Auteur Sujet: Reading Recommendations for Napoleonic Campaigns and Warfare ?  (Lu 65161 fois)

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Reading Recommendations for Napoleonic Campaigns and Warfare ?
« le: 11 décembre 2009, 20:48:41 pm »
Sorry ! ignore my entry under Rifleman , sent in error.

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Re : Reading Recommendations for Napoleonic Campaigns and Warfare ?
« Réponse #1 le: 11 décembre 2009, 21:15:43 pm »
One suggestion would be the other websites where this has been addressed before. 

Two I would start with are the Napoleon Series and TMP and just search for reading lists.

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Re : Reading Recommendations for Napoleonic Campaigns and Warfare ?
« Réponse #2 le: 11 décembre 2009, 21:22:31 pm »
I really liked this book. It gives a grand overview of the period, has lots of lovely campaign maps, and is very easy to read:

« Modifié: 11 décembre 2009, 21:25:22 pm par Cpl Steiner »

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Re : Reading Recommendations for Napoleonic Campaigns and Warfare ?
« Réponse #3 le: 11 décembre 2009, 22:14:49 pm »
(Replied to the wrong thread so I'll re-post here.)

Here's what I consider to be the best from my own collection:

"Tactics and the Experience of Battle in the Age of Napoleon" - Rory Muir. 
A bit anglo-centric but nevertheless very good.

"The Battle Tactics of Napoleon and his Enemies" - Brent Nosworthy.
An in-depth look at not just Napoleonic tactics but how they evolved from the tactis of the 18th Century. Can be a bit heavy in spots - this is a proper academic treatment of the subject - but excellent all the same.

"1815 - The Waterloo Campaign: The German Victory" - Peter Hofschroer (2 volumes).
In-depth examination of the German contribution to the Waterloo campaign.  Not very flattering to Wellington.

"The Campaigns of Napoleon" - David Chandler.
A real classic. Some of the information is said to be out-of date, but it's nevertheless a good starting point and very comprehensive. The title is indicative of the contents, though, which means there isn't much about Spain.

"A Military History and Atlas of the Napoleonic Wars"- Vincent Esposito & John Elting
An excellent companion volume to Chandler . Well-written and with exquisite maps. Pricey but worth it.

"Imperial Bayonets" - George Nafziger
An in-depth look at the tactics of the time. More granular than Muir or Nosworthy, I think. That's just an observation, of course - not a value judgement. Includes a very interesting transcript of some of Ney's writings on the subject of grand tactics. Before reading this I had never imagined him to be so tactically sophisticated.

"The Battle" - Alessandro Barbero.
A real gem of a paperback. If "Gettysburg" is the best movie made about a battle (IMO), this must surely be a candidate for the best-written book about one. Without a doubt the most masterfully-crafted history of Waterloo that I've ever read - and I've read a few. How to learn about history without feeling like you're learning at all. A bonus too to have another account of Waterloo that's not written by an Englishman. Mark Adkin's beautiful "Waterloo Companion" complements it superbly.

"The Napoleonic Wars Data Book" - Digby Smith
Like the title says, data: lots of it and in a fairly raw format. Details of every battle you've ever heard of between 1792 and 1815 and hundreds you haven't. Gives commanders, strengths, orders of battle (level of detail here can be variable). An excellent resource for the scenario designer. Not a good source of historical narrative though.

In addition, Osprey has books on the following battles/campaigns:

    * Marengo
    * Austerlitz
    * Jena
    * Aspern & Wagram
    * Busaco
    * Salamanca
    * Leipzig
    * Waterloo


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Re : Re : Reading Recommendations for Napoleonic Campaigns and Warfare ?
« Réponse #4 le: 11 décembre 2009, 22:58:27 pm »
(Replied to the wrong thread so I'll re-post here.)


"The Battle Tactics of Napoleon and his Enemies" - Brent Nosworthy.
An in-depth look at not just Napoleonic tactics but how they evolved from the tactis of the 18th Century. Can be a bit heavy in spots - this is a proper academic treatment of the subject - but excellent all the same.

This is a must for anyone who wants to really understand what happened on a battle field in the napoleonic era.


"The Campaigns of Napoleon" - David Chandler.
A real classic. Some of the information is said to be out-of date, but it's nevertheless a good starting point and very comprehensive. The title is indicative of the contents, though, which means there isn't much about Spain.

Imho, there are far better websites that can help the "newbie" on his first journey in the years of Napoleon than this "classic". Half of the tactics and ideas behind Chandler's writing are not merely outdated, but simply wrong. This was (like for many out there) my first nappy book, and it took me years to correct the wrong informations that I learned from it.


"The Battle" - Alessandro Barbero.
A real gem of a paperback. If "Gettysburg" is the best movie made about a battle (IMO), this must surely be a candidate for the best-written book about one. Without a doubt the most masterfully-crafted history of Waterloo that I've ever read - and I've read a few. How to learn about history without feeling like you're learning at all. A bonus too to have another account of Waterloo that's not written by an Englishman. Mark Adkin's beautiful "Waterloo Companion" complements it superbly.

From the best italian historian at the moment, one of the best books about a napoleonic battle. Similar, Gioannini/Massobrio's "Marengo".
Lieutenant Franz von G., Cmdr. of the Lègion du Midi, 15th Division, IV Corps, Grande Armée.

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Re : Re : Re : Reading Recommendations for Napoleonic Campaigns and Warfare ?
« Réponse #5 le: 11 décembre 2009, 23:38:22 pm »
Imho, there are far better websites that can help the "newbie" on his first journey in the years of Napoleon than this "classic". Half of the tactics and ideas behind Chandler's writing are not merely outdated, but simply wrong. This was (like for many out there) my first nappy book, and it took me years to correct the wrong informations that I learned from it.

That's a good point, and I hadn't thought of it like that. By the time I obtained this book I'd already read several others, so that I automatically disregarded anything I found to be dubious.

Citer
From the best italian historian at the moment, one of the best books about a napoleonic battle. Similar, Gioannini/Massobrio's "Marengo".

My only observation about Barbero's book that come seven remotely close to a complaint is that I wish he'd covered Ligny, Quatre Bras and Wavre too.

Holdit

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Re : Reading Recommendations for Napoleonic Campaigns and Warfare ?
« Réponse #6 le: 12 décembre 2009, 11:18:06 am »
~1792-1797~

The French Revolutionary Wars, 1787-1802 by T. C. W. Blanning, haven't read it myself.

The French Revolutionary Wars by Gregory Fremont-Barnes, just scratches the surface as most Ospreys.

The Road to Rivoli by Martin Boycott-Brown.

The Art of War of Revolutionary France by Paddy Griffith, focuses on the French revolutionary war machine rather than the campaigns itself.

~1799-1802~

Eagles over the Alps by Christopher Duffy.

Marengo and Hohenlinden by James R. Arnold.

Marengo by David Hollins.

~1805~

Several books to choose from, 1805: Austerlitz - Napoleon and the Destruction of the Third Coalition by Robert Goetz would be the most popular afaik.

~1806~

Napoleon's Conquest of Prussia, 1806 by Francis Loraine Petre.

The translation and revision 'Napoleons Apogee' got very good feedback at theminiaturespage.com lately, but yeah 225$...

~1807~

Napoleon's Campaign in Poland, 1806-1807 by F. Loraine Petre.

Crisis in the Snows by James R. Arnold.

Napoleon’s Triumph by James R. Arnold (will be released in 2010).

~1809~

The Thunder on the Danube books by John H. Gill, the last Volume will be released in March 2010 afaik.

Crisis on the Danube by James R. Arnold

~1812~

I have only read German books on the campaign so far, dunno which English book is the most popular here.

~1813~

Same as above.

~1814~

The Fall of Napoleon by Michael V. Leggiere, don't know when the 2. Volume will be released.

~1815~

I don't really have a overview over the available books here, only read 'The Battle' and the Waterloo Companion so far.

~Peninsular War~

The Spanish Ulcer by David Gates and...

Peninsular War: A New History by Charles Esdaile are the most popular afaik.

~War of 1812~

Several books to choose from, have only read Amateurs to Arms by Elting so far.

~War in the Colonies~

Soldiers, Sugar and Seapower by Michael Duffy.

There are several books about the Haitian Revolution.

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Re : Reading Recommendations for Napoleonic Campaigns and Warfare ?
« Réponse #7 le: 12 décembre 2009, 19:06:06 pm »
Ok a good book to get a great view on it all:

A Military History and Atlas of the Napoleonic Wars by Brigadier General Vincent J. Esposito and Colonel John R. Elting

and

The Greenhill Napoleonic Wars Data Book by Digby Smith

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Re : Reading Recommendations for Napoleonic Campaigns and Warfare ?
« Réponse #8 le: 12 décembre 2009, 23:34:51 pm »
This is a good site with some free books written by characters of the period

http://www.napoleonic-literature.com/index.html

I like the eye-witness accounts, whilst sometimes subjective or jingoistic they nonetheless convey the spirit of the time very effectively.
I especially liked the memoirs of Captain Coignet & Sir Harry Smith.

The site also has links to other resources.

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Re : Reading Recommendations for Napoleonic Campaigns and Warfare ?
« Réponse #9 le: 13 décembre 2009, 17:03:58 pm »
Pardon for the last, i've pressed a wrong letter  :oops:
 I've also this book it's very difficult to "place" on the maps but It is right.... Just one problem few diagrams and it is poor of maps but military correct: NAPOLEON'S BATTLE a history of his Campaigns by Henry Lachouque ed:  George Allen and Unwin ltd 1966 from the original French:

Napolèon 20 ans de campagnes ed: Arthaud Paris 1964..

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Re : Reading Recommendations for Napoleonic Campaigns and Warfare ?
« Réponse #10 le: 15 décembre 2009, 05:06:27 am »
Here is a very good website with tactics, commanders, infantry, battles, campians, etc


http://napoleonistyka.atspace.com/index.html


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Re : Reading Recommendations for Napoleonic Campaigns and Warfare ?
« Réponse #11 le: 21 décembre 2009, 22:43:44 pm »
Many thanks to all that replied to my request.
Armed with the large selection given plus the purchase of HG and add ons in future (Peninsular War  :D ) I have enough to keep me going for Birthdays ,Fathers Days, Christmas for several years to come. I just wish that my pension were large enough to cover them all in one go !
Once again thanks for the time given to answer my question

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Re : Reading Recommendations for Napoleonic Campaigns and Warfare ?
« Réponse #12 le: 21 décembre 2009, 23:42:51 pm »
 Pardon my ignorance but what about Cahndler's book is wrong or is there somewhere that has a outline of his errors?

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Re : Re : Reading Recommendations for Napoleonic Campaigns and Warfare ?
« Réponse #13 le: 22 décembre 2009, 00:01:45 am »
Pardon my ignorance but what about Cahndler's book is wrong or is there somewhere that has a outline of his errors?

Pick a page, any page.  I cringe every time I read his name.  I don't know if he got the strategic stuff right as I wasn't studying that.  But there are tactical level errors galore.  At one time I could trace, through a variety of authors, who had copied his errors or each other.  This was when I was in the Pentagon and had access to their extensive library and was reading everything they had on Napoleon.  (Except Silborne, and I skimmed that. :) )

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Re : Reading Recommendations for Napoleonic Campaigns and Warfare ?
« Réponse #14 le: 22 décembre 2009, 00:25:33 am »
Not sure if these have already been mentioned, but I would certainly recommend them: Scott Bowden's The Glory Years: Napoleon and Austerlitz, and the works of George Nafziger on 1812, and his trilogy on the 1813 campaign.