Andrew W Field – författare

For almost 200 years, the British perception of the Battle of Waterloo was that it was a great British victory gained over the French tyrant Napoleon which was achieved in spite of, rather than because of, the allied contingents in the Duke of Wellington's army. Eyewitness accounts by British soldiers, encouraged by the doubts expressed in Wellington's despatches, denigrated and vilified the courage and prowess of these allies.But in the last twenty years modern historians, with better access to the accounts and archives of the allied nations, have tried to put the record straight, and their efforts have been rewarded by changing attitudes and a greater understanding of the significant part the allies played. Andrew Field, in this the latest of his series of pioneering books on Waterloo, makes a powerful contribution to this continuing debate by analyzing in forensic detail the records of these allied forces throughout the campaign.In his balanced, nonpartisan reassessment he describes the make-up of these forces, their training and experience, and their military capability. Included are graphic accounts of their actions and performance on the battlefield. His work is essential reading for all students of the Waterloo campaign.

Andrew Field, who has published four best-selling books on the Battle of Waterloo, has established himself as one of the leading experts on the French perspective of the campaign. Using selected extracts from French eyewitness accounts that haven't been published before in English, he has added a new dimension to our understanding of what happened on the battlefield on 18 June 1815\. Now he takes his pioneering work a step further by publishing these accounts, with all their vivid and personal detail, in full.For the first time readers will be in a position to make their own interpretations of them and compare them to the recollections of soldiers from the allied armies, in particular the British, which have largely determined our assumptions about the battle for the last 200 years. They will also gain a heightened insight into the trauma that the French eyewitnesses went through as they tried to explain how the French lost a battle they claim they had been on the point of winning.This, the first of two volumes of the French accounts, features Napoleon's own description of the battle, those of his immediate household and the Imperial headquarters, and those of members of 1st Corps. Napoleon’s own version of events, one of the first to be published in France, was used as the basis of many subsequent histories that ignore or gloss over his many dubious claims. His account of his actions and his view of what happened on that decisive day, and those of his close associates, make fascinating reading.

This is the first English translation of the memoirs of Jean-Nicolas Cur ly. Born in 1774, son of a labourer, Cur ly rose through the ranks to become a General in Napoleon's Light Cavalry.Although Cur ly did not fight in many of the most famous battles of the First Republic and the Napoleonic Wars, this reflects the role of the light cavalry; scouting ahead of the army, conducting reconnaissance to the flanks and launching raids. He did, however, take part in all Napoleon's great campaigns, including Austerlitz, Heilsberg, Essling, Raab, Wagram, Beresina, Wachau, Leipzig, Craonne and Laon, and served as an aide de camp to many of the French army's most famous light cavalry generals.Cur ly's memoirs give a unique and detailed glimpse into the day-to-day life of the light cavalry from someone who, although of lowly birth and with no education, became an exceptional General. He was a hussar at 19 years, second lieutenant at 32, squadron commander at 35, Colonel at 38 and General at 40\. He became Cavalier of the L gion d'Honneur in 1806, and was wounded five times in his career.His account describes in great detail the many actions he was involved in and the many exceptional scrapes he escaped. However, his narrative does not only describe combat but also the lengths he went to for the welfare of his men and horses, particularly during the retreat from Moscow which he survived with a hundred men and nearly all his officers still battleworthy.Stretching from Cur ly's enrolment with the Hussars in 1793 to Waterloo, capitulation of Paris and the disbandment of the army, this book is a 'must have' for anyone with an interest in the Napoleonic Wars.

A fresh look at how Wellington triumphed over Napoleon and "a valuable contribution to the Waterloo historiography" (Journal of Military History). For almost two centuries, the British perception of the Battle of Waterloo was that it was a great British victory gained over the French tyrant Napoleon, achieved in spite of—rather than because of—the allied contingents in the Duke of Wellington''s army. Eyewitness accounts by British soldiers, encouraged by the doubts expressed in Wellington''s dispatches, denigrated and vilified the courage and prowess of these allies. But in the past twenty years modern historians, with better access to the accounts and archives of the allied nations, have tried to put the record straight, and their efforts have been rewarded by changing attitudes and a greater understanding of the significant part the allies played. Andrew Field, in the latest of his series of pioneering books on Waterloo, makes a powerful contribution to this continuing debate by analyzing in forensic detail the records of these allied forces throughout the campaign. In his balanced, nonpartisan reassessment he describes the makeup of these forces, their training and experience, and their military capability. Included are graphic accounts of their actions and performance on the battlefield. His work is essential reading for all students of the Waterloo campaign. Includes maps

