Friday, October 06, 2006

The Diary of a Napoleonic Foot Soldier by Jakob Walter

The Diary of a Napoleonic Foot Soldier by Jakob Walter is possibly unique in Napoleonic biography. It is the memoir of a conscript from one of the German states allied with Napoleon's France. The material is quite short primarily containing his experiences in the retreat from Moscow in 1812. The soldier doesn't really sugarcoat the relationship between soldiers and civilians both in Russia and Germany. You would not want him as a house guest. There's also an underlying Anti--Semitism to the work. There are explanatory endnotes not to sure why they weren't placed as footnotes which would be more convenient. Also included are six anonymous letters of German soldiers describing the retreat.

A very important work.

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