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Sources on the Campaigns of 1806 & 1807
Compiled by Robert Goetz
English Language Sources
Goltz, Colmar, Freiherr von der. Jena to Eylau, the Disgrace and the
Redemption of the Old-Prussian Army; a Study in Military History,
New York : E. P. Dutton and Company; London: K. Paul, Trench, Trübner
& co. ltd., 1913. Reprinted by Demi-Solde Press, 1999.
Goltz provides an analysis of the campaign from the aftermath of
Jena through the battle of Eylau, focusing on the Prussian army's
collapse and subsequent vital contribution at Eylau. Maude's Jena
Campaign ends with a specific reference to this volume as a resource
for following the pursuit after Jena, making it an excellent companion
piece to Maude (see below).
Hourtoulle, F.G. Jena, Auerstadt: The Triumph of the Eagle
Paris : Histoire & Collections, 1998.
Hourtoulle provides a nice recent work, lavishly illustrated with
detailed OOBs and uniform illustrations. The brief background of the
campaign that he provides is a bit one-sided and superficial, but
the descriptions of the battles themselves are quite detailed and
very thorough.
Maude, F. N. (Frederic Natusch) The Jena campaign, 1806 (Special
Campaign Series, no. 9), London : S. Sonnenschein; New York : The Macmillan
company, 1909; London : Greenhill Books/Stackpole Books, 1998.
Maude provides an excellent analysis of the campaign through Jena
and Auerstadt. His work provides more analysis and fewer details than
Petre or Hortoulle, but goes a long way towards explaining the reasons
of the Prussian debacle. He concludes with a specific reference to
von der Goltz's Jena to Eylau for a description of the pursuit
after Jena, making the two volumes excellent companion pieces.
Petre, F. Loraine. Napoleon's Conquest of Prussia 1806 London
: John Lane; New York : John Lane Company, 1907; London : Greenhill
Books ; California : Presidio Press, 1993.
Petre, F. Loraine Napoleon's Campaign in Poland, 1806-1807 London:
S. Low, Marston and Company, limited, 1901; London : J. Lane, 1907;
New York : Hippocrene Books, 1975; London : Arms and Armour Press, 1976;
London: Greenhill Books/Stackpole Books, 1989.
Petre provides a thorough history of the campaign, detailing operations
up to and including the battles of Jena and Auerstadt as well as the
pursuit in Prussia. In Poland, Petre provides the best overall summary
of the campaign in Poland available in English. Overall Poland is
not bad, but there are errors in detail, including some errors that
I have to consider are simply sloppiness on his part (this was his
first effort at writing history). For example, he consistently refers
to a Russian General Litow when he means General Titow, which seems
to be a misreading of the old German typeface used in Hoepfner's Der
Krieg von 1806 u. 1807. No other English-language account provides
as much detail as Petre and overall his analysis is fair and reasonably
balanced.
Wilson, Sir Robert. Brief remarks on the Character and Composition
of the Russian Army, and a Sketch of the Campaigns in Poland in the
Years 1806 and 1807 London, Printed by C. Roworth, and sold by T.
Egerton, 1810; Reprinted as Campaigns in Poland Worley Publications,
2000.
Wilson, Sir Robert. I Must "Go A Hunting" Frenchmen, An Englishman's
Journal during the War of the Fourth Coalition 1806-1807 Demi-Solde
Press.
Wilson is rather rabidly anti-French and tends to take Russian claims
at face value, however outrageous they might be, and then poke fun
at equally outrageous French claims as published in bulletins. Given
that is was originally published in 1810, it should be taken in the
context of propaganda, but it also offers an excellent counterbalance
to the more accessible and equally biased French perspective on the
campaign. Especially valuable are the translations of French bulletins
and Russian and Prussian documents that comprise the appendices in
Brief Remarks.
German Language Sources
Bichler, Karl-Horst. Napoleons Krieg gegen Preussen und Sachsen
1806 Reinbek (Germany): Einhorn-Presse-Verlag, 1998.
Goltz, Colmar, Freiherr von der. Von Jena bis Pr. Eylau Berlin:
E.S. Mittler und sohn, 1907.
See comments on the English edition above.