A fresh look at how Wellington triumphed over Napoleon and "a valuable contribution to the Waterloo historiography" (Journal of Military History). For almost two centuries, the British perception of the Battle of Waterloo was that it was a great British victory gained over the French tyrant Napoleon, achieved in spite of—rather than because of—the allied contingents in the Duke of Wellington''s army. Eyewitness accounts by British soldiers, encouraged by the doubts expressed in Wellington''s dispatches, denigrated and vilified the courage and prowess of these allies. But in the past twenty years modern historians, with better access to the accounts and archives of the allied nations, have tried to put the record straight, and their efforts have been rewarded by changing attitudes and a greater understanding of the significant part the allies played. Andrew Field, in the latest of his series of pioneering books on Waterloo, makes a powerful contribution to this continuing debate by analyzing in forensic detail the records of these allied forces throughout the campaign. In his balanced, nonpartisan reassessment he describes the makeup of these forces, their training and experience, and their military capability. Included are graphic accounts of their actions and performance on the battlefield. His work is essential reading for all students of the Waterloo campaign. Includes maps

The Battle of Talavera was one of the key confrontations of the Peninsular War. In a bloody contest the British and Spanish under Wellesley and Cuesta won a tactical victory over the French forces of Victor and Joseph Bonaparte. The battle was the climax of the offensive launched by Wellesley and his Spanish allies to expel the French from Madrid. Andrew Field's graphic analysis is the first full-length reassessment to be published in recent times. Using documentary records, eyewitness accounts and a painstaking study of the terrain, he reconstructs the action in vivid detail and questions assumptions about the event that have grown up over the last 200 years. He also provides an extensive tour of the battlefield.

The Battle of Quatre Bras was critical to the outcome of the Waterloo campaign – to the victory of the allied armies of Wellington and Blücher, the defeat of the French and the fall of Napoleon. But it has been overshadowed by the two larger-scale engagements at Ligny and at Waterloo itself. And too often the clash at Quatre Bras has been seen mainly through the eyes of the British and their allies – the viewpoint of the French has been neglected. It is this weakness in the history of the battle that Andrew Field focuses on in this original and highly readable new study. Drawing on French eyewitness recollections and later commentary, he reconstructs the French experience of the battle – and the French interpretation of it. He quotes extensively, and subjects to critical analysis, the conflicting accounts written by Napoleon and his subordinates as they sought justify their decisions and actions at this pivotal moment in the campaign.

"As a piece of historical research, this is a force majeure . . . a must read for anyone interested in the Napoleonic Wars" by the author of Waterloo (Federation of Family History Societies). The Battle of Quatre Bras was critical to the outcome of the Waterloo campaign—to the victory of the allied armies of Wellington and Blücher, the defeat of the French and the fall of Napoleon. But it has been overshadowed by the two larger-scale engagements at Ligny and at Waterloo itself. And too often the clash at Quatre Bras has been seen mainly through the eyes of the British and their allies—the viewpoint of the French has been neglected. It is this weakness in the history of the battle that Andrew Field focuses on in this original and highly readable new study. Drawing on French eyewitness recollections and later commentary, he reconstructs the French experience of the battle—and the French interpretation of it. He quotes extensively, and subjects to critical analysis, the conflicting accounts written by Napoleon and his subordinates as they sought justify their decisions and actions at this pivotal moment in the campaign. "Andrew Field writes with a light touch that makes a very detailed discussion of this significant event of the Hundred Days campaign a pleasure to read. This volume is an ideal companion to his previous book on Waterloo and to Robinson''s account of Quatre Bras."—Miniature Wargames Magazine "Offer[s] a new perspective of this significant confrontation that is often overshadowed by Ligny and Waterloo."—Gloire & Empire

This, the fourth volume in Andrew Field's highly praised study of the Waterloo campaign from the French perspective, depicts in vivid detail the often neglected final phase the rout and retreat of Napoleon's army. The text is based exclusively on French eyewitness accounts which give an inside view of the immediate aftermath of the battle and carry the story through to the army's disbandment in late 1815\. Many French officers and soldiers wrote more about the retreat than they did about the catastrophe of Waterloo itself. Their recollections give a fascinating insight to the psyche of the French soldier. They also provide a first-hand record of their experiences and the range of their reactions, from those who deserted the colours and made their way home, to those who continued to serve faithfully when all was lost. Napoleon s own flight from Waterloo is an essential part of the narrative, but the main emphasis is on the fate of the beaten French army as it was experienced by eyewitnesses who lived through the last days of the campaign.

The story of the Battle of Waterloo - of the ultimate defeat of Napoleon and the French, the triumph of Wellington, Bl cher and their allied armies - is most often told from the viewpoint of the victors, not the vanquished. Even after 200 years of intensive research and the publication of hundreds of books and articles on the battle, the French perspective and many of the primary French sources are under-represented in the written record. So it is high time this weakness in the literature - and in our understanding of the battle - was addressed, and that is the purpose of Andrew Field's thought-provoking new study. He has tracked down over ninety first-hand French accounts, many of which have never been previously published in English, and he has combined them with accounts from the other participants in order to create a graphic new narrative of one of the world's decisive battles. Virtually all of the hitherto unpublished testimony provides fascinating new detail on the battle and many of the accounts are vivid, revealing and exciting..

