This Is A New Release Of The Original 1901 Edition.

Napoleon's 1807 campaign against the Russians came close to being his first defeat. At Eylau the Emperor was outnumbered by the army of the Russian commander Bennigsen, yet he accepted battle. His reputation was saved by the flamboyant Murat, who led one of the greatest cavalry charges in history. Christopher Summerville's gripping account of this bitterly fought clash and of Napoleon's subsequent triumph at Friedland is the first extensive study of the campaign to be published for a century. The story is told in the concise, clear Campaign Chronicles format which records the action in vivid detail, day by day, hour by hour. Included are full orders of battle showing the chain of command and the fighting capabilities of the opposing armies.

Outlines the pivotal winter campaign of 1806-1807, culminating at Eylau, where Russian forces stemmed the tide of French imperial expansion. Analyzes the strategies employed by both French and Russian armies, and their leaders, Napoleon and Alexander, during this decisive campaign. Also outlines the organization of the French and Russian forces and includes orders of battle for each side.

The victories and accomplishments of Napoleon and his Grand Army were by the winter of 1806, the stuff of legend. Yet, on the bloody field of Eylau, Napoleon lost both his prestige and over one third of his Army. How did this Russian Army of notable inferior weapons, tactics, organization and leadership stave off defeat and almost achieve victory? The answer lies in that Napoleon did not only fight the Russians, but also suffered a combination of poor morale and inaccurate reconnaissance. His overextended lines of communications covered an area that was known for its harsh terrain, poor supplies and extremely bad weather. The Campaign cost Napoleon over 43,000 casualties and proved indecisive. The campaign, and Battle of Eylau, ruined Napoleon’s image of invincibility and completely gutted the Grand Army of a wealth of leadership and experience. Over twenty general officers were killed or seriously wounded at Eylau. Subsequently, Napoleon would have to consistently rely on more conscripts and an ever-increasing number of foreign troops to fill his depleted ranks. Napoleon’s Army would never again resemble the previously invincible Grand Army that died on the blood-soaked snows of Poland.

In Napoleon and the Operational Art of War, the leading scholars of Napoleonic military history provide the most authoritative analysis of Napoleon’s battlefield success and ultimate failure in a work that features the very best of campaign military history.

In the Legions of Napoleon recounts the adventures of an intrepid Polish soldier who fought for Napoleon the length and breadth of Europe. By the time he was twenty-five, Heinrich von Brandt had marched from Madrid to Moscow and had been severely wounded on three separate occasions. From 1808 to 1812 he was caught up in Napoleons attempt to subjugate Spain, fighting in battles, sieges including the siege of Saragossa and hunting and being hunted by merciless bands of guerrillas. In 1812 his unit took part in the crossing of the Niemen and the epic retreat from Moscow.In his extraordinary memoirs Brandt describes in great detail the actions in which he fought, the type of officers and men he served with, and the grueling campaigns in which they participated. He also gives fascinating insight into the minds of his comrades and superiors. This book is a must for every Napoleonic historian, enthusiast, and anyone who likes a good story of high adventure.

F. Lorraine Petre was at the forefront of a number of British historians who wrote at the turn of the 20th Century who advanced the knowledge, understanding of Napoleonic times and warfare hugely. Petre wrote a number of books on the subject, particularly because of the dearth of information focusing on Napoleon’s “lesser-known” campaigns, with a depth of research unheard of at the time. His writings have stood the test of time and have been re-printed a number of times, as recently as the last ten years. In this book his second in his series, shines the spotlight of the Napoleon’s quest to vanquish his last remaining continental enemy, Russia. Having smashed Prussia in 1806, Napoleon eagerly sought out his Russian opponents, however his tactics of lightning advances and strategic envelopment founded in the mud and cold of Poland. Extended over a vast area, his troops acutely suffered from shortages and played a deadly game of cat and mouse with the last of the Prussian forces under Lestocq whilst waiting for the thaw that would enable them to come to grips with the enemy. As it transpired they did not have to wait as long as they might have imagined, fighting the bloody slugging match in the snow with the Russians at Eylau and although they held the field, it was a field covered by their own comrades’ corpses. After another brutal but more successful engagement at Heilsberg, during which the Russians lost heavily, Napoleon finally ran his quarry to the ground at Friedland. After a sterling delaying action by Lannes’ corps and supporting cavalry under Grouchy, Napoleon found his opponent pinned with his back to a river. After an abortive attack by Marshal Ney, General Sènarmont drove a battery of thirty guns into canister range of the Russian centre leaving a red ruin, and allowing a victory for the French turn into a bloody rout for the Russians as many drowned trying to reach their lines on the other side of the river. The peace of Tilsit was to be signed soon after, marking arguably the highpoint of the French Empire. Author – Francis Lorraine Petre OBE - (1852–1925)