Goltz, Colmar, Freiherr von der. Von Rossbach bis Jena und Auerstedt
Berlin, E. S. Mittler und sohn, 1906.
Höpfner, Eduard von, Der Krieg von 1806 und 1807 4 Vols. Berlin
: S. Schrop, 1850-1851; Reprinted by LTR-Verlag GmbH, 1991 in 4 vols
+ 1 Map volume.
Hoepfner's Der Krieg von 1806 und 1807 (1851) is a dense,
detailed study of the campaign that attempts to provide detail on
the regimental level where possible. In good Prussian style, Hoepfner
sticks to the facts and relates them in a way that even a non-German
speaker can decipher most of the time.
Lettow-Vorbeck, Oscar von. Der Krieg von 1806 und 1807 4 Vols.,
Berlin, E.S. Mittler und Sohn, 1891-96.
Lettow-Vorbeck's Der Krieg von 1806 und 1807 is the intellectual
offspring of Hoepfner's work of the same name. Lettow provides a bit
less detail than Hoepfner, but far more analysis, with comparisons
of the various sources on the campaign, including Plotho, Hoepfner,
Foucart and Mikhailovskii-Danilevskii. It stands as the definitive
campaign study in German.
Plotho, Carl von. Tagebuch wahrend des Krieges Zwischen Russland
und Preussen Berlin: Friedrich Braunes, 1811.
Plotho, a German serving with the Russian army, provides good detail
on the campaign from the Russian/Prussian side. Plotho's account is
the main source for both Hoepfner and Lettow-Vorbeck on Russian activities
on the Narew-Ukra. Plotho's account suffers a bit from a limited perspective
and a tendency to be frustratingly imprecise.
French Language Sources
Bennigsen, Leonty Leontyevich, count von. Mémoires du Général Bennigsen
3 vols. [edited by du Capitaine du génie breveté E. Cazales de l'état-major
de l'armée], Paris : Charles-Lavauzelle, 1907-1908.
This consists of a series of writings of Bennigsen from immediately
after the campaign had ended, with considerable annotation by Cazales.
The Cazales annotation includes entire paragraphs from Lettow-Vorbeck
to provide additional detail or to refute Bennigsen's claims. As with
any memoirs, they are not always factual, but they provide considerable
insight into Bennigsen and the Russian operations in General. Vols.
1 and 2 cover the 1806-7 campaign.
Davout, Louis Nicolas, duc d'Auerstaedt et prince d'Eckmuhl. Operations
du 3eme Corps: 1806-1807 Rapport du Marechal Davout, Duc d'Auerstädt
Paris, C. Levy, 1896.
This is the campaign journal of III Corps detailing all operations
of the corps. Foucart included large portions of Davout's journal
in his collections of documents.
Foucart, Paul Jean. Campagne de Prusse (1806) d'apres les archives
de la guerre 2 vols Paris, Berger-Levrault, 1887-1895.
Foucart, Paul Jean. La cavalerie pendant la campagne de Prusse (7
octobre - 7 novembre 1806) d'apres les archives de la guerre Paris,
Berger-Levrault, 1880.
Foucart, Paul Jean. Campagne de Pologne: novembre-decembre 1806-janvier
1807 (Pultusk et Golymin) d'apres les archives de la guerre 2 Vols.
Paris, Librairie militaire Berger-Levrault, 1882.
Foucart transcribed orders emanating from Napoleon's HQ and reports
sent in by the commanders. He also provided explanatory notes to set
the context. These volumes are essential for serious research and
are much more accessible than the original documents. Unfortunately
this series only covers through 31 January 1807.
Hortoulle, F. G. La bataille d'iena auerstaedt le triomphe de l'aigle
Paris: Histoire & Collections, 1998.
See description of the English edition above.
Lechartier, G. La Manoeuvre de Pultusk Paris: Librairie Militaire
R. Chapelot et Cie, 1911.
Le Commandant de l'artillerie breveté G. Lechartier de la section
historique de l'etat-major de l'armée (as he is identified on the
title page) has written what appears to be the definitive French analysis
of the Pultusk phase of the campaign.
Thiry, Jean, Baron. Eylau, Friedland, Tilsit Paris. Editions
Berger-Levrault, 1964.
