Overview

The French side of the Napoleonic Wars is often seen from a strategic point of view, or in terms of military organization and battlefield tactics, or through officers' memoirs. It is rarely seen from the perspective of the lowest ranks of the army, and the experience of the ordinary soldiers is less well known and is often misunderstood. That is why this account, based on more than 1,600 letters written by French soldiers of the Napoleonic armies, is of such value. It adds to the existing literature by exploring every aspect of the life of a French soldier during the period 1799-1815. The book is fascinating and informative reading for military and cultural historians, but it will also appeal to anyone who is interested in the war experience of common soldiers. It offers the English-speaking audience a French view of a conflict which is too often limited to the traditional memoirs of Captain Coignet, Colonel Marbot or Sergeant Bourgogne. AUTHOR: Bernard Wilkin is a Belgian historian who works as a lecturer at the University of Exeter, where he specialises in the history of the French army and the French people at war, from Napoleon to the end of the Third Republic. He has published on various subjects such as propaganda in France during the two world wars, morale in the French army and on the home front during the Great War. SELLING POINTS: . A rare insight into the lives of Napoleonic soldiers taken from over 1,600 letters, most of which have never been published before . Direct accounts of campaigns and battles, recruitment and training, barrack life, the experience of captivity and being wounded . Based on letters mostly written by uneducated soldiers to their immediate family A unique opportunity to re-examine the Napoleonic army from a new angle 20 b/w images

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9781473833739

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Bernard Wilkin is a Belgian historian working at the University of Sheffield, where he specialises in the history of the French army and the French people at war, from Napoleon to the end of the Third Republic. He has published on various subjects such as propaganda in France during the two world wars, morale in the French army and on the home front during the Great War. Rene Wilkin, the father of Bernard, studied and taught history in the city of Liege where he was born. He is now retired but continues to work on Napoleonic history from a French perspective.

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