On the Napoleonic Wars: Collected Essays

by David G. Chandler

The diverse array of subjects covered include the British campaign in Egypt in 1801; the battle of Maida; Napoleon's decisive victories at Marengo and Austerlitz; the Peninsular War; the Russian Army at war in 1807 and 1812; and the retreat from Moscow. The collection spans the entire career of Dr. Chandler and demonstrates the depth of his research.

Genres: Military History, History, Essays, European History

270 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

David 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".

Reviews

[Peter Corrigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a series of essays on the title subject by one of the preeminent historians of the Napoleonic era. Some are based on lecture he gave, others on papers written for scholarly journals. Chandler was a British officer who was later head of the Department of War Studies at Sandhurst (the British West Point). He is author of a famous collection 'The Campaigns of Napoleon'. The essays in this collection are all quite good however though some may appeal more then others depending on one's level of interest. There are topics on quite well known topics (The retreat from Russia) but most are on on lesser known aspects of this complicated period (the Spanish guerilla war, the British invasion of Egypt, Cavalry action in Spain, the rewriting of Marengo's history). Most are quite incisive and fascinating. There is also a nice reference section for each essay at the end with suggested readings. The introduction is actually quite good too as he discusses his time in as a British officer in Nigeria just before the Biafran conflict in the early 1970s.

[lukas · Rating 3 out of 5]

neviem toto bolo slabšie ako som očakával, ani jedna esej nebola že výrazne dobrá idk

[Ky White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many of the American generals (both sides) in the Civil War carried Napoleon's Maxims in their saddle bags.