An in-depth look at the regular cavalry and field artillery covering all aspects, organisation, uniforms, arms and equipment, fully illustrated in colour.
"Thomas Henry Browne obtained an ensign's commission in the 23rd Royal Welch Fusiliers in 1805. Some twenty-one months later he began a long service overseas for most of nine years from 1807 to 1816. During this period Browne participated in the seizure of the Danish fleet at Copenhagen in 1807, the Capture of Martinique from the French in 1809, and the ebb and flow of the campaign against Napoleon's army in the Iberian Peninsula, 1810 to 1814. During this latter period he served on Wellington's Headquarters staff in the Adjutant-General's office, and was privileged to observe the great commander from a close point of vantage." "During the period of his overseas service, Browne kept a journal in which he noted in a vivid and trenchant style the day-to-day events occurring in his own and other units, whether in camp, on the march, or in the heat of battle. His staff position enabled him to see the broad sweep of tactical decisions, while his remarkable gifts as an observer bring to life the officers and men who composed the armies of the day, depicting them in a succession of graphic images. Few military journals of any period have captured the soldier's life with such immediacy, like a first-rate war correspondent's report from the battle front." "After the defeat of Napoleon in 1815, Browne continued to rise in the military hierarchy, retiring with a knighthood and the rank of Lieutenant-General. He died in 1855 aged 68." "In this edition the Journal has been faithfully reproduced by Professor Roger Buckley, who has written a full introduction placing Thomas Henry Browne in the context of his times, evoking the customs and disciplines of the British regular army in the age of Wellington, and sketching in the historical background to the conflicts in which the army was engaged. Each section of the Journal is similarly introduced by the editor, who has also supplied a detailed biographical appendix, full notes and bibliography and a representative selection of illustrations."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This edited volume explores conscription in the Napoleonic era, tracing the roots of European conscription and exploring the many methods that states used to obtain the manpower they needed to prosecute their wars. The levée-en-masse of the French Revolution has often been cited as a ‘Revolution in Military Affairs’, but was it truly a ‘revolutionary’ break with past European practices of raising armies, or an intensification of the scope and scale of practices already inherent in the European military system? This international collection of scholars demonstrate that European conscription has far deeper roots than has been previously acknowledged, and that its intensification during the Napoleonic era was more an ‘evolutionary’ than ‘revolutionary’ change. This book will be of much interest to students of Military History, Strategic Studies, Strategic History and European History.
The Napoleonic Wars have an important place in the history of Europe, leaving their mark on European and world societies in a variety of ways. In many European countries they provided the stimulus for radical social and political change - particularly in Spain, Germany, and Italy - and are frequently viewed in these places as the starting point of their modern histories. In this Very Short Introduction, Mike Rapport provides a brief outline of the wars, introducing the tactics, strategies, and weaponry of the time. Presented in three parts, he considers the origins and course of the wars, the ways and means in which it was fought, and the social and political legacy it has left to the world today. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
The Austrian cavalry that fought against Revolutionary and Napoleonic France, from original sources, including unpublished iconography and detailed illustrations depicting uniforms and equipment.
The Napoleonic Wars saw almost two decades of brutal fighting, from the frozen wastelands of Russia to the wilderness of the Peninsula, and from Egypt to the bloody battlefield of Waterloo. Fighting took place on an unprecedented scale across Europe, and over the entire period of the wars Napoleon led his Grand Armée and his allies against almost every European nation, and against varying coalitions. This book provides a comprehensive guide to all the major armies of the Napoleonic Wars, of France, Britain, Austria, Prussia, Russia, Spain and Portugal. Covering the changes experienced by the armies over the period, the author details the organization, infantry, cavalry, and artillery of each. With stunning original artwork of the often glorious uniforms worn into battle, period illustrations of the equipment used, and photographs, this is a beautiful and in-depth study of the armies that fought in the Napoleonic campaigns.
As the Battle of Waterloo reached its momentous climax, Napoleons Imperial Guard marched towards the Duke of Wellingtons thinning red line. The Imperial Guard had never tasted defeat and nothing, it seemed, could stop it smashing through the British ranks. But it was the Imperial Guard that was sent reeling back in disorder, its columns ravaged by the steady volleys of the British infantry. The credit for defeating the Imperial Guard went to the 1st Foot Guards, which was consequently honored for its actions by being renamed the Grenadier Guards. The story did not stop there, however, as the 52nd Foot also contributed to the defeat of the Imperial Guard yet received no comparable recognition. The controversy of which corps deserved the credit for defeating the Imperial Guard has continued down the decades and has rightly become a highly contentious subject over which much ink has been spilled. But now, thanks to the uncovering of the previously unpublished journal of Charles Holman of the 52nd Foot, Gareth Glover is able to piece together the exact sequence of events in those final, fatal moments of the great battle. Along with numerous other firsthand accounts, Gareth Glover has been able to understand the most likely sequence of events, the reaction to these events immediately after the battle and how it was seen within the army in the days after the victory. Who did Wellington honor at the time? How did the Foot Guards gain much of the credit in London? Was there an establishment cover-up? Were the 52nd robbed of their glory? Do the recent much-publicized arguments stand up to impartial scrutiny? The Great Waterloo Controversy is the definitive answer to these questions and will finally end this centuries-old conundrum.