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

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

I think F.N. Maude was writing around the same time as F. Loraine Petre, his book on Napoleon's Prussian campaign was first published in 1907. I quite enjoyed that book and his book on the Polish campaign of 1807.

Napoleon's Conquest Of Prussia 1806 by F. Loraine Petre

Great posts Scott and Betsy.

"October Triumph: Napoleon’s Invasion of Germany, 1806" - We have all heard the story of the Prussian's sharpening their swords on the steps of the French embassy in Berlin, but here is a full account of that incident:

"... Soon thereafter, officers of the elite Cuirassier Regiment Gens d'Armes ostentatiously sharpen their swords of the steps of the French ambassador's residence. The unit's 67-year-old commander, Colonel Karl Elsner, has seen much of war, having received the ' Pour le Mérite' in 1762. He reprimands his officers adding: 'it is useless to give the sword a good point for running against the French, broomsticks will suffice for hunting these dogs'."

https://weaponsandwarfare.com/2015/09...

October Triumph: Napoleon’s Invasion of Germany, 1806 by James R. Arnold

I think you will enjoy your book. I have an old HB edition that I read a few years ago and quite enjoyed.

Blücher and the Uprising of Prussia against Napoleon, 1806-1815 by Ernest Flagg Henderson

Scott wrote: "[book:The Leipzig Campaign: 1813-Napoleon and the "Battle of the Nations" illustrated w..."

I hope you enjoy the book Scott.

KOMET wrote: ""Napoleon and Berlin: The Franco-Prussian War in North Germany, 1813" - Michael V. Leggiere

[bookcover:Napoleon and Berlin: The Franco-Prussian War in North Germany,..."

Excellent choice Komet!

The June theme page is open and ready for comment/discussion:

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

The June 2021 theme read is any book or books of your choice, including novels, that covers any Napoleonic campaign in Germany.

Hopefully it will be an interesting account Scott. I will be keen to hear your thoughts on the book once we get started.

Betsy wrote: "Ah, am thinking of doing Scharnhorst for August, and want time to decide. Thanks."

That would be a great subject for the theme read. I am still thinking about getting a copy of this book, the first of two volumes :)

Here is a pretty good article on Gerhard von Scharnhorst:

https://www.realcleardefense.com/arti...

I have read a number of books on Blucher and have marked out this book on Scharnhorst as a possible read:

Scharnhorst: The Formative Years, 1755-1801 by Charles Edward White

Hi folks, just a reminder that the June theme read is going to be on Napoleonic campaigns in Germany, it can be any period of the Napoleonic Wars as long as it covers the fighting in that region. So best start looking around to find the perfect book to bring to the theme :)

Great description from "War and Peace", thanks for posting those details!

Give it time and hopefully after its release you can find a cheaper copy. You can have a peek inside here:

https://www.amazon.com/Borodino-Field...

That attitude to the Russian soldier carried on into WW2, with disastrous consequences for the Wehrmacht. Having said that this may be the perfect book on that subject:

Borodino Field 1812 & 1941: How Napoleon and Hitler Met Their Matches Outside Moscow by Robert Kershaw

Scott wrote: "It was indeed the Prussian officers Betsy! in a fit of misplaced belief in their own fighting ability. The arrogance of youth can be a great asset in battle if focused correctly, a cavalry charge f..."

Quite true Scott!

Great post Scott, very interesting observation. I've read similar accounts in other Napoleonic books. It also reminded me that I have this book on Sir Robert Wilson who served on the staff of Tsar Alexander I as British Commissioner:

A Very Slippery Fellow by Michael Glover

Indeed Scott, I've read that quote before but I can't recall where but its a very good description of Total War!

"Tactics and the Experience of Battle in the Age of Napoleon" - Just finished the chapter; "After the Fighting" - From the Epilogue of the book:

" ... But although the provision for junior officers was inadequate, and that for ordinary soldiers was miserly, the total cost on pensions and half-pay was a heavy burden on the British Treasury not only in the depressed years immediately after the war, but for decades afterwards. The number of army pensions rose barely 20,000 in 1792 to more than 61,000 in 1819, and because old soldiers could apply at any time, and many did not do so until they could not provide for themselves, it continued to increase for years. In 1828 there were 85,000 pensions being paid - almost as many as there were soldiers then serving - while new pensions were still being granted to Peninsular and Waterloo veterans as late as the 1870s."

One thing to keep in mind; "the Duke of Wellington received a Parliamentary grant of £200,000 following Waterloo - having already received large sums during the Peninsular War - while a sergeant received only 1s. 6d. a day if he had been blinded or lost a limb in action."

Tactics and the Experience of Battle in the Age of Napoleon by Rory Muir

"Tactics and the Experience of Battle in the Age of Napoleon" - Just finished the chapter; "After the Fighting" - The battlefield after the fighting:

"The passage of a few weeks or a couple of months did not improve matters, and when an army passed over an old battlefield later in the campaign, it could be an unnerving sight. At Sabugal Kincaid found 'that the dead had been nearly all torn from their graves, and devoured by wolves'. Another British officer was dismayed to find many of the dead still unburied on the field of Salamanca weeks after the battle; vultures and, worse still, pigs were feasting on the corpses of men and horses; many of the bodies had been collected, covered with branches and burnt, but ineffectually, and as a consequence 'the air had become very offensive, and the whole scene was extremely revolting'. The sight of Borodino, nearly two months after the battle, helped to demoralize Napoleon's army as it began its long retreat. A 'multitude of dead bodies, which deprived of burial [for] fifty-two days, scarcely retained the human form ... The whole plain was entirely covered with them. None of the bodies were more than half buried. In one place were to be seen garments still red with blood, the bones gnawed by dogs and birds of prey: in another were broken arms, drums, helmets and swords'."

How were Napoleonic battlefields cleaned up:
https://shannonselin.com/2016/07/napo...