Petre belongs to that older school of classic Napoleonic writing. As an English historian he preferred to cover the major campaigns of central Europe and left to others the British Campaigns in the Peninsular. His five volumes cover major aspects of Napoleon's Campaigns, although he restricts himself from Russia and Spain preferring to leave that to others. For the modern reader his prose might seem a little dated at times, but he is a spirited writer none the less. Since he covered many of these battlefields in person, Petre likes to give detailed analysis of the ground and terrain that was fought over. Sometimes this can get a little long winded, and his maps depending on the edition you read are not the most clear to follow. This trade paperback edition was hard to read w/o a magnifying glass. This is unfortunate as Petre likes to have the reader follow along as the Corps and Divisions march. This detail does not always make clear what is going on however, as Petre typical of that time of historical writing assumes the reader already has some prior knowledge or is just able to follow along anyway.
Where the author excels is in his battle scenes. I doubt one will find a better Eylau than here. He draws upon several contemporary authorities from both sides including the Prussians who did extensive studies later in the 19th century of these campaigns as part of their developing general staff system. You will also get plenty of details on lesser known actions of the Campaign besides the two major battles of Eylau and Friedland which are well known. Petre tries to get into the head of those making the decisions and with his often detailed notes contained within the body of the text will try to explain why certain courses of action were embarked upon, especially when these were controversial. He provides some good tactical details here and there pointing out that both sides deployed their battalions in the first line and supported them with a close column in the second line between the intervals. This shows us that both the French and Russians in this period were fighting in much more linear formations than they would in 1812 and later. Admittedley as the armies got larger the quality of the soldiery declined. For the French this would certainly be so as this was the last of their Austerlitz veterans who knew their drills. The conscripts who followed increasingly were formed into those large columns made famous in later battles and in the Peninsular.
As an English historian one can tell that his bias is not in favor of Napoleon's actions all the time. In this respect he would agree with how some recent historians have taken a more critical and less heroic approach toward L'Emporeur. Several times he attributes the mass suffering of all those around him to his own vanity, and despite how horrific things became during this campaign, the great man never let it phase him. All was simply a mathmatical process that could be modified and changed as needed. Petre gives him his due in that regard, ackowledging his genius in managing huge amounts of detail all at once. But it was a cold and pitiless genius that took no account of how those suffered from his decisions. Those who are fans of the great Corsican, especially in the USA should take note of this at times.
The 1806-07 Campaigns were the toughest the French had fought so far. In the Russians they found a tenacious enemy in terrible winter conditions. Napoleon would remember his Polish Campaigns when planning for the epic 1812 venture. At Eylau he received his first check, but he quickly rallied from it over the Winter coming back to win hamdsomely at Friedland in the new year. This extreme of fortunes probably made him think that the Russians, while tough, were apt to make mistakes. This might have been what drove him to go on in 1812.
For the true Napoleonic fan Petre's books remain classics to read today. In trade paperback form they are much more affordable than in years past. Despite the map problems this and the other books in his series on the Napoleonic Wars in Europe are must reads. Enjoy and Vive L'Emporeur!
Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime
and start saving today with fast, free delivery
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
