[hc87]

Any suggestions on a good general history of Napoleon's campaigns? I'm looking for the equivalent of Shelby Foote's The Civil War?

Thanks.

[JasonC]

The best single source is Esposito and Elsing's Military History and Atlas of the Napoleonic Wars. Good maps, reasonable narrative, no real bias, sound professional military men when it comes to assessments and opinions. The standard longer source, more in the Shelby Foote genre, is David Chandler's Campaigns of Napoleon. Much longer text, far more detail. But also definite bias and a definite thesis being peddled ("a giant surrounded by pygmies" being the thesis), and at points the amateur admirer fails to assess the situation objectively. E&E is superior on that basis, but Chandler is worth reading.

For others not interested in Foote style detail, a short, easy read that covers the basics is Alistair Horne's How Far from Austerlitz, which despite the title covers the period 1805 to 1815. No great ability to judge period military matters, but more political background and period color than you get from E&E, not biased, and runs you through the highlights quickly, with enough detail to have a sense why things happened as they did.

[Sans-Culotte]

I do not think there is a Napoleonic source written in the style of Foote (i.e. Foote was a novelist, and his Civil War trilogy reads more like a novel than a history). Most Napoleonic histories are kind of on the "dry" side.

I second JasonC's recommendations. I am a tad more inclined to the Chandler opus. JasonC seems to find Chandler overly predisposed to Napoleon,but some readers feel the opposite (read some of the Amazon reviews). I find him to be fairly even-handed, praising Napoleon's achievements, while pointing out the faults ( especially in the later campaigns). What I like (and this may be what makes Chandler seem adulatory to some) is that when Napoleon has done something extraordinary, he takes the time to point it out.

Chandler was a teacher at the British Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, and he was probably used to students who had a good grasp of military strategy, so that if he taught on one of the great Captains of history, their achievements would have been self-evident. However, Chandler seems to have understood that readers of The Campaigns of Napoleon would include non-historians, so I believe he punches up some of Napoelon's more brilliant strokes so that we can appreciate them in context.

The Exposito and Elting Atlas opus has stunning maps, and maps are crucial to studying campaigns. I find the text a tad dryer than Chandler's, but it is very informative. If you're really interested in the Age of Napoleon, I think you need both. I have a gazillion books on N and his Age, but I refer to these two the most.

After you get familiar with Napoleon and his campaigns, I highly recommend another book by John elting called Swords Around a Throne. This book covers the various components of the Grand Armee and its Marshals, and many of the more illustrious commanders. It is very anecdotal, and really brings the period alive (though in this book, Elting is IMO extraordinarily pre-disposed towards the French).

You may also want to read a basic biography of Napoleon. These military histories omit most details about Napoleon that do not involve his campaigns. Avoid Alan Schom's book (Elting said it was only useful for throwing at unruly cats!).