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Books > Humanities > History > European history > 1750 to 1900
No army of the German Confederation of the Rhine underwent such
fundamental changes in organization and uniforms as did the Saxon
forces of the Napoleonic era. Based on the experiences from the
1806-07 campaigns on Prussia's side and 1809 allied with the
French, the Saxon Army undertook extensive reforms. This book
presents this "new" Saxon Army with numerous contemporary
illustrations, with plates by Patrice Courcelle and Edmund Wagner
as well as graphic tables of uniforms of all the regiments by Peter
Bunde. A description of the war experiences rounds out the
presentation and thus the volume gives the reader a good, thorough
introduction to the organization, uniforms and history of the Saxon
Army of 1810-1813.
It is virtually impossible to understand the phenomenon of genocide
without a clear understanding of the complexities of the United
Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of
Genocide (UNCG). This brief but cogent book provides an
introduction to the unique wording, legal terminology, and key
components of the convention, which was adopted by the United
Nations General Assembly in 1948. Providing clarity on the
distinctions between genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes,
and ethnic cleansing, this book is designed to be an entry into
further study of genocide in its legal, historical, political, and
philosophical dimensions. Key terms, such as intent and motive, are
explained, case studies are included, and a detailed bibliography
at the conclusion of the book offers suggested avenues for more
advanced study of the UNCG.
The End of Empire is a continuation of Nafziger s definitive
military studies of the Napoleonic era beginning with the 1812
campaign and progressing through the 1813 campaign. Having suffered
a massive reversal of fortunes in Russia Napoleon found himself
confronted, in Germany, by the combined forces of Russia, Prussia,
and Austria. After the disaster of Leipzig Napoleon s German allies
fell away and he was forced to fall back, beyond the borders of
France. Offered a negotiated peace on the basis of a return to the
pre-1792 borders, Napoleon chose to continue to fight, trusting in
his star. He was, however, desperate for troops and short of horses
and cash. Cornered and threatened by three armies invading from the
north, northeast, and east, every chance to stop the Allies had to
be taken and there was desperate battle after desperate battle. Of
all his campaigns, Napoleon s 1814 campaign was one of his most
brilliant. Eventually, after several terrible defeats, the Allies
refused to engage him in battle when he confronted them. Instead
they pushed their other two armies forward, slowly driving him back
as he rushed to block the advance of the other armies on Paris.
This strategy proved successful and eventually Napoleon was obliged
to abdicate when his marshals refused to fight further. "The End of
Empire" includes a detailed text, specially commissioned maps and
the author's trademark extensive orders of battle."
This beautifully illustrated guide by master draughtsman and
Napoleonic expert Carl Franklin draws together extensive research
and previously unpublished information to provide a new insight
into the field artillery and uniforms of the Napoleonic Wars. The
evolution of this new form of artillery is shown in full detail for
the first time, and its use is fully examined. Particular attention
is given to the ammunition, drills, harness, supporting equipment
and uniforms of the period, and each type of field artillery is
fully illustrated. 'Fire,' Napoleon himself proclaimed, 'is
everything; the rest does not matter.' British Napoleonic Field
Artillery helps to test the veracity of that statement and is an
essential reference for all those interested in Napoleonic history.
C.E. Franklin was born in London in 1934. He joined the Royal Air
Force in 1951, spending much of his later appointments as an
engineer specialising in guided weapons. On leaving the service in
1984 he joined British Aerospace. He retired in 1990 and now spends
most of his time in research and writing. He is the author of
British Rockets of the Napoleonic and Colonial Wars 1805-1901 and
British Napoleonic Uniforms: A Complete Illustrated Guide to
Uniforms, Facings and Lace. He lives in Lea, Lincolnshire.
The British Army's major campaigns against Napoleon were fought
between 1808 and 1813 in the Peninsula (Portugal, Spain, and
finally southern France), followed in 1815 by the brief but
climactic Waterloo campaign. The British Army was small by
continental standards, but it consistently out-fought larger French
armies, never losing a major open-field action. Its cavalry and
artillery were standard; but its infantry which unlike foreign
armies, was entirely made up of volunteers, achieved unique
results. Their tactics were brought to a peak of professional
perfection by Wellington, but commentators still consistently
over-simplify the explanation for his unmatched series of
victories. This book will examine the contemporary instruction
manuals, and compare them with what actually happened in specific
battles, drawing upon a mass of quotations from eyewitnesses. Under
other generals who failed to grasp the essentials, the British
infantry could be beaten (occasionally) by both the French, and by
the Americans; but it was Wellington's perfect employment of their
tactical strengths that made them unstoppable. With a detailed look
at the effective use of terrain, line vs column maneuvers, and
fortification assaults, Philip Haythornthwaite reveals the
outstanding tactics of Wellington's army that converted volunteers
into war-winning professionals.
The End of Empire is a continuation of Nafziger's definitive
military studies of the Napoleonic era beginning with the 1812
campaign and progressing through the 1813 campaign. Having suffered
a massive reversal of fortunes in Russia Napoleon found himself
confronted, in Germany, by the combined forces of Russia, Prussia,
and Austria. After the disaster of Leipzig Napoleon's German allies
fell away and he was forced to fall back, beyond the borders of
France.Offered a negotiated peace on the basis of a return to the
pre-1792 borders, Napoleon chose to continue to fight, trusting in
his star. He was, however, desperate for troops and short of horses
and cash. Cornered and threatened by three armies invading from the
north, northeast, and east, every chance to stop the Allies had to
be taken and there was desperate battle after desperate battle. Of
all his campaigns, Napoleon's 1814 campaign was one of his most
brilliant. Eventually, after several terrible defeats, the Allies
refused to engage him in battle when he confronted them. Instead
they pushed their other two armies forward, slowly driving him back
as he rushed to block the advance of the other armies on Paris.
