'Aussie Rick'’s Comments (group member since Jun 13, 2009)

'Aussie Rick'’s comments from the THE NAPOLEONIC WARS group.

Scott wrote: "Thank you AR, I will place this in my list of books to hunt out.

It's a big list!"

I know what that feels like :)

Scott, I've heard good things about this 'older' book on Maria Carolina; "A Sister of Marie Antoinette: The Life-Story of Maria, Carolina, Queen of Naples" by Catherine Mary Charlton Bearne.

A Sister of Marie Antoinette: The Life-Story of Maria, Carolina, Queen of Naples by Catherine Mary Charlton Bearne

Scott wrote: "Napoleon the Great

Once young Napoleon extracted himself from the intrigues of the Paris salon’s, his civil marriage to Josephine, and on the..."

Excellent post Scott - one of the great moments in Napoleon's life!

Two very prominent and interesting women. Although I've never much liked the Queen of Prussia :)

Two good posts Scott and Betsy. I've always felt a bit sorry for Josephine, but she was a survivor eh!

"The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History" - Great story from the chapter covering the War of the First Coalition, 1792-1797, in regard to the naval battle of Cape St. Vincent:

"The start of the battle led to a memorable exchange between Jervis, who was unaware that he was outnumbered two to one, and his captains, who counted the Spanish warships as they emerged through the mist:

'There are eight sail-of-the-line, Sir John.' - 'Very well, Sir.'

'There are twenty sail-of-the-line, Sir John.' - 'Very well, Sir.'

'There are twenty-five sail-of-the-line, Sir John.' - 'Very well, Sir.'

'There are twenty-seven sail-of-the-line, Sir John!' ... - 'Enough, Sir, no more of that: the die is cast; and if there are fifty sail, I will go through them.'

Battle of Cape St Vincent:
https://www.britishbattles.com/napole...

"The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History" - From the Preface and a statement by the author that all here in the group would fully agree with:

"The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars have kept historians busy for the past two hundred years. Thousands of books have been written on Napoleon himself, and when related titles - on the Napoleonic campaigns, politics, and diplomacy, as well as his opponents and allies - are added to the pile, the total number of books would certainly be in the hundreds of thousands. The last decade in particular has seen the publication of a number of new titles, including more than a dozen biographies of Napoleon. The shelves of any decent library groan under the weight of works on the Napoleonic Wars."

The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History by Alexander Mikaberidze

Scott wrote: "Napoleon the Great

As a reclusive teenager Napoleon loved to read and write. He had an eclectic range of topics he wrote about from love stor..."

Good point about his writings on Alexander the Great! Another one of my favourite military commanders :)

Great post Scott! Napoleon could be dramatic at times, but I really enjoyed his account;

‘‘I was born when the country was perishing’, he declared with a flourish. ‘Thirty thousand Frenchman vomited onto our coasts, drowning the thrones of liberty in seas of blood, such was the odious spectacle which first met my eye. The cries of the dying, the groans of the oppressed, the tears of despair surround my cradle from birth.’ "

KOMET wrote: "My theme book for next month is "A Military History and Atlas of the Napoleonic Wars" by Vincent J. Esposito.

[bookcover:A Military History and Atlas of the Napoleoni..."

Nice selection, Komet!

All great books being mentioned for the theme month. Scott, glad to see you back and I hope you enjoy Andrew Roberts book on Napoleon as much as I did.

The June theme page is up and ready to go - A general Napoleonic history:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

My theme book for June is going to be; "The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History" by Alexander Mikaberidze.

The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History by Alexander Mikaberidze

The June theme read is any book or books of your choice that is a general Napoleonic History.

Betsy wrote: "Do you have a system for shelving books? We tried to do ours by major wars, but of course many books do not apply. Plus some are too big to fit regular shelves."

I used to have them sorted by conflict - US Civil War, Napoleonic, WW1, WW2, etc and then have a general history area. I will try and arrange my new library along similar lines if I can.

Today I am pre-packing our household items and furniture including most of my books to go into storage tomorrow for 8-10 weeks. I have selected a few books to take with me on my wanderings until we can move into our new apartment. I should be able keep involved in the group discussions except for the occasional day or two without internet service.

First item on the agenda once I move in is to get some new bookcases built so I can unpack my books. It may be a few more weeks of no access to my library :(

"Napoleon's Last Campaign in Germany 1813" - The Allies finally realised that the only way to beat Napoleon was not to face him in battle at all! They came up with a strategy of avoidance called the Trachenberg Plan:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trachen...

https://explorethearchive.com/the-onl...

Betsy wrote: "I was going to mention one thing about my book on tyhpus in the Grande Armee. Why didn't the Russians also suffer catastrophic losses? I just can't imagine they were all that hygienic which would h..."

I wonder if the cold weather affected the French soldier's ability to fight the disease, making them weak before getting typhus which killed them quicker and easier than normal. I know cold weather helps spread the virus by encouraging the survival and spread of body lice.

Betsy wrote: "That is one terrific commentary. I can imagine why Bernadotte didn't want to face Davout after Auerstadt. It would seem that Davout did his duty as best he could in an impossible situation. Napoleo..."

Indeed Betsy, that's why he is our favourite Marshal :)

"Napoleon's Last Campaign in Germany 1813" - The author had this to say about Davout holding Hamburg:

"The Emperor would have wished it to be strong enough to hold out for at least two months against a regular siege, but there was neither time nor money available for its fortification on this scale. Yet Davout's energy and skill were such that he held firm till long after the fall of his master, and only surrendered under the orders of the new government of 1814. He has been much abused for his conduct at Hamburg, but Germans themselves, notably Count Yorck von Wartenburg and Sporcshill, have not hesitated to say that what he did was necessary for the execution of his task, and that 'There is certainly no military power in Europe but will wish for men like Davout to command besieged fortresses.' Davout may have been severe, unjust in particular instances, yet, looking to his position as a commander under Napoleon, he certainly did his duty splendidly, and merited the highest praise."

Davout and the Siege of Hamburg:
https://www.napoleonguide.com/battle_...