Swords Around A Throne Napoleon's Grande Armée

by Elting, John R.

• ISBN13: 9780306807572
• ISBN10: 0306807572
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1997-03-22
• Publisher: Da Capo Press

Summary

This authoritative, comprehensive, and enthralling book describes and analyzes Napoleon's most powerful weaponthe Grande Armee which at its peak numbered over a million soldiers. Elting examines every facet of this incredibly complex human machine: its organization, command system, logistics, weapons, tactics, discipline, recreation, mobile hospitals, camp followers, and more. From the army's formation out of the turmoil of Revolutionary France through its swift conquests of vast territories across Europe to its legendary death at Waterloo, this book uses excerpts from soldiers' letters, eyewitness accounts, and numerous firsthand details to place the reader in the boots of Napoleon's conscripts and generals. In Elting's masterful hands the experience is truly unforgettable.

Author Biography

Colonel John R. Elting has edited and written numerous books on military history, including Amateurs, to Arms!: A Military History of the War of 1812 and A Military History and Atlas of the Napoleonic Wars.

Table of Contents

Preface and Acknowledgments	xi
Points of Information	xiii
Prologue	1	(4)
All the King's Horses and the King's Men: The Royal Army	5	(22)
``Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite'': The Armies of the Revolution	27	(28)
Enter la Grande Armee	55	(12)
The Imperial Way	67	(14)
Grand Quartier-General	81	(22)
Tall in the Saddle and Under the Rose	103	(20)
Much High Brass and Some Low Brows	123	(34)
They Also Served	157	(26)
Garde Imperiale	183	(24)
Poor Bloody Infantry	207	(20)
The High Horsemen	227	(22)
``It Is with Artillery That One Makes War''	249	(18)
Genie: ``The Jesuits of the Army''	267	(14)
Wherever a Comrade May Need My Help	281	(16)
Matters Nautical: La Marine	297	(16)
Remounts and Replacements	313	(22)
Trumpets and Drums and Cuckoos	335	(20)
Regiments Etrangers	355	(32)
Allies and Auxiliaries	387	(24)
Law and Order: La Force Publique and L'Armee de l'Interieur	411	(18)
Discipline and Disciplinary Units	429	(10)
Dressed to Kill	439	(20)
Marches and Bivouacs	459	(16)
``Haut les Armes!'': Weapons and Ammunition	475	(20)
``Voici l'Ennemi!''	495	(34)
Strategy and Tactics	529	(24)
Logistics	553	(22)
Soupe, Pret, et Comptibilite	575	(14)
Men, Morale, Loot, and Baubles	589	(16)
Vivandieres, Blanchisseuses, Enfants, et Bric-a-Brac	605	(18)
Legitimacy Returns---Temporarily	623	(20)
Les Cent Jours	643	(20)
Tout Est Fini	663	(12)
Appendix A Comparative Napoleonic and United States Military Grades	675	(3)
Appendix B Glossary of Military Terms	678	(3)
Notes	681	(54)
Bibliography	735	(16)
Index	751