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NAPOLEON BONAPARTE, the junior artillery officer of the French Revolution who became emperor and dictator of nearly all of western Europe, was the most caricatured figure of his time, with almost 1000 satirical drawings being produced about his exploits by British artists alone. Long before the advent of illustrated daily or weekly newspapers these hand-coloured prints were a major source of news and opinion and had considerable impact on the public at large.From the battles of the Nile, Copenhagen, Trafalgar, Austerlitz, Jena and Leipzig to the Peninsular War, the invasion of Russia, exile on Elba and his final defeat at Waterloo in 1815, the actions of Napoleon and his opponents were the main focus of graphic satire worldwide for nearly twenty years. The Napoleonic Wars were also the main topic of interest for some of the greatest cartoonists of all time, making this period part of the 'The Golden Age of Caricature' which spanned the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century.The diminutive emperor was a gift to cartoonists and James Gillray's transformation of him into the Lilliputian character 'Little Boney' was immensely popular. He also appeared as various kinds of grotesque creature - from ape, serpent and dragon to earwig, toadstool and crocodile - forever battling the mighty John Bull, Britannia and the British Bulldog. The Allied monarchs and military commanders themselves were also custom-made for caricature. The Duke of Wellington's nose, General Blucher's flamboyant moustache, the one-armed Lord Nelson,the pug-faced (and mad) Tsar Paul of Russia, the portlyPrince of Wales and the wiry Prime Minister, William 'Bottomless' Pitt all feature prominently.The Napoleonic Wars in Cartoons is divided into chapters each prefaced with a concise introduction that provides an historical framework for the work of that period. Altogether more than 300 drawings from both sides of the conflicts, in colour and black-and-white, have been skilfully blended to produce a unique visual history. ... Read more

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Unique documentation from a rare Napoleonic first-hand accountThis book-the first hand experiences of an ordinary British soldier of the Napoleonic era-is a Leonaur original. It has never been available in book form before and as part of an obscure collection of manuscript material, out of print for almost a century, it is unlikely to be familiar to most modern readers. This is the well-written account of Daniel Nicol, a Scot and soldier of the Gordon Highlanders. Nicol provides us with fascinating details about his transportation through the Mediterranean and the complex activities of the Royal Navy. He then takes us on a thrilling journey through the little reported 1801 campaign in Egypt, from the opposed landing at Aboukir to the gallant action of his regiment at Mandorra-where the battle is described in detail. After intense campaigning in the desert, Nicol's narrative turns to the campaign in Spain where he fought at the battle of Talavera. The final part of this book covers the author's capture and imprisonment by the French and provides invaluable insights into the experiences of a prisoner of war in the Napoleonic epoch. A rare find! ... Read more

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Campaign, capture and the long march to liberation

This substantial book, originally published in two volumes under the title 'Narrative of a Forced March Through Spain and France as a Prisoner of War During the Years 1810 to 1814', provides useful historical context for all those interested in the war in the Peninsula and the conditions of British prisoners in the hands of the French leading up to the first abdication of Napoleon and the Bourbon Restoration. We join Blayney, an officer engaged in the campaign in Southern Spain, as a disastrous expedition finds him a prisoner of the French Army, and so begins an adventure through Spain-where the French are hounded by Spanish guerrillas-and into the south of France as the British pursue their enemies. Blayney has provided posterity with an interesting view 'behind the lines' and combined that with insights into the France of the First Empire and the reasons for its ultimate collapse. ... Read more

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British Army during the Napoleonic Wars. French Revolutionary Wars, Peninsular War, Hundred Days, Recruitment in the British Army, History of British light infantry, Canadian units of the War of 1812, Horses in the Napoleonic Wars, Red coat (British army), Battle of Copenhagen (1807), Battle of Vimeiro, Battle of Sabugal, Battle of Salamanca ... Read more

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Text by Jack Cassin-Scott, Colour Plates by Michael Roffe.The involvement of Denmark/Norway and Sweden/Finland in the Napoleonic Wars was due to the dependence of both these countries on trade and reasonable day-to-day relations with the rest of Europe.This book examines the countries’ armies. Due to popular demand, strictly limited quantities of Osprey’s most wanted out of print Men-at-Arms, Vanguard and Elite titles are back in stock.Many of these books have been out of print for 5 years or more, so don’t miss this one-off opportunity to buy them hot-off-the-press at regular series prices while stocks last. Orders will be processed on a strictly first come, first served basis so hurry! Order your books today. ... Read more

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Yermolov is a legend in Russia. A man who rose from obscurity to command armies and conquer provinces, he was the epitome of a military man of action. To his enemies he was a byword for brutality, but, to his homeland, a hero.

