MY FAVOURITE BOOKS ABOUT NAPOLEON'S 1812 CAMPAIGN

1812 the year of fire and ice

I have built up my Napoleonic library over many years. Most of the books I bought here in England were highly critical of Napoleon and everything he stood for - no surprises there then. It was only as I read books by American authors in particular that I realized that the same historical events were open to more than one interpretation. Then, as I read and discovered more myself, I saw that Napoleon had been rated one of the greatest geniuses of all time by no less a person than Goethe, who met the French Emperor and received the Legion of Honour from him in person. Heine and Nietszche were other admirers of Napoleon. More recently, a wide perusal of the Net has revealed nuggets of pure joy for the Napoleonic researcher. Abbott's writings were completely new to me when I came across them last year as was the excellent commentaries by Walter Runciman, especially his 1919 volume Drake, Nelson and Napoleon. Runciman who lived from 1847-1937 was likewise brought up to believe in the myth of the Corsican Ogre and yet he came to a completely different assessment of Napoleon after extensive reading in the British archives.

One of the best books about Napoleon and his Grand Army is by John Elting. Swords around a Throne is full of great anecdotes and those little human touches that reveal Napoleon the man. The scholarship of the sadly deceased Elting is superb and there are chapters about every branch of the French Army including information about cantinieres and other vital elements of the non-military participants in glorious pages of history. No fact is too arcane but that Elting has a comment to make about it. There are many references to 1812 scattered throughout the volume and they are all well worth reading.

For the political element of the Franco-Russian struggle and particularly the personal relationship between Napoleon and Tsar Alexander, Curtis Cate's book The War of the Two Emperors is invaluable. Alan Palmer's Russia in War and Peace  is also useful and had excellent illustrations particularly contemporary Russian ones.

My favourite writing of all however, are eye-witness accounts of the horrors of this Russian epic. I have already mentioned the memoirs of Bourgogne and Coignet. One superb trilogy that utilizes  scores of such first-hand witnesses is that by Paul Britten Austin.  Although Austin is no real fan of Napoleon, the sheer effort of putting dozens of different perspectives into one continuous narrative is extremely impressive and I enjoyed reading his volumes considerably.

What first got me interested in the Russian campaign was  reading Anthony Brett-James' 1812 eyewitness accounts (1966). Sadly, this seems to be out of print now but if you can find a second-hand copy it will be well worth the trouble. Similarly, Boris Uxkull's Arms and the Woman gives an excellent Russian view on this campaign. I found my copy by accident in a second-hand book store in Doncaster, England- I had never heard of it before. I enjoyed reading it back in 1987 and more recently in 2005. Amazingly, Amazon have a dozen versions of this volume, one for as little as two dollars.

I cannot finish without mentioning the very recent work of my friend, that excellent French historian Jean-Claude Damamme whose Les Aigles en Hiver (The Eagles in Winter) came out last year, published by Plon. As yet, it is unavailable in English. How I regret that my French is so poor!  Other excellent books by Monsieur Damamme are available. If you want an account of Waterloo that has regard to history and not propaganda - do take a look.

C. John Tarttelin M.A. History

Author of The Real Napoleon - The Untold Story

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BEST BOOKS ABOUT NAPOLEON

 

The Evening of Waterloo by Earnest Croft (1879)

I would start with one of the best memoirs I have ever read - Sergeant Bourgogne's account of the great retreat from Moscow in 1812. Bourgogne's experiences are so tellingly written that you can almost feel the snow between your fingers and the icy wind blasting the back of your neck.

Bourgogne was in the Imperial Guard and along with his best friend Picart, he faced one nightmare after another on the infamous retreat and saw everything from frozen corpses to evidence of cannibalism. But despite everything, his faith in his Emperor never wavered and his own personal bravery was beyond question. If you only ever read one account of the 1812 campaign - make it this one.

Bourgogne's experiences show that the human spirit can surmount every obstacle and even in the depths of despair - lost in the frozen wastes of Russia - he kept faith with himself - and survived.

Borodino 1812 by Peter vonHess (1843)

Another soldier is also worthy of mention. Jean-Roch Coignet was born a peasant and did not even learn to read and write until he was well into his Thirties. He was taught by members of his own regiment. His incredible adventures as a boy almost defy comprehension. As a small child he had a tug of war with a large wolf - a prize sheep being the trophy being torn between them. He was abandoned by a cruel stepmother straight out of Disney central casting and ignored by his wastrel father who sired innumerable bastards in the locality.

Coignet was rescued by a kind horse trader and helped his protector supply the French Army with remounts. Eventually his love of adventure got the better of him and he joined up himself. The rest as they say - is history, written by Coignet himself. He served in Poland in 1807, Austria in 1809, Russia in 1812 and at Waterloo in 1815. This smallest member of Napoleon's Imperial Guard played a big part in many battles and was on very friendly terms with the Emperor himself. He noticed Napoleon as he took great care of the wounded - of all sides. He knew the real Napoleon.

Of particular fascination is Coignet's account of the aftermath of Waterloo. He took part in the rout but discovered that once back in Paris a whole new French Army was regrouping south of the Loire. Marshal Davout refused Napoleon the 117,000 men in reserve as well as the services of new recruits. The French had more men than the victorious but separated and isolated troops under Wellington and Blucher. The Prussian cavalry was actually repulsed before Paris but then traitors like Fouche took charge and denied Napoleon political support. As the former Emperor headed for the coast and a hoped-for exile in America, Coignet and thousands of other French soldiers eager for revenge were held back by Marshal Davout - formerly Napoleon's most loyal subordinate. Waterloo was far from being the sole cause of Napoleon's downfall.