The Diary of a Napoleonic Foot Soldier A Unique Eyewitness Account of the Face of Battle from Inside the Ranks of Bonaparte's Grand Army |
|
| Author:
| Walter, Jakob |
| Introduction by:
| Raeff, Marc |
| ISBN: | 978-0-14-016559-3 |
| Publication Date: | Feb 1993 |
| Publisher: | Penguin Publishing Group
|
| Imprint: | Penguin Books |
| Book Format: | Paperback |
| List Price: | USD $24.00 |
Book Description:
|
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...
More Description
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Also included are letters home from the Russian front, previously unpublished in English, as well as period engravings and maps from the Russian/Soviet and East European collections of the New York Public Library.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