This strategy proved successful and eventually Napoleon was obliged
to abdicate when his marshals refused to fight further. The End of
Empire includes a detailed text, specially commissioned maps and
the author's trademark extensive orders of battle.
The Crimean War (1853-1856) was the first modern war. A vicious
struggle between imperial Russia and an alliance of the British,
French and Ottoman Empires, it was the first conflict to be
reported first-hand in newspapers, painted by official war artists,
recorded by telegraph and photographed by camera. In her new short
history, Trudi Tate discusses the ways in which this novel
representation itself became part of the modern war machine. She
tells forgotten stories about the war experience of individual
soldiers and civilians, including journalists, nurses, doctors, war
tourists and other witnesses. At the same time, the war was a
retrograde one, fought with the mentality, and some of the
equipment, of Napoleonic times. Tate argues that the Crimean War
was both modern and old-fashioned, looking backwards and forwards,
and generating optimism and despair among those who lived through
it. She explores this paradox while giving full coverage to the
bloody battles (Alma, Balaklava, Inkerman), the siege of
Sebastopol, the much-derided strategies of the commanders,
conditions in the field and the cultural impact of the anti-Russian
alliance.
This narrative account of three Napoleonic battles adheres rather
closely to the Aristotelian configuration of evolving tragedy. The
historian succeeds in presenting herein events and character not
only in historical reality but also in unities employed by the
artist or tragedian. For a beginning of this lively, military
story, Harold T. Parker chooses a portrayal of Napoleon at the
height of his power, the battle of Friedland. The middle episode is
concerned with Napoleon in his first serious personal check, the
battle of Aspern-Essling. To complete the unity and to conclude the
tragic progression, the author resurveys the episode of Napoleon's
final defeat at the battle of Waterloo.
Known collectively as the 'Great War', for over a decade the
Napoleonic Wars engulfed not only a whole continent but also the
overseas possessions of the leading European states. A war of
unprecedented scale and intensity, it was in many ways a product of
change that acted as a catalyst for upheaval and reform across much
of Europe, with aspects of its legacy lingering to this very day.
There is a mass of literature on Napoleon and his times, yet there
are only a handful of scholarly works that seek to cover the
Napoleonic Wars in their entirety, and fewer still that place the
conflict in any broader framework. This study redresses the
balance. Drawing on recent findings and applying a 'total' history
approach, it explores the causes and effects of the conflict, and
places it in the context of the evolution of modern warfare. It
reappraises the most significant and controversial military
ventures, including the war at sea and Napoleon's campaigns of
1805-9. The study gives an insight into the factors that shaped the
war, setting the struggle in its wider economic, cultural,
political and intellectual dimensions.
'Glorious... Scurr is one of the most gifted non-fiction writers
alive' Simon Schama, Financial Times A revelatory portrait of
Napoleon written for our own time, exploring his love of nature and
the gardens that gave his revolutionary life its light and shade.
Napoleon's gardens range from his childhood olive groves in
Corsica, to Josephine's menageries in Paris, to the walled garden
of Hougoumont at the battle of Waterloo, and ultimately to St
Helena, where he could sit and scan the sea in his final months. In
this innovative biography, Ruth Scurr follows the dramatic
trajectory of Napoleon's life through the land he cultivated and
that offered him retreat from the manifold frustrations of war and
politics. Seen through the eyes of those who knew him in the shade
of his gardens, Napoleon emerges a giant figure made human - both
as the Emperor hunting for glory and the man in an old straw hat,
leaning on his spade. 'Immensely satisfying and captivating...
Charming and intelligent' Andrew Roberts, TLS 'Grippingly original'
The Times 'A delight to read' Daily Telegraph * A Book of the Year
in The Times, Sunday Times, Daily Telegraph, Financial Times,
Sunday Telegraph and History Today * Winner of a Society for
Military History Distinguished Book Award 2022
The Peninsular War (1807-1814) was a military conflict for control
of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic War, where the
French were opposed by British, Spanish, and Portuguese forces. The
war began when the French and Spanish armies invaded and occupied
Portugal in 1807 and lasted until the Napoleon's defeat in 1814.
As 1794 opened, Revolutionary France stood on a knife's edge of
failure. Its army and navy had been shaken by the revolution, with
civil war and famine taking its toll on their resources. Seeking to
bring a revitalizing supply of food from its Caribbean colonies and
the United States, the French government decided to organize a
massive convoy to bring the New World's bounty to France. However,
in order to succeed in their mission, the French Navy would have to
make a deadly crossing over the North Atlantic, an ocean patrolled
by the Royal Navy, the most powerful navy force in the world, whose
sailors were eager to inflict a damaging defeat on Revolutionary
France and win their fortune in prize money. Illustrated throughout
with stunning full-colour artwork, this is the full story of the
only fleet action during the Age of Fighting Sail fought in the
open ocean, hundreds of miles from shore. Taking place over the
course of a month, the inevitable battle was to be a close-run
affair, with both sides claiming victory. To the French, it was le
Bataille du 13 prairial, a notable day in their new, scientific
Revolutionary calendar. For the British, it was the Glorious First
of June.
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