His memoirs are as dramatic as his rise to fame and fortune. Disgraced and exiled by the mad Czar Paul he was brought back into service only to witness Russian defeat at the battle of Austerlitz in 1805. Honoured and advanced by his new patron, the dashing Czar Alexander, Yermolov then made rapid progress. He witnessed at firsthand Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812 but went on to see revenge completed when the Russians marched into Paris in April 1814.

When peace was declared in Europe, this hard and capable soldier was sent into the Caucasus to conquer Chechnya, sparking Russia's long and complex struggle to govern this unstable region.

Yermolov was a talented general who captured the spirit of his times in his brilliant and engaging memoirs. His acidic wit, acute powers of observation and grasp of drama make this book stand out as a unique source on the wars which defeated Napoleon and made Russia a superpower.

Contains 5 maps and 20 illustrations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Valuable First-Person Memoir From a Russian General in the Napoleonic Wars
This well-written (or edited and translated) account by Alexey Yermolov is valuable in understanding the Russian efforts against Napoleon.Yermolov's memoirs were produced from his detailed diary kept throughout the Napoleon Wars.Unfortunately, Yermolov's memoirs for the period 1813 to 1815 during which he served in the campaigns that pushed through Germany to Paris have been lost -- a tragedy for historians.Yermolov served in all the Russian campaigns against the French except for Suvorov's in 1799 in Northern Italy and Switzerland.

The memoirs cover the actions seen and experienced by the writer and therefore lack a great deal of context which historians need in making use of this book.It is extremely useful for its ancedotal information, however, and to add information from the Russian side in the various battles and army movements.In effect, this work is only of minor interest to readers other than dedicated historians and persons interested in the Napoleonic Wars.This is a useful primary source rather than a book that would be interesting to the general reader.

Yermolov writes with vigor and does not shrink for offering the reader his unvarnished opinions.In that respect he provides a great amount of color to the drab recounting of actions in the East.In addition, his governorship of Georgia and actions in the Caucasus from 1815 to 1820 provide information on the problems in that region -- some of which persist to the present day -- that help put the Russian Empire's subjugation of non-Russian ethnic groups into proper perspective.

I recommend this book only those readers and historians that have a specific interest in the French-Russian conflicts during the Napoleonic Wars or in the history of the Caucasus.

A Shining Star in a Nest of Vipers
Ravenhall books is clearly becoming one of the leaders in the publication of Napoleonic literature.For this volume, the added plus of having Alexander Mikaberidze involved with publication is an added incentive for having this outstanding memoir in anyone's historical library.

There is a dearth of first-hand information in English on the Russian army of the Napoleonic Wars.Some very important information is finally coming to light, and this volume highlights how valuable that information is in understanding not only the Russian participation in that long conflict, or, more correctly, succession of conflicts between Napoleonic France and her allies, and the Coalitions that continued to rise after each defeat to attempt to 'beat the French,'but in understanding the Russians themselves, no mean feat.

The Russian army was certainly at the forefront of that effort.Defeated badly, if not disastrously, in 1805 and 1807 and outlasting the French in the campaign of 1812, suffereing just as badly as the Grande Armee did, the Russians were at the forefront of the allied effort in 1813-1814.

General Yermelov is one of the most interesting of the Russian commanders and his story not only deserves telling, but is necessary to understanding the Russian effort.Present in every major campaign of the Napoleonic Wars, his memoirs are much more accurate than anything from, for example, Russian General Benningsen, and they also complement very nicely Sir Robert Wilson's accounts of 1807 and 1812, as well as Clausewitz's account of 1812.

The Russian general officer corps could be a treacherous place to exist.Favor from the Tsar was necessary, and Alexander himself could be an 'iffy' proposition.One observer during the period noted that even if Alexander put you on his 'spit' list, you felt bound to thank him for it.Yermelov, a very competent commander and soldier, not only surviced in that nest of vipers, but thrived, and was undoubtedly one of the best of the Russian field commanders.His memoirs deserve to be read and reread for the period.

This volume is highly recommended.Additionally, if Alexander Mikaberidze's name is on a book, I would highly recommend anyone buy it. ... Read more

