On the Napoleonic Wars: Collected Essays

by David G. Chandler

Book Overview

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... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1853671584
• ISBN13: 9781853671586
• Release Date: January 1994
• Publisher: Greenhill Pr
• Length: 270 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 0.8" x 6.5"

Customer Reviews

Reassessing a Napoleonic Scholar

David Chandler is the renowned author of The Campaigns of Napoleon, a monumental work on the war Napoleon fought, both as a general in chief and as head of state. An exhaustive study, I always preferred the Esposito/Elting Atlas to it, and thought Chandler knowledgeable, but as a writer somewhat boring.I have changed my mind after reading this volume of is collected essays. They are clear, concise, generally accurate, and completely entertaining. In this anathhology, he picks and chooses his subjects carefully, but threads his way through the period from the Revolutionary Wars to 1815.There are some real gems in this collection, such as his thorough explanation and expose on how Napoleon, thoroughly intent on gilding the beginnings of his career, has the official history of the battle of Marengo, which he nearly lost, rewritten to reflect it going exactly as planned. His analysis of the battle, and the rewriting, is excellent, and we find out where the official, accurate version ended up.He also reasses the Oman's much oversimplified 'column versus line' with a critical analysis of the 1806 Battle of Maida, a relatively small, obscure action in southern Italy in 1806 between the British under Stuart, and the French under Reynier.He devotes three essays to the misery that was Russian in 1812; three to Spain and m'lord the Duke of Wellington; One to Austerlitz and one to the Marshals. He also gives us an interesting view into the life of a domestic at war in 1815.This is an interesting, uncommon book that deserves more reading and is a definite keeper. Well-written, well-researched, and generally impartial, it, in my opinion, is Chandler's best work.