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

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

Two very interesting posts Scott and Betsy. I find it hard to lay too much fault at Napoleon's feet for his Marshals (I'm a bit biased for sure). He had some great men under his command and he had a few dud's, but we find that in every large conflict that carries on over a long period.

Staff college and specific leadership training was yet to come into use. The first such institution in France was opened in 1876; The École supérieure de guerre ("Superior School of Warfare") which then became the Ecole de guerre-Terre ("Army War College").

I don't think Napoleon offered too much mentoring, he chose his men based on their actions on the battlefield and expected them to learn from his examples and their own experiences, although that didn't always work.

When I look at some of Napoleon's marshals I am reminded a lot of Patton and Monty or the infighting of numerous Roman military tribunes each trying to outdo the other for glory and a Triumph, sometimes to the detriment of their command or the overall strategy of Rome.

One book that I read a few years back may be of interest for further reading on this subject:

Napoleon At Work by Jean-Baptiste Modeste Eugène Vachée

Napoleon's summary was fairly accurate eh! A poor ending for a man who had the chance for greatness!

Glad to hear you have been enjoying the book Betsy, I think the numerous typos would have me pulling my hair out by now :)

That makes sense its a Kindle as I couldn't recall any issues or typos when reading my book.

Scott wrote: "Prior to becoming King of Naples, Murat had the title of the Grand Duke of Berg, a small principality on the Prussian border. As a portent of things to come, Murat bristled as being seen as subordi..."

Murat would be pushing his luck in goading Napoleon to come and take his little fortress!

Betsy wrote: "Vilnius was a debacle, but had a pandemic occurred earlier, the whole of Napoleonic history might have been changed."

Again, another very interesting 'what-if'!

A very interesting what if Betsy! I can't remember are you reading a Kindle version of the book?

Scary thought Betsy!

PANDEMICS - Napoleon Wasn’t Defeated by the Russians:
https://slate.com/technology/2012/12/...

Betsy wrote: "Wow, what a great book to have in your library, AR. I would love to read it, but the price is a tad expensive right now. Love that title. Visiting all the Waterloo campaign sites was one of my favo..."

I had a planned trip to Waterloo to take place in 2019. I had everything booked and then Covid came along. I was lucky enough to transfer a lot of the bookings over till 2023 so hopefully I will finally get to visit the battlefield and associated sites.

My copy of; "Wellington: The Road to the Lion's Mound 1769 - 1815" by Daniel Res arrived today. I doubt if there is much more that could be told about Wellington, especially after Rory Muir's great two volume biography. However this book is one of those lovely publications of good quality paper with three large photo inserts of over 100 colour illustrations and around 22 colour maps. Its a beautifully illustrated book and one that I am keen to read as soon as I can.

Wellington: The Road to the Lion's Mound 1769 - 1815 by Daniel Res

Nice purchase on Mickaberidze's book Scott! I will have to try and remember to set up a general Napoleonic War theme read next year although if your lucky it may arrived in time for the December theme read (members choice).

Great posts Scott and Betsy. Those errors sound like they are starting to get annoying Betsy!

Nice commentary Scott!

I am pretty sure the Napoleonic Wars had some bearing on the events in South America. At the end of the war many soldiers and sailors from France and England took their skills to South America, one of the more famous being Thomas Cochrane and the Chilean Navy.

Here are a few good web pages on the subject:

http://sparkscommentary.blogspot.com/...

https://www.historyhit.com/1818-decla...


I also think Alexander Mikaberidze's book; "The Napoleonic Wars" might be a good book to tackle on the subject. I am yet to read my copy :)

The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History by Alexander Mikaberidze

Sorry to hear about your friends passing Scott, he sounds like the perfect companion to talk with over a nice glass of wine!

I think I still have a few more books on the subject waiting to be read but I may well check out Carole Divall's book at some stage :)

You're a most welcome addition to our group Elliot, always bringing interesting books to the discussion!

My library has spread throughout the house and just recently we had some renovations done and my wife allowed me to build some floor to ceiling book cases in our lounge room and dining area and convert the end of our large garage into a room which I took all my free standing book cases out into to make a nice reading room. This allowed my wife to reclaim her kitchen area and she now has a nice craft spot.

Another new book due out in October 2021; "Marching, Fighting, Dying: Experiences of Soldiers in the Peninsular War" by Gareth Glover.

Marching, Fighting, Dying: Experiences of Soldiers in the Peninsular War by Gareth Glover
Description:
Gareth Glover, who has established a reputation as a leading authority on the Napoleonic Wars, uses letters sent home from the Peninsular War by British soldiers to give a candid account of what it was like to serve in the army during the long campaign against the French. The vivid excerpts, which are set in their historical context by the author's expert commentary, are largely drawn from the correspondence of the other ranks, and they fully explore the everyday experience of these men through their own words. Only extracts from letters written during the campaigns are quoted -journals written much later for publication are discounted -so a true picture of life in the army at war comes out directly, as it was perceived at the time. Every aspect of the soldiers' experience is covered, from the fatigue and discomfort of existence on military service to the reality of combat and their feelings when a comrade was wounded or killed. The letters reveal so much about their attitude to the enemy, civilians and the men who served alongside them. Since this was the first war in history where regular postal services operated -and since a rising number of soldiers were able to read and write -their letters offer us an insight into men at war that has never been recorded before.

Carole Divall has a new book out at the end of this month; "Wellington and the Vitoria Campaign 1813: Never a Finer Army|".

Wellington and the Vitoria Campaign 1813: Never a Finer Army by Carole Divall
Description:
Over two hundred years ago, on 21 June 1813, just southwest of Vitoria in northern Spain, the British, Portuguese and Spanish army commanded by the Duke of Wellington confronted the French army of Napoleon's brother Joseph. Hours later Wellington's forces won an overwhelming victory and, after six years of bitter occupation, the French were ousted from Iberia. This is the critical battle that Carole Divall focuses on in this vivid, scholarly study of the last phase of the Peninsular War. The battle was the pivotal event of the 1813 campaign - it was fatal to French interests in Spain - but it is also significant because it demonstrated Wellington's confidence in his allied army and in himself. The complexity of the manoeuvres he expected his men to carry out and the shrewd strategic planning that preceded the battle were quite remarkable. As well as giving a graphic close description of each stage of the battle, Carole Divall sets it in the wider scope of the Peninsular War. Through the graphic recollections of the men who were there -from commanders to the merest foot soldiers -she offers us a direct insight into the reality of combat during the Napoleonic Wars.

I use to keep a Microsoft database with all my books so I could mark them read when required. It become so out of date that I could no longer load it on my computer so now GR's is my new database but I have the same problem for those books read back prior to the 2000's :)

I have a younger brother I can discuss military history with and a few close friends I can discuss books in general with but of course GR's is great forum for discussion with folks from different parts of the world.

Interesting story Betsy! I still have one book on Marshal Ney in my library that I am yet to read. I will try and squeeze it in before the end of the month.

Marshal Ney by J.B. Morton

I forgot that I had actually read Raymond Horricks book on Ney back in 2018, how quickly we forget which books we have sometimes read!

Marshal Ney: The Romance And The Real by Raymond Horricks