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Novelists from C. S. Forester to Patrick O'Brian have glorified Nelson's dashing frigate captains, but how much of their story is true? The author of this new volume on the nature of frigate command argues that the legend was very close to reality. Based on detailed studies of the appointments, training, and promotion of the Royal Navy's officer corps, he contends that frigate commanders were an elite group whose careers followed separate paths from their contemporaries. They exhibited specific and highly prized skills that were rewarded with fast-track promotions and resulted in the creation of one of the most successful military cadres in history. Often facing daunting odds, these frigate captains won the vast majority of their battles and a place in maritime lore. This book is a fascinating contribution to the broader understanding of the workings of Nelson's navy and will appeal to enthusiasts and historians alike. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Background to Aubrey, Hornblower and Bolitho
Star Captains, the title almost sounds like a novel written for Star Trek or something but in reality, it an in-depth study of what kind of men attained the command of frigate during the Napoleonic Wars for the British Royal Navy. The book clearly implied that these frigate captains were the cream of the corps of naval captains. The demands of such captains compared to their counterparts commanding bigger ship of the line were considerably more demanding due to the initimate nature of the smallness of their vessel as well as its independent nature of being assigned to a frigate. Whether serving as a scout for the main fleet or on independent mission, these leaders have to proves their worth every day and under more tiresome conditions then their counterparts who commanded bigger ships. However, the pay-off comes in prize money and fame.

This book proves to be well written and well researched on the subject. As one previous reviewer stated, this book is not for casual reading. The author managed to produced a very detail book on all aspects of a career of a frigate captain. It is not an easy read for beginners in this field. But once you can sort this book out, you come to realized that all these fictional heroes like Aubrey, Hornblower and Bolitho were not far off from real men who commanded the frigates of the British Royal Navy.

A book that comes highly recommended despite of the heavy complexity of the subject. In some ways, many of the fine characteristics of a superb frigate captain can be applied to characters like Archer, Kirk or Picard from Star Trek fame as well.

Great!
Most histories of this era carefully walk us through the major events of the period, laying out other events as necessary to advance the author's point of view. This book takes a different, and refreshing approach: it focuses specifically on frigate captains -- the dashing, courageous fighters who took the war to mouth of French harbours and allied shipping on the high seas. The is well written and is a quick read. But don't let the quick read fool you -- it's a great history worth reading.

More than I wanted, and less.
This is not a book for the faint hearted.As good as it is, and it is good, and well written, it is not a book for the casual, or even interested, reader. The book is filled with graphs, charts, and technical evaluations.if you know your captain, this is the place to find out why and when, and where he served. The book does not give enough detail to feel the spirit of most of these men. For that, look to the books titled "Broadside", or "The Sea Warriors".

A great look at a select group of naval heroes
"The Star Captains: Frigate Command in the Napoleonic Wars"
is an unparalleled look at Royal Navy frigate captains, the officers who werethe historical seeds for Patrick O'Brian's Jack Aubrey and C.S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower.Wareham's interest in the subject began with his curiosity about Captain James Newman Newman, whose portrait hung in a stairway at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich.Seeking to learn more about this thoroughly obscure officer led Wareham beyond standard library books on naval history, and he soon realized that there was little published information about typical frigate captains.Wareham's research into the subject led to his Phd thesis and this book.

What was the career of a post captain like?What did a career in the navy of this era consist of?What was the truth behind the popular images of Nelson's navy?These are the questions that Wareham sought to answer.Along the way, he provides a good deal of analytical data about frigate captains, including statistics on the length of service between passing for lieutenant and being made post, on the how many years a captain might serve as commander of a frigate, and on frequency of assignments to various duty stations.Prize agents' accounts for frigates' captures are tabularized.Family social backgrounds and professions of siblings are listed.All in all, Wareham's book is a treasure trove of information.He also describes various frigate battles and their aftermaths, and he discusses the careers of many unheralded Royal Navy captains.All in all, this is a first-rate resource for better understand the realities of the world so familiar from the works of O'Brian and Forester. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

A handy reference of the "Whos" in Napoleon's time.
A handy reference, of the "whos" of the French Revolution and Napoleonic eras, I find myself reaching for again and again.A must companion for Haythornthwaite's Napoleonic Encyclopedia, or for yourlibrary in general.

Excellent shelf companion to 'Napoleonic Source Book'
Haythornthwaite's 'Naploleonic Source Book' contains a small biographicalsection which I had always wished to see expanded. This is it! I have beenable to find entries for even the most obscure bit-part players. The authorhas even given spaces for significant historians and artists of the period(not necessarily living during that period either!) I think this is animaginative and necessary inclusion. Readers interested in the War of 1812will not, I think, be disappointed, as there is a generous spread ofentries for participants from both sides of that conflict. ... Read more

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Revolutions and Reaction examines a number of critical issues during this tumultuous period of European history. Among the topics considered are the main features of the French Revolution of 1789, Napoleon's success in Europe until 1807, and the break out of revolution across central Europe in 1848.Revolutions and Reaction is part of the Cambridge Perspectives in History series. The book matches the requirements of the OCR examination specifications. It is suitable for all Advanced Subsidiary (AS) students, as well as students and undergraduates needing an introduction to the period. It also contains a document study section on the coming of the French Revolution. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

excellent overview
Be it fiction or non-fiction, one can hardly open a book without some reference to the French Revolution. Revolution and Reaction outlines the events and personalities of the period, placing important concepts, people, and movements in bold type, then defining these in the margin. Many questions are answered, such as whether Napoleon was a military genius, with illustrations of his tactics on the battlefield. I picked up my copy in a campus bookstore, where it was being sold for a history course. It only reinforces my opinion that professors choose the best material for their courses. Just the right amount of detail is included and the book as a whole can be easily read in a few hours. Questions are often placed in the margins, useful for students who want to remember what they are reading for testing.

