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

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

"A Tarnished Eagle: Napoleon's Winter Campaign In Poland, December 1806 Through February 1807" - The author started the book with this statement:

"The victories and accomplishments of Napoleon and his Grand Army were by the winter of 1806, the stuff of legend. Yet, on the bloody field of Eylau, Napoleon lost both his prestige and over one third of his Army. How did this Russian Army of notable inferior weapons, tactics, organization and leadership stave off defeat and almost achieve victory? The answer lies in that Napoleon did not only fight the Russians, but also suffered a combination of poor morale and inaccurate reconnaissance. His overextended lines of communications covered an area that was known for its harsh terrain, poor supplies and extremely bad weather. The Campaign cost Napoleon over 43,000 casualties and proved indecisive. The campaign, and Battle of Eylau, ruined Napoleon’s image of invincibility and completely gutted the Grand Army of a wealth of leadership and experience. Over twenty general officers were killed or seriously wounded at Eylau. Subsequently, Napoleon would have to consistently rely on more conscripts and an ever-increasing number of foreign troops to fill his depleted ranks. Napoleon’s Army would never again resemble the previously invincible Grand Army that died on the blood-soaked snows of Poland."

Let's see if he can prove his case.

Betsy wrote: "AR, your choice of books inspired me to look up yours, and since it is fairly short, I will try to read two books this month. Thanks for the info."

That's good to hear. I was trying to work out when the book was first published and I think it's a relative recent release - 2013.

Joe wrote: "Speaking of worse campaigns, I will be reading “Napoleon: The End of Glory” by Munro Price. It’s not so much a specific battle but a series of final battles before Napoleon’s first abdication. As I..."

Sounds good! His battles during 1814 showed some spark of the early and brilliant Napoleon. Let us all know how it goes.

Scott wrote: "Not to mention the tough campaigning and marching conditions; a portent of a worst campaign to come ..."

Very true indeed!

Betsy wrote: "That was lucky, AR, especially since we know how much you like Eylau. Have always wondered how Napoleon could take a chance in Russia late in the year after his experience at Eylau?"

I find Napoleon's Polish campaign very interesting with the battles of Eylau and Friedland conducted in such harsh terrain and climatic conditions.

Scott wrote: "We are currently away on holiday and I won't get back to my library until next week, so a late start for me, I am afraid."

A late start is better than no start! I hope you are enjoying a pleasant break away :)

Hi Betsy, I hope you enjoy Crowdy's book on Marengo as I quite enjoyed it.

I panicked for a bit as I didn't have any of my books available to select a theme book, everything is still packed away pending moving into our new apartment.

However, I did manage to find a Kindle book covering my favourite battle on Eylau.

A Tarnished Eagle: Napoleon's Winter Campaign In Poland, December 1806 Through February 1807 by Edward J. Murphy

Hi folks, the August theme read - your favourite Napoleonic battle - is up and ready to go:

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

The August theme read is any book or books of your choice that covers your favourite Napoleonic battle,

Betsy wrote: "You've had a busy time of it with the book and the moves. By the next theme read, I hope you're all settled in."

I hope so as well Betsy :)

Manray9 wrote: "Based on Betsy's comment I purchased a nice used hardcover of --

[book:War to the Death: The Siege of Saragossa, 1808-1809|2..."

It's a pretty good account MR9. I hope you find it as interesting as I did!

Sorry for the delay in responses, spent the last few days packing up from one Airbnb, moving over to my sisters for a night and then unpacking at another Airbnb. I hope this is the last move and our new apartment is ready to move into by the end of July as I am getting pretty sick of all this moving about.

In regard to my theme book "The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History" by Alexander Mikaberidze, I really enjoyed it. It certainly covered a lot of ground, and a number of areas usually missed in most Napoleonic books which I really appreciated. I also found that the author appeared quite balanced in his assessment of Napoleon and his actions and carried no bias towards him and the French Empire. Overall, it was an excellent read and should satisfy my appetite for Napoleon for some time,

I won't dispute Andrew's call at all :)

My new apartment is a two-bedroom with a media room (library). We should have enough space for the two of us and our hobbies - I hope :)

Scott wrote: "I have a solution to your library issue, AR. Just knock out an internal wall, and problem solved!"

Not a bad idea, however that would put me into my wife's craft room - that's a likely divorce filing! :)

Sorry to hear about your slow reading month, Scott. I am quite sure you will enjoy Andrew Roberts book all the way to the end.

Once I can start rebuilding my library, on a much smaller scale, I am sure I will start my recovery :)

Betsy wrote: "Sorry I haven't been posting. On Monday our power went out because of 99° heat. It has been unbearable, but at least I could read so I'm amost done with my book. More later."

Sorry to hear that Betsy, I hope it's all back working as normal.

"The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History" - Just finished reading the chapters on Napoleon's 1813 and 1814 campaigns. This is another period of Napoleonic history that I really enjoy reading about - flashes of Napoleon's old genius as he smashes the Allied armies during numerous engagements but could never deliver that killer blow to finish the war on his terms.

The loss of approximately 200,000 trained horses and most of his artillery during the 1812 Russian campaign along with the level of training of his new inexperienced levies and the lack of vigour of some of his marshals all contributed to make Napoleon's job near impossible, Having said that he did still manage to land a few bloody noses on the Allies and nearly scared them back across the borders.

The best series of books that I have read on these campaigns are the various volumes written by Michael V. Leggiere.

Magnolia wrote: "At the moment i paused my other Napoleon book for a bit and i am now reading Recollections of Napoleon at St. Helena: The Remarkable Story of a Fallen Emperor and a Teenage Girl
. ..."

Good to hear you are enjoying the book :)

"The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History" - One of the many health issues affecting the Grande Armee in Russia:

"The scarcity of drinking water during the hot midsummer season forced Napoleon's men to consume polluted water from swampy streams and lakes, which naturally resulted in the outbreak of dysentery and other disease, affecting tens of thousands of troops. A Wurttembergian physician lamented that diarrhea 'assumed such violent scope that it was impossible to assure normal service, let alone indulge in any kind of drill. The houses were all filled with sick men, and in the camp itself there was such continuous running back and forth behind the front that it was as though purgatives had been administered to entire regiments.' Attrition rates due to malnutrition, disease, and other factors were uncommonly high, and some units had already lost up to half of their strength."

Paper on the effects of infectious disease on Napoleon's Army during the 1812 Campaign:
https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA398...