The French at Waterloo - Eyewitness Accounts: Napoleon, Imperial Headquarters and 1st Corps

by Andrew W Field

Overview

Andrew Field, who has published four best-selling books on the Battle of Waterloo, has established himself as one of the leading experts on the French perspective of the campaign.

Andrew Field, who has published four best-selling books on the Battle of Waterloo, has established himself as one of the leading experts on the French perspective of the campaign. Using selected extracts from French eyewitness accounts that haven't been published before in English, he has added a new dimension to our understanding of what happened on the battlefield on 18 June 1815. Now he takes his pioneering work a step further by publishing these accounts, with all their vivid and personal detail, in full.

For the first time readers will be in a position to make their own interpretations of them and compare them to the recollections of soldiers from the allied armies, in particular the British, which have largely determined our assumptions about the battle for the last 200 years. They will also gain a heightened insight into the trauma that the French eyewitnesses went through as they tried to explain how the French lost a battle they claim they had been on the point of winning.

This, the first of two volumes of the French accounts, features Napoleon's own description of the battle, those of his immediate household and the Imperial headquarters, and those of members of 1st Corps. Napoleon’s own version of events, one of the first to be published in France, was used as the basis of many subsequent histories that ignore or gloss over his many dubious claims. His account of his actions and his view of what happened on that decisive day, and those of his close associates, make fascinating reading.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781526768469
Publisher:	Pen and Sword
Publication date:	05/13/2020
Series:	French at Waterloo: Eyewitness Accounts Series
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Andrew Field MBE is a former British army officer whose travels around the world have given him a unique opportunity to explore battlefields from ancient history to present times. He has always harboured a special fascination for the Napoleonic Wars. In particular he has reassessed Napoleon's campaigns in 1814 and 1815, and has carried out extensive research into Wellington's battles in the Peninsula. His books include Talavera: Wellington's First Victory in Spain, Prelude to Waterloo: Quatre Bras, Grouchy’s Waterloo: The Battles of Ligny and Wavre and Waterloo: Rout and Retreat: The French Perspective.

Editorial Reviews

"I would recommend this book to anybody with an interest in Waterloo or the Napoleonic era."

Army Rumour Service

"A most enjoyable read which we highly recommend."

Clash of Steel

"An excellent and fascinating collection. Essential reading for the Napoleonic/Waterloo enthusiast."

A Question Of Scale

"It seems he’s found his niche because his latest book is a collection of carefully curated, translated, eye-witness accounts by Napoleon, his headquarters staff, Marshal Ney, and the soldiers of 1 Corps." (trans)

Guides 1815

"A worthwhile read for anyone with an interest in the Napoleonic wars or the soldier’s eye view of combat..."

The NYMAS Review

"For a book like this, you cannot ask for anything more. I am looking forward to the second volume in this series with great anticipation."

Beating Tsundoku

"This is an excellent combination of personal accounts, many of which may be little known. As well as the short accounts by Napoleon and their derivative accounts that seek to explain the overview of the battle, there are several accounts from those who had a limited horizon. However, these are the real gems that are unaffected by those seeking to establish reputation or blame. The account by Private Louis Canler of his experience in 28th Line Regiment during the ill-fated advance of D’Erlon’s I Corps on the British Left is stunning. Struck by canister, shot and musket ball the column kept advancing and filling the gaps left by the fallen until the British Cavalry fell on them to complete the destruction.

That alone is worth buying this book. The common theme is that defeat was totally unexpected as to French eyes it seemed that the battle was going well. Recommended."

Michael McCarthy