Search results for ""Author Philip J Haythornthwaite""

Waterloo is one of the most famous battles in history and it has given rise to a vast and varied literature. The strategy and tactics of the battle and the entire Waterloo campaign have been analysed at length. The commanders, manoeuvres and critical episodes, and the intense experiences of the men who took part, have all been recorded in minute detail. But the organization, structure and fighting strength of the armies that fought in the battle have received less attention, and this is the subject of Philip Haythornthwaite's detailed, authoritative and engaging study. Through a close description of the structure and personnel of each of the armies he builds up a fascinating picture of their makeup, their methods and their capabilities. The insight he offers into the contrasting styles and national characteristics of the forces that came together on the Waterloo battlefield gives a fresh perspective on the extraordinary clash of arms that ended the Napoleonic era.

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That Napoleon Bonaparte was one of the greatest military commanders in history is never in doubt. His rise was meteoric, and his successes awesome; and they were founded almost entirely upon military prowess. But the reasons for his successes were many and complex, and did not solely rely on a magnetic personality with a genius for strategy, but on a combination of factors some within and others outside of Napoleon’s control. Napoleon’s Military Machine presents a compelling analysis of these factors: ultimately, how Napoleon turned the ragged armies of the French Revolutionary Wars into the most efficient and professional military body in Europe at the time. All aspects of his forces are covered: their composition, appearance, weaponry and capabilities, how they marched, fought and died for their Emperor. Haythornthwaite brings his reputation as a leading Napoleonic historian to bear on the examination of all parts of the French army: the cavalry, infantry, artillery, Imperial Guard, staff and supporting services. Napoleon’s innovations and tactics are described, from Austerlitz to Waterloo, demonstrating the reasons for his success and for his later decline.

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Military Memoirs of Four Brothers, first published in 1829 and reprinted for the first time since 1838, is an extremely rare record of the military service of one family during the Napoleonic Wars. The Fernyhoughs of Lichfield provided four officers to the British naval and military forces, two of whom died on service with the Royal Marines. The letters and journals pf two of the brothers provide a fascinating account of some of the more important, and some of the lesser-known campaigns and operations of the period, including the Trafalgar campaign, the expedition to South America, and the Peninsular War, Robert Fernyhough serving in the latter with that most elite and famous corps, the 95th Rifles, later the Rifle Brigade. Thomas Fernyhough, the brother who compiled this account, was a noted historian and researcher, and produced a book which is not only one of the rarest contemporary memoirs of the Napoleonic Wars, but one which illuminates the services and tribulations of a typical military family at this most crucial period of British history.

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