The Diary of a Napoleonic Foot Soldier - Couverture souple

Walter, Jakob

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 1900624052 ISBN 13 : 9781900624053

Editeur : Cassell Military, 1997

Synopsis

This diary was left to an American university by the descendants of Jakob Walter who had emigrated there. When 18-year-old Jakob Walter was conscripted into Napoleon's army, he had no idea of the trials that lay ahead. The long gruelling marches on Prussia and Poland sacrificed countless men to the Emperor's plans. But it was the disastrous advance on Russia which tested human endurance on an epic scale. This is an account of Jakob Walter's privations during the long retreat from Moscow. The book is illustrated with contemporary engravings and includes a chronology of European events.

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur

Eighteen-year-old German stonemason Jakob Walter served in the Grand Army of Napoleon between 1806 and 1813. His diary intimately records his trials: the long, grueling marches in Prussia and Poland, the disastrous Russian campaign, and the demoralizing defeat in a war few supported or understood. It is at once a compelling chronicle of a young soldier's loss of innocence and an eloquent and moving portrait of the profound effects of all wars on the men who fight them.

Also included are letters home from the Russian front, previously unpublished in English, as well as period engravings and maps from the Russian/Soviet and East European collections of the New York Public Library.

"Vivid and gruesome … but also a story of human fortitude. … It reminds us that the troops Napoleon drove so mercilessly were actually more victims than victors—a side of Napoleon that should not be forgotten."
—Chicago Tribune

Biographie de l'auteur

Mark Raeff, the Boris Bakhmeteff Professor Emeritus of Russian Studies at Columbia University, is a scholar of pre-revolutionary Russia. His books include Understanding Imperial Russia, Origins of the Russian Intelligentsia, The Well-Ordered Police State, and Russian Abroad.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Cassell Military
• Date d'édition: 1997
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 1900624052
• ISBN 13: 9781900624053
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 208
• Éditeur: Raeff Marc
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible