Napoleon and His Marshals, Volume 1

The mighty genius of Napoleon has so overshadowed all those beneath him that they have not received their due praise, nor their proper place in history.... But with weak men Napoleon never could have unsettled Europe, and founded and maintained his Empire. The Marshals who led his armies, and governed his conquered provinces, were men of native strength and genius; and as they stand grouped around their mighty chief, they form a circle of military leaders, the like of whom the world has never at one time beheld.
-from the Preface

Within the reign of Napoleon still in the living memory of some, American author J. T. Headley took on the daunting task of rehabilitating the names and deeds of the emperor's righthand men, virtuoso military strategists and men of dauntless action eclipsed only by the brilliance of their leader.

Gathered from essays that appeared in magazines in 1846, this striking two-volume work-notable in itself for being the first books published by the now legendary Scribner and Co.-offers an extraordinary and unparalleled look at Napoleon's most trusted generals.

After a brief defense of Napoleon against British historians and an analysis of the emperor's character, Volume I introduces us to:

. Marshal Berthier, Duke of Neufchatel, Prince of Wagram, whom Headley calls Napoleon's Boswell
. Marshal Lannes, Duke of Montebello, a man of humble birth whose "reckless daring and unconquerable resolution" caught Napoleon's eye
. Marshal Macdonald, Duke of Tarentum, as bold and steely as Bonaparte himself
. as well as Augereau, Davoust, St. Cyr, Moncey, Mortier, and Soult.

OF INTEREST TO: military historians, readers of biographies, students of the Napoleonic Wars


American writer and journalist JOEL TYLER HEADLEY (1813-1897) was an editor at the New York Tribune and wrote extensively on historical matters. Among his many books are Washington and his Generals (1847), Life of Cromwell (1848), and the bestselling Life of Washington (1857).