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Napoleon's Marshals. Hardcover – Import, January 1, 1987
- Print length608 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherSee notes
- Publication dateJanuary 1, 1987
- ISBN-100297791249
- ISBN-13978-0297791249
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Product details
- Publisher : See notes; 2nd printing edition (January 1, 1987)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 608 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0297791249
- ISBN-13 : 978-0297791249
- Item Weight : 3.64 pounds
- Best Sellers Rank: #4,655,526 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #418 in Military Life & Institutions History
- #1,653 in Napoleonic War History (Books)
- #8,996 in French History (Books)
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First of all, as others have said, this book is an anthology with each chapter written by a different expert. They present a brief biography of the marshal followed by a short summary of that commander's signature battle. The reader really does come to understand each marshal as both a man and as a commander. The book is easy to read; each chapter can be digested in about 15 minutes, and one does not have to be a West Point graduate in order to understand the material. Here is a brief rundown of the chapters that are particularly noteworthy:
Davout- David Chandler's chapter on the iron marshal does not provide any new information that a veteran of Napoleonic studies would not know already. Contrary to popular opinion, Davout was not infallible and Chandler explains how he failed during the Russian retreat, which caused Napoleon to cool towards him. I was hoping Chandler would provide insight into why the marshal was given the wasteful task of defending Hamburg instead of being sent to take Berlin.
Berthier- this chapter is much different from the others, more like a character study or psychological profile. I learned a lot about the man but I wish the book would've provided more insight into what it was like to be a Chief of Staff, what he did on a daily basis.
St Cyr- a very informative chapter. He appears to have possessed brilliant strategic and tactical gifts, which were wasted because he was so hotheaded and made many dumb political moves. I often wonder how he would've done against Wellington in 1810 if given the chance.
Suchet- quite a lengthy chapter that gives great insight into this underrated marshal and how he pacified parts of Spain through his strategic ability yes, but also through his civility and incredible administrative talent.
Ney-like the chapter on Davout this one provides no new revelations but does provide excellent details. I feel there should have been more written about his great defeat at Dennewitz. Perhaps Ney, for all his faults, should have been given command of the army of Portugal because most of his decisions were correct and Massena was incorrect and had to go back to Ney's original idea in the first place. Ney was a great subordinate and the book shows that his biggest failures are probably more Napoleon's fault than his. If the Emperor had kept him better informed of his strategic goals and given better instructions at Bautzen and Quatre Bras things would've been much different.
Soult- Paddy Griffith gives an excellent account of why Soult was actually an extremely poor general who let France down badly.
Augereau- one of the best chapters in the book by the incomparable Col. John R Elting. This marshal was an extremely complex character and the Colonel does a fantastic job of explaining how valuable the proud bandit was during the early Italian campaigns. This marshal falls off the radar a little bit after the battle of Eylau, but this chapter explains what became of him and his sad ending.
If you are interested in some of Napoleon's lesser known marshals the book will I'm sure tell you what you need to know. But all around, the book is filled with many interesting tidbits that I'm sure will delight any student of Napoleon. For example, I did not know that a scathing letter exists from Napoleon to marshal Marmont telling him that his baton was bestowed out of friendship and not out of skill! Ouch! Many people believe marshal Jourdan was incompetent but this book explains how he was actually one of the most talented. Massena's follies in Spain are well documented but one cannot help but feel sorry for the man since he was clearly in ill health and suffering from PTSD after 1809. The chapter on Bessieres was great because it explains how this marshal was not to blame for the defeat at Fuentes d' Onoro. James Arnold's short but excellent chapter on marshal Victor sheds light on this very talented commander who perhaps should have been used more. After reading the chapter I'm still not sure if Victor was the hero or the goat at Talavera. The chapter on marshal MacDonald was a little disappointing because it did not explain all what happened at the Katzbach. Since this was MacDonald's only independent command there should've been a lot more information. Anyway, I hope my review will entice you to buy the book because it really is excellent.