (and how these changed over time), the branch's TO&E, how they marched, how they camped, what they were (supposed) to carry, how they got paid. Just an incredible depth of information.
While this could have been a set of very dry information dumps, instead the author writes with a "earthy" approach. His prose is littered with pertinent anecdotes and opinions, usually to good effect. Sometimes. however, to the detriment of the subject at hand.
Which is why I cannot give this 5 stars, despite my enjoyment of it. Too often the biases of the author shine through, shifting attention from the point being made to the author's opinion. The author appears to hate the Russians, Spanish, Italians, the Bourbons, the Committee of Public Safety, the Directorate, Bernadotte, and the Austrian cavalry. This list is not all-inclusive, I'm sure I missed some.
Despite all that, this book was a highly enjoyable read. Recommended for those interested in Napoleonic warfare or are interested in the details of the construction of a gunpowder-era army.
Not strictly a traditional history - if you want to know where, how and why the battles were fought, look elsewhere - this is more of an encyclopedia. Every chapter discusses a different part of the army. In these chapters, the history what is under discussion is told: say, how the line infantry changed from pre-Revolutionary times up until after Waterloo. Also included is an in-depth description of the uniforms worn (and how these changed over time), the branch's TO&E, how they marched, how they camped, what they were (supposed) to carry, how they got paid. Just an incredible depth of information.
While this could have been a set of very dry information dumps, instead the author writes with a "earthy" approach. His prose is littered with pertinent anecdotes and opinions, usually to good effect. Sometimes. however, to the detriment of the subject at hand.
Which is why I cannot give this 5 stars, despite my enjoyment of it. Too often the biases of the author shine through, shifting attention from the point being made to the author's opinion. The author appears to hate the Russians, Spanish, Italians, the Bourbons, the Committee of Public Safety, the Directorate, Bernadotte, and the Austrian cavalry. This list is not all-inclusive, I'm sure I missed some.
Despite all that, this book was a highly enjoyable read. Recommended for those interested in Napoleonic warfare or are interested in the details of the construction of a gunpowder-era army.
November 22, 2021
I found myself comparing Swords around a throne to Ospreys Armies of the Napoleonic wars: an illustrated history. It's an uneven comparison for a number of reasons, but still, Swords is how a book of this subject and detail should be written. You SHOULD try to keep the reader engaged, otherwise it's just names, lists and boredom. There's in my opinion just the right amount of winks and anecdotes to keep the reader invested through the monolithic amount of data presented. And I should mention that never have I cried when reading factual history. That is, until the last paragraph of Swords around a throne:
"Once again Theophile Malo Corret de la Tour D'Auvergne was carried, as First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte had ordered, on the roster of his company. His name was called at all reviews, and a sergeant answered: "Dead on the field of honor!""
"Once again Theophile Malo Corret de la Tour D'Auvergne was carried, as First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte had ordered, on the roster of his company. His name was called at all reviews, and a sergeant answered: "Dead on the field of honor!""
January 20, 2018
Hugely overrated work. This is simply the consolidation and systematic organisation of an admittedly wide reading of Napoleonic memoirs, which is enough to make it just interesting. There is no evidence of any real actual research, or analysis of all this reading and there is of course a total partiality towards Napoleon. I'm probably being harsh and reacting against the adulation usually reserved for the work when I say: fan boy history for hero worshipers, and little more.
April 4, 2022
Elting wrote in a very personal way - he was never shy about inserting his opinions on historic personages. Most of the time this tendency brings a small smile and occasionally a shake of your head but there's no denying it gives his overview of the Grande Armee a unique flavor. It's also a thorough work.
May 26, 2018
Tour de force.
Most enjoyable and informative.
Most enjoyable and informative.
March 16, 2020
A great book, well written with some excellent drawings of uniforms of the period.
One of my favourite books of the period.
One of my favourite books of the period.
September 26, 2020
At times excellent and sometimes reads like a history of military fashion. Over described uniforms abound, but some excellent chapters too.
November 28, 2021
Thoroughly enjoyable account of many, many aspects of Napoleon's army, well-spiced with period accounts and anecdotes.
December 21, 2022
Elting is a worthy Napoleonic scholar who has written and been involved with some fine Napoleonic publications over many years.
This book is a fine companion to Chandler's "The Campaigns Of Napoleon". Whereas Chandler deals mainly with the battles, Elting does much for the common soldier by providing us with a picture of their everyday lives along with many other facets of life in Napoleon's Army...
This book is a fine companion to Chandler's "The Campaigns Of Napoleon". Whereas Chandler deals mainly with the battles, Elting does much for the common soldier by providing us with a picture of their everyday lives along with many other facets of life in Napoleon's Army...
October 26, 2011
I read only about half of this book That might sound pitiful, but the book is almost 800 pages long. This was novel research for me, and the most fun research I did, I think. Elting peppers his history of Napoleon's army with anecdotes about individual officers, and didn't mind giving his opinion either, though, as a good historian, he made it clear what was opinion and what was fact. This was a fascinating book, and I'd be glad to go back and finish it sometime. I think anyone interested in the era, the military, or just the oddities of human behavior would quite enjoy it.
October 8, 2008
Elting can write in an amusing fashion, but it is history as a series of anecdotes. It is thorough, but shallow, hinting at enormous information the author is familiar with but is only alluding to instead of explaining. The book is very large, and covers a wide variety of subjects, all in reference to La Grande Armee. Something of an overview, but not a comprehensive or data filled sort of study, no indeed.
Read
September 28, 2015This tome on the Grande Armee is a very approachable yet detailed discourse on the composition and inner workings of Napoleon's greatest army. Packed with anecdotal stories, it gives a functional history of the army that Napoleon led rather than an operational history, explaining how each different service worked within the army and how it grew to it's height. Covering everything from the navy to logistics, this is a good book to catch for and understanding of the army.
August 23, 2016
This is a superb book. A step by step outline of every aspect of the life of Napoleon's Grande Armee. It is the perfect companion piece to Elting's Military History and Atlas of the Napoleonic Wars (written with Vincent Esposito). If it has a flaw, it is that Elting is very obviously in Napoleon's camp, but if you accept that at the start and are interested in how his army was constructed and operated, then this is the perfect book to explore that.
March 27, 2013
Great read so far. I'm not quite done with it but the author is very thorough and in-depth, revealing the genius behind much of what Napoleon did and how he managed his army. The descriptions of generals and marshals of his army really brought the past to life for me. Well worth a look if you enjoy history, and especially military history.
December 8, 2007
I'm not much of a Napoleonic Wars "fan," but this was a great book to me. Elting covered pretty much the entire span of the militarized French nation, down to the Imperial postal service, daily food of soldiers, and so on.
February 23, 2012
Gave up on this about mid-way. My favorite histories tend to be narrative rather than descriptive, and this one in particular is heavier on the names and references than details. Not badly written, but not what I was looking for.
June 24, 2015
THE BEST book I've read on Napoleon's Marshals so far. I don't claim to be an expert but have read many books on the First Empire. This is a must. It's where I first read of Marshal Lefebvre's challenge to a friend jealous of Lefebvre's estate and possessions. Very well written.
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July 30, 2017Goes into vivid detail about the look of Napoleon's army, and its attitudes and regulations, where it came from, how it viewed itself and was viewed.
July 29, 2011
Truly a fascinating book about Napoleon's fighting men, geniuses and incompetents alike.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews