Napoleon's soldiers marched across Europe from Lisbon to Moscow, and from Germany to Dalmatia. Many of the men, mostly conscripted by ballot, had never before been beyond their native village. What did they make of the extraordinary experiences, fighting battles thousands of miles from home, foraging for provisions or garrisoning towns in hostile countries? What was it like to be a soldier in the revolutionary and imperial armies? We know more about these men and their reactions to war than about the soldiers of any previous army in history, not just from offical sources but also from the large number of personal letters they wrote. Napoleon's Men provides a direct into the experiences and emotions of soldiers who risked their lives at Austerlitz, Wagram and Borodino. Not surprisingly, their minds often dwelt as much on what was happening at hime, and on mundane questions of food and drink as on Napoloen himself or the glory of France. Alan Forrest is Professor of Modern History at the University of York.Among his recent books are Paris, the Princes and the French Revolution (Arnold, 2004) and (co-authored with Jean-Paul Bertaud and Annie Jourdan), Napoleon, le monde et les Anglais (Paris, Autrement, 2004)

This is an original piece of research into the Napoleonic wars from the perspective of the ordinary soldier, available in paperback for the first time.

About the Author
ALAN FORREST is the author of The Soldiers of the French Revolution. He is Professor of History at the University of York.

Reviews
"A very useful book for those interested in the common soldier across the ages or in the era of the French wars." -NYMAS Review, 2008



Book Information
ISBN 9781852855307
Author Prof Alan Forrest
Format Paperback
Page Count 248
Imprint Hambledon Continuum
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Weight(grams) 430g