Search results for ""Author Bernard Wilkin""
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Fighting the Russians
Before the French Revolution, the Russian Empire played a minor role in the history of Western Europe, yet its involvement in the wars of the Republic and against Napoleon would change its influence on the fate of the continent forever.Fighting the Russians examines the crucial role played by the men of the Czar''s Empire through hundreds of original letters, notebooks and accounts written by French soldiers at the time of the events or shortly after the fall of Napoleon. These rare unpublished sources, or those never before translated into English, recount key moments such as the battles of Zurich, Austerlitz, Eylau, Borodino and Leipzig, the burning of Moscow, the passage of the Berezina and the capture of Paris by the Cossacks. The terrible retreat from Russia and the torture inflicted on French soldiers by irregulars are also examined, as well as the times Napoleon was almost captured by Russian horsemen.Together, these writings plunge the reader into a world of unprecedented viole
£21.46
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Fighting for Napoleon: French Soldiers' Letters, 1799 1815
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 will be 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.
£24.31
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Fighting the British: French Eyewitness Accounts from the Napoleonic Wars
The British army during the Napoleonic Wars is often studied using English sources and the British view of their French opponents has been covered in exhaustive detail. However the French view of the British has been less often studied and is frequently misunderstood. This book, based on hundreds of letters, memoirs and reports of French officers and soldiers of the Napoleonic armies, adds to the existing literature by exploring the British army from the French side of the battle line. Each chapter looks at a specific campaign involving the French and the British. Extensive quotes from the French soldiers who were there are complemented by detailed notes describing the context of the war and the career of the eyewitness. Throughout the emphasis is on the voices of the lower ranks, the conscripts and the non commissioned and junior officers. They describe in their own words the full range of warfare during the period not only land battles but battles at sea, including the Nile and Trafalgar and accounts of captivity in England are included too.
£28.26
