Duty on a Lesser Front

André Jobert #2

by Rob McLaren

1794. Revolutionary France’s ‘Terror’ invades Europe to feed her massive armies.

Veteran Captain André Jobert leads his company of light cavalry to join a French infantry division campaigning in the steep and barren passes of the Maritime Alps on the Mediterranean coast.

Join Jobert's chasseurs as they face the battle-hardened forces of the massive Austrian-Hungarian Empire and the lurking threat of the British Navy.

335 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 18, 2022

Reviews

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Duty on a Lesser Front sees Jobert involved in some truly gritty actions.
No Bonaparte yet but he's clearly on the horizon.

[Joseph Riordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dear readers,

I recently discovered Robert McLaren’s wonderful ‘Jobert’ series about Napoleonic Soldier-Horsemen (Chasseurs) a chapter of history that is little understood and broadly neglected in the Napoleonic war history.

Featuring the heroic Andre Jobert, a sergeant in the French cavalry during the Napoleonic wars, Jobert journeys through Europe with his band of misfit soldiers, from the hard-bitten professional soldier Koschak, and Jobert’s loyal groom Duque as they adventure, bleed, grieve and survive in the horror landscape of warfare where the horse still ruled and soldiers still fought face to face and sword to sword.

The aching sorrow of lovers lost and the brotherhood of men in battle support a backdrop of deep emotional pageantry. Historically accurate, right down to food and wines of the region, the use of equestrian equipment and war tactics of the time. For those who are interested in war history and exquisite horsemanship in the context of accurate historical documentation… this is the series you cannot miss.

I was so impressed with McLaren’s first book ‘Brothers of the Capucine’ that I researched the life of Napoleon and the broader context of the Napoleonic wars to provide historical context so that I could fully appreciate and understand the macro picture in which Jobert and his Chasseurs find themselves.

McLaren, himself a combat soldier, an accomplished horsemen and meticulous historian is filling a significant gap in the history of the Napoleonic wars which will not only stand up as an accurate historical record in the life of Napoleonic Horse Soldiers but an epic war adventure with broad appeal. I look forward great anticipation to the remainder of McLaren’s work and thank him for introducing me to a rare glimpse into the life of pre-mechanised soldiering.



Rob McLaren‘s second book in the adventures of Andre Jobert, Captain of his 24th Chasseurs, recently covered in glory at the siege of Toulon, we are swept up in the deeper characterisation of Jobert’s rag tag band of Warriors. The reader falls forever in love with the bravery, honour and integrity of a time when chivalry and the brotherhood of men in battle was a challenge to individual integrity.

In this 1794 chapter McLaren introduces the reader to his expanding list of characters and deeper emotional connections, as we learn of Jobert’s family, close brotherhood allegiances and his personal longings.
In the backdrop of major historical events, the execution of Marie Antoinette and the overthrow of Robespierre, the reader is galloped along with the 24th Chasseurs as they venture outside France against the overwhelming Austrian-Hungarian war machine.
High adventure in the backdrop of accurate historical events provides not only a compelling tale of war heroism and accurate historical context in the life of the average horse soldier in the world of the Napoleonic wars.

Joseph