The emergence of light troops at the time of Louis XV's reign (1715-1774) is a sign of the search for better intelligence of the enemy and rapid tactical moves on battlefields. This fourth instalment of René Chartrand's review of Louis XV's army reveals an extraordinary variety of units; most now long forgotten; who had a dazzling assortment of uniforms; equipment and weapons; as is revealed by this interesting text and its numerous accompanying illustrations; which include eight full page colour plates by Eugène Lelièpvre.
#7911939 in Books 1995-03Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 .86 x 5.70 x 8.79l; .80 #File Name: 1853671967208 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Good memoirBy Bookworm64This is a charming read. One does get a feel for the army life; if not an exact date for every incident. Blaze's style makes it feel more authentic; how many soldiers or officers actually kept diaries to refer to for their memoirs; anyway? I'm not sure why another reviewer said it was mostly before the Revolution; Blaze was 6 when the French Revolution began; and very little of the book concerns that. Only when he is telling about how things used to be in those days; as recounted from others; is it mentioned; and not very often. I can certainly appreciate his accounts of what battles are like; one never takes notes; but it does justice to the chaos without lingering too much on the carnage. Well worth looking into; and the Greenhill edition does have illustrations.3 of 9 people found the following review helpful. Boring triviaBy kennedy john FORESMANI also have Elting's translation; which is better than Napier's; but the question that comes to mind is why did Elting bother to translate this rambling; disjointed and trivial work; when a translation already existed? Blaze's banter and anecdotes often refer to periods prior to 1789. In all the work there is but one interesting uniform detail: captains field officers of the Young Guard flanker regiments wore their former blue Old Guard uniforms while the rest wore green. I would go into more detail but my 1;000 word review seems to be limited to 1;000 letters.3 of 11 people found the following review helpful. Very enjoyable reading.By mresch@earthlink.netBlaze has a wonderful story telling style.
