Once Napoleon had consolidated his grip on the reins of power of the new-born French Republic; he began to change the nature of the state from a nascent democracy of sorts into an Empire with all the trappings of dynastic royalty. The Senatus Consultum of 18th May 1804 gave the form to the Imperial Court; households of courtiers were established for the Emperor and Empress and the Imperial family; dignitaries of the Empire; ministers of the Empire were appointed; and having previously been abolished in 1793 the dignity of the Marshal of the Empire was recreated. Fourteen active and four honorary Marshals were handed their batons; eight more would be created during the years following; intended to be bulwarks of the regime. However these men were not plucked from obscurity they were men of genuine renown; and in most cases significant military talent; they had fought in numerous battles and campaigns during the tumultuous early days of the Republic. However apart from a handful of individual biographies and collections of anecdotes which mainly dealt with the years of glory under the Empire; few works in English had really investigated the formative careers of the Marshals under the banners of the Republic. In his epic five volume work; published posthumously between 1926-1936; Colonel Phipps looks into the early careers of the Marshals as they pursued La Gloire from their varied beginnings as sons of inn-keepers; coopers; officers of the Royal French Army; some of noble blood; some of the most common. The careers of men such as Masséna; Ney; Soult; Mortier; Murat and Davout are charted in detail; they are compared and contrasted with each other with expert judgement. The Author uses his extensive knowledge of the numerous French first-hand sources of the period along with published histories which have never been translated into English. The third volume concentrates on the lesser known armies; those that fought against Spain in the south of France and against insurrectionary elements of the French population that had not been reconciled to new Republic. This volume sheds light on the careers of the Marshals and their colleagues during the campaigns that were short on supply; invariably brutal and in the case of La Vendée; bitter civil war. The text is whole and complete; there are no missing or indistinct pages; the fold-out maps have been re-aligned to fit into the text spread across two pages.
#37112 in Books Lebron Christopher J 2017-06-01Original language:English 5.70 x .80 x 8.40l; #File Name: 0190601345216 pagesThe Making of Black Lives Matter A Brief History of an Idea
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. They Should Matter To EveryoneBy ChimonshoDr. Lebron performs a commendable public service in analyzing a tragic and disgraceful aspect of America's past and present: the ongoing assaults on African Americans which deny their civil and human rights. The book is most timely; but also demonstrates that the problem is neither contemporary nor even recent. The cases discussed are disturbing indeed; but the responses from the authors and thinkers Lebron cites help to restore a measure of hope for the future. The lasting impression is that Black Lives Matter is an appropriate and overdue response to America's oldest; most vicious movement (though unknown by its real name): Black Lives Don't Matter. The main reservation concerns Lebron's focus on intellectuals and other opinion-makers. From 18C petitioners and the WPA narratives; through Nate Shaw / Ned Cobb** to the current documentary "Whose Streets?;" ordinary African Americans speak with insight and eloquence about their and the country's condition. They are not "followers;" they are leaders in their own communities. Hopefully the author will give them their due in a revised edition or future work. Otherwise; this is a compelling and utterly necessary study.** T Rosengarten; All God's Dangershttps://www..com/gp/review/R1TUMB6QAG7W3Y?ref_=glimp_1rv_cl9 of 10 people found the following review helpful. An excellent and timely work on the foundations of the Black ...By Greg TaylorAn excellent and timely work on the foundations of the Black Lives Matter movement grounded in the earlier thoughts of some of America's finest Black thinkers.There is an unfortunate; and I'm sure unintentional; editorial mistake on page 3 of the first chapter where Andrew Jackson is referred to as the U.S. president during reconstruction instead of Andrew Johnson. Hopefully it will be corrected in subsequent printings.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Excellent pointsBy A. LoveExcellent and interesting points made about the struggle of black Americans throughout history. Impeccably written. The tone is quite scholarly. Well done.
