Napoleon as Military Commander

by James Marshall-Cornwall

Book Overview

Whether as a general or a statesman, the two decades of Napoleon's maturity, from the triumphant invasion of Italy to the final defeat at Waterloo, were years of extraordinary achievement. Almost as... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0760708606
• ISBN13: 9780760708606
• Release Date: December 1998
• Publisher: Barnes & Noble
• Length: 322 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Great detailed account of Napoleon's Battles

Being a general European history buff I picked this book up in the discount bin and was pleasantly surprised. This was my first book I have read specifically on Napoleon so Corwall's account of Bonaparte's early years with his family in Corsica, schooling an early military career gave me enough insight into his overall character. This book is in no way trying to be a full historical account of Napoleon's political or personal affairs, even in defeat. Instead it strictly focuses on the battles of the Grande Armee under his command. Corwall includes Napoleon's letters written to his wife and family members as well as specific orders, which were written to his commanders in the midst of battle. These letters and correspondences are what I enjoyed most about the book. All of Bonaparte's genius, wit and ultimately his flaws are exposed through his writings. Specific battle maneuvers are also detailed with geographical references and commentary on the results. I felt the details were difficult to follow at times and the reference maps were not well placed or that helpful. I thought Cornwall's "Britishness" was evident throughout the book, or maybe I just thought it was, but he is mostly impartial in keeping the book true to the title. In all I would say this book would compliment any of the grand accounts of Napoleons life and political career and will fill the gaps if a reader is specifically interested in how each of his victories was planned and carried out on the battle field. I have not read Chandler's "The Campaigns of Nepoleon" So I can not compare the two. At 1/3 the size, I imagine Cornwall's account is lighter in many areas.