After reading this book, you'll be ready to dive into heavier material with a solid foundation for understanding it. At the very least this book will make you better informed on an event that reverberates to this day. French citizens are out in force in the streets of Paris? After reading this book, you'll know it's a tradition! ... Read more

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HUSSAR IN WINTER - A CAVALRYMAN'S EXPERIENCE OF A HARSH CAMPAIGNAlexander Gordon witnessed the Peninsular War against Napoleon's French Army from the saddle of a light cavalry mount. His was a campaign of patrols and piquets, scouting and skirmishing. Caught up in the gruelling winter campaign that was the retreat to Corunna, where the pressures of the constantly pursuing French were made worse by the privations of short rations, appalling weather and difficult terrain, Gordon tells a story of fighting withdrawal, but never of defeat. These pages also bring to life the fury and action of the Napoleonic cavalry charge that was the ambition of every horse soldier. Hussar in Winter is an essential Napoleonic memoir foranyone interested in the British Cavalry ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Need more background, and a map would help
This is an autobiography about a very difficult time by a person of course living through those times. The best army in the world, is how the author describes his comrades in the quest to liberate Spain during the Napoleonic Wars.

What happened was totally unplanned and the liberation took many more years then they had wished. There were no plans to be home by Christmas, for the invasion started for our author at the end of October. He, along with twenty-five thousand others thought all was well as they marched through Portugal and into Spain, but they found that this was not the case.

Napoleon himself had got wind that things were not doing well in the Iberian Peninsula and rushed to personally oversee this part of his empire (His brother he had made King, but what kind of King needs his brother the Emperor to keep him on his throne?) The presence of Napoleon and several hundred thousand French troop meant our Brits were greatly outnumbered.

An advance turned into a retreat. And that is what is described from the views of a Cavalry Captain. Instead of a broad overview of all that happens, you see the journal of a man on the ground. How villages had food, or didn't. When there were beds to sleep in, or not. How horses had to be put down, how shots and action was engaged in with the French.

A good book to get the feel for the action, our narrator embarks aboard ship shortly before the final action at Corunna and so we have a great deal about the retreat, with supplemental material of letters and orders regarding it. We don't have the battle though, where the British were able to save the army against tremendous odds. That would have been a great and winning addition, elevating the entirety. We are left with the need to find another source to learn more about what happened beyond Captain Gordon's nose and this is why I rate the book middle of the pack. ... Read more

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This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Blow-hard
This work has some interest as military history, but it would primarily be interesting, in my opinion, to those who would like to read about the relations between the various allied armies (Russian, German, English) in the campaigns of 1812-1815. The author at various points served as liason with the Russian and English armies, and it was interesting to learn about the tensions and rivalries between them, and more importantly, the sovereigns.While the book also relates the purely military aspects of the campaigns, these parts of the book are generally pretty tedious, as the author's main focus is often to point out how he had been right again, or at least, how some other historian had it wrong (he often goes on for pages on a point-by-point critique of another historian's analysis of some particular battle or campaign).In short, the author comes across as a pompous blow-hard, but if you can get past that and are interested in the relations between the various allied armies and their sovereigns, you will probably enjoy this book to some degree.

Important memoir from leading Napoleonic figure
Müffling is best known for his role as Prussian liaison officer in the Duke of Wellington's headquarters during the Waterloo Campaign. As such, he was one of the architects of the allied victory.

This was, however, notMüffling's only achievement. He was for much of his military career a staffofficer with a speciality in cartography. His maps were used throughout the19th century. He later became chief-of-staff of the Prussian Army, then oneof the world's strongest. This made him one of the most powerful men in theworld at that time.

While Müffling's memoirs give an insight into manyevents in this dramatic period of history, one needs to take into accountthe circumspect way he relates certain errors he made. For instance, theDuke of Wellington used Müffling as a conduit for misleading information toBlücher, the commander of the Prussian army, during the Waterloo Campaign.If Müffling had really been alert, Wellington would not have got away withthat so easily. Müffling's account of these events show that his memory wasselective.

As one of the few Prussian accounts of this period that hasbeen translated into English, this work should be read by all peopleinterested in it. ... Read more