The military historian and expert on the Waterloo campaign presents a fascinating selection of firsthand accounts never before published in English.Andrew Field has written several important volumes on the Battle of Waterloo from the French perspective. Now he takes his pioneering work a step further by publishing these accounts, with all their vivid and personal detail, in full. This volume features Napoleons own description of the battle, as well as those of his immediate household, the Imperial headquarters, and members of 1st Corps.Readers can now engage with these crucial firsthand perspectives and compare them to those of the allied armies. They will also gain insight into the trauma that the French eyewitnesses went through as they tried to explain how they lost a battle they claim they had been on the point of winning.Napoleons own version of events, one of the first to be published in France, was used as the basis of many subsequent histories that ignore or gloss over his many dubious claims. His account of his actions on that decisive day, and the accounts of his close associates, make fascinating reading.

This volume of French eyewitness accounts of Waterloo, published for the first time in full in English, completes Andrew Field's pioneering work on the French experience in this decisive battle. These vivid recollections add a new dimension to our understanding of what happened on 18 June 1815.Readers will now be in a position to come to their own conclusions and they can compare the French accounts with those of soldiers from the allied armies, in particular the British, which have largely determined our assumptions about the battle for the last 200 years. They will also gain a heightened insight into the trauma that the French eyewitnesses went through on the battlefield and afterwards as they tried to explain and come to terms their loss.This second volume features graphic descriptions of the battle as it was remembered by men of the 2nd and 6th corps, cavalry, artillery and Imperial Guard and medical services of Napoleon's army. Their words give us not only a telling inside view their actions during that extraordinary day, but they also record in graphic detail what they saw and show us how they reacted to Napoleon's historic defeat.

This invaluable record presents newly translated, firsthand accounts of Waterloo from French soldiers who fought on the frontline.With this volume, Andrew Field completes his pioneering work on the French experience in this decisive battle. Readers can now engage with these vivid, ground-level accounts and compare them to the narratives based largely on the British perspective. They will also gain new insight into the trauma that the French experienced on the battlefield and afterward.This volume follows The French at Waterloo—Eyewitness Accounts: Napoleon, Imperial Headquarters, and 1st Corps. It features graphic descriptions of the battle as remembered by men of the 2nd and 6th corps, cavalry, artillery and Imperial Guard and medical services of Napoleon''s army. Their words give us not only an inside view their actions, but they also record in graphic detail what they saw and how they reacted to Napoleon''s historic defeat.

This invaluable record presents newly translated, firsthand accounts of Waterloo from French soldiers who fought on the frontline.With this volume, Andrew Field completes his pioneering work on the French experience in this decisive battle. Readers can now engage with these vivid, ground-level accounts and compare them to the narratives based largely on the British perspective. They will also gain new insight into the trauma that the French experienced on the battlefield and afterward.This volume follows The French at Waterloo—Eyewitness Accounts: Napoleon, Imperial Headquarters, and 1st Corps. It features graphic descriptions of the battle as remembered by men of the 2nd and 6th corps, cavalry, artillery and Imperial Guard and medical services of Napoleon''s army. Their words give us not only an inside view their actions, but they also record in graphic detail what they saw and how they reacted to Napoleon''s historic defeat.

The story of the Battle of Waterloo – of the ultimate defeat of Napoleon and the French, the triumph of Wellington, Blücher and their allied armies - is most often told from the viewpoint of the victors, not the vanquished. Even after 200 years of intensive research and the publication of hundreds of books and articles on the battle, the French perspective and many of the primary French sources are underrepresented in the written record. So it is high time this weakness in the literature – and in our understanding of the battle – was addressed, and that is the purpose of Andrew Field’s thought-provoking new study. He has tracked down over ninety firsthand French accounts, most of which have never been previously published in English, and he has combined them with accounts from the other participants in order to create a graphic new narrative of one of the world’s decisive battles. Virtually all of the hitherto unpublished testimony provides fascinating new detail on the battle and many of the accounts are vivid, revealing and exciting.

Andrew Field, who has published four best-selling books on the Battle of Waterloo, has established himself as one of the leading experts on the French perspective of the campaign. Using selected extracts from French eyewitness accounts that haven't been published before in English, he has added a new dimension to our understanding of what happened on the battlefield on 18 June 1815\. Now he takes his pioneering work a step further by publishing these accounts, with all their vivid and personal detail, in full.For the first time readers will be in a position to make their own interpretations of them and compare them to the recollections of soldiers from the allied armies, in particular the British, which have largely determined our assumptions about the battle for the last 200 years. They will also gain a heightened insight into the trauma that the French eyewitnesses went through as they tried to explain how the French lost a battle they claim they had been on the point of winning.This, the first of two volumes of the French accounts, features Napoleon's own description of the battle, those of his immediate household and the Imperial headquarters, and those of members of 1st Corps. Napoleon's own version of events, one of the first to be published in France, was used as the basis of many subsequent histories that ignore or gloss over his many dubious claims. His account of his actions and his view of what happened on that decisive day, and those of his close associates, make fascinating reading.