For more than twenty years Europe had been torn apart by war. Dynasties had crumbled; new states had been created and a generation had lost its young men. When it seemed that peace might at last settle across Europe; terrible news was received – Napoleon had escaped from exile and was marching upon Paris. Europe braced itself once again for war. The allied nations agreed to combine against Napoleon and in May 1815 they began to mass on France’s frontiers. The scene was set for the greatest battle the world had yet seen.Composed of more than 300 eyewitness accounts; official documents; parliamentary debates and newspaper reports; Voices From the Past tells the story of Napoleon’s last battles as they were experienced and reported by the men and women involved. Heroic cavalry charges; devastating artillery bombardments; terrible injuries; heartbreaking encounters; and amusing anecdotes; written by aristocratic officers and humble privates alike; fill the pages of this ambitious publication. Many of these reports have not been reproduced for almost 200 years.
#5075863 in Books 2014-02-19 2014-03-05Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.30 x .90 x 6.50l; 1.19 #File Name: 1781593345208 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Assembly of facts; raw and untaintedBy Avon Napoleonic FellowshipThese two books present a collection of despatches written by British commanders (generals; admirals and captains) following selected battles that involved British land and/or naval forces during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. This is not a complete list of actions involving British forces during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Grehan and Mace limit themselves to “reports of large-scale engagements from senior officers exercising independent commands†(p. viii); with ‘large-scale’ being in the context of the commitment of British forces over the 22 years covered by the books.The 89 battles selected (53 in the first book and 36 in the second) include the well-known such as Glorious First of June; Cape St Vincent; The Nile; Alexandria; Trafalgar; Coruña; Talavera; Salamanca; Vitoria; Toulouse and; of course; Waterloo. However; less well-known actions are also included; with some relating to defeats for British arms; such as the battles of Bergen; Alkmaar and Castricum (1799) and Battle of Grand Port 1810—Walcheren (July-September 1809) is a notable omission; although the capture of Flushing is included.The format of the two books is the same; with despatches from the selected battles presented in chronological order. Each simply comprises a heading with the name of the battle or action; followed by the note of the receipt of the original despatch and then despatch itself reproduced in full.The book does not include a map of each battle; however a world map and a more detailed map of Europe indicate the locations of each. This is useful to help the reader to find a particular battle of interest; or to check the geographic location of a battle. It is also quite impressive and demonstrates the geographic reach and impact of the wars.Included in the centre pages of each book are plates; most of them in colour; of paintings of some of the commanding officers who were the authors of despatches and of selected battles. Each plate has two images; either a commander and painting of a battle scene; two commanders or two battle scenes. While these images are now in the public domain; thanks to Wikimedia Commons; I found it helpful to have such plates included and they also add to the aesthetic value of the books.These are the type of books that one is unlikely to read from cover to cover; but rather to ‘dip’ into when a need or interest arises. I have read about a quarter of the presented despatches; choosing those related to the battles that we have done as wargames; others that we may look to do in the near future or just to get some understanding of a previously unknown (to me) action.The presentation of despatches; transcribed from the originals; provides a bonus for students of language. The despatches are replete with variations in spelling and the nuances of English writing of the time; all of which varied between the corresponding generals (or the staff officers who wrote the despatches). These include the copious use of capital letters; erratic hyphenation (such as Major-General) and the inclusion or exclusion of ‘u’ in words ending in ‘our’ (or). Grehan and Mace discuss this facet at some length in the introduction to each book; particularly since it is an aspect that has been maintained as the despatches presented are unedited transcriptions of the originals.“This then is our assembly of facts; raw and untainted. Their interpretation is yours aloneâ€A ‘student' of history cannot ask for much more.Rating: 7/10For full review; please see avonnapoleonicfellowship DOT blogspot DOT com DOT au