Zvegintsov, V. V. (Vladimir Vladimirovich). L'Armée russe [Russkaia
Armiia], Part 4 -1801-1825, Paris: Viroflay, l'auteur, 15 rue Arthur-Petit,
1973-1978.
While generally about the Russian army, Russkaia Armiia provides
some description of the campaign as well as details on army organization.
It was produced with both Russian and French text with separate pagination
in the same volume.
Russian Language Sources
Mikhailovskii-Danilevskii, Aleksandr Ivanovich. Opisanie vtoroi
voiny imperatora Aleksandra s Napoleonom v 1806 i 1807 godakh St.
Petersburg, 1846. (Relation of the Second War of Tsar Alexander with
Napoleon in 1806 and 1807)
Zhurnal voennykh deistvii imperatorskoi rossiiskoi armiia s nachala
do okontsaniia kampanii i e noiabria 1806 do 7 iulia 1807 g. [Journal
Voennykh Deystviy Imperatorskoy Rossiyskoy Armii], Sankt-Peterburg,
1807; St. Petersburg, 1810.
This is the official Journal of the operations (Journal of Military
Actions of Imperial Russian Army). Wilson has translated substantial
portions of this in the appendices of Brief Remarks.
Zvegintsov, V. V. (Vladimir Vladimirovich). Russkaia Armiia
[L'Armée russe]. Part 4 -1801-1825, Paris: Viroflay, l'auteur,
15 rue Arthur-Petit, 1973-1978.
While generally about the Russian army, Russkaia Armiia provides
some description of the campaign as well as details on army organization.
It was produced with both Russian and French text with separate pagination
in the same volume.
Some Useful Memoirs
Coignet, Jean-Roch. The Note-books of Captain Coignet : Soldier
of the Empire London P. Davies, limited 1928; London: Greenhill
Books/Stackpole Books, 1998. Also see: Les cahiers du Capitaine Coignet,
Paris: Hachette et Cie., 1888; Paris: 1894; Paris : Hachette, 1912;
Paris: Hachette, 1957.
Von Marengo bis Waterloo; Memoiren. Bearb. von G. Rummler. Mit
einer Studie uber das Napoleonische Veteranentum von P. Holzhausen,
Stuttgart, Lutz [1910].
Davydov, Denis. In the Service of the Tsar against Napoleon : the
Memoirs of Denis Davidov, 1806-1814 translated and edited by Gregory
Troubetzkoy. London : Greenhill Books/Stackpole Books, 1999.
Davydov provides a colorful look at the Russian side, including descriptions
of his experiences at the action of Wolfsdorf, Eylau and Tilsit.
Ermolov, A. P. (Aleksiei Petrovich). Zapiski A.P. Ermolova, 1798-1826
Moskva : "Vysshaia shkola", 1991.
Löwenstern, Eduard von. Mit Graf Pahlens Reiteri gegen Napoleon:
Denkwürdigkeiten des russischen Generals Eduard von Löwenstern (1790-1837)
Berlin: Ernst Siegfried Mittler und Sohn, 1910.
Löwenstern was another German officer in the Russian army, on Graf
Pahlen's staff (3rd Division cavalry initially).
Marbot, Jean-Baptiste-Antoine-Marcelin, baron de. The Memoirs of
Baron de Marbot, [tr. by Arthur John Butler], London, New York,
Longmans, Green and Co., 1892; London, 1907, London : New York : Longmans,
Green, 1913. There are also many other full and abridged editions under
various titles. Also see: Memoires du general Baron de Marbot
Paris, E. Plon, Nourrit et cie, 1892; Paris : Mercure de France, 1983.
Memoiren des General Marcellin Marbot Stuttgart, R. Lutz, 1907.
Marbot is immensely readable, though somewhat romanticized. His description
of the actions of VII Corps are of particular interest.
Parquin, Denis Charles. Napoleon's victories; from the personal
memoirs of Capt. C. Parquin, of the Imperial guard, 1803-1814 Chicago:
The Werner Co., 1893. Reprinted as Napoleon's Army [Translated
and edited by B.T. Jones], London, Longmans, 1969; Hamden, CT: Archon
Books, 1969; London: Greenhill Books, 1987. Also see: Souvenirs du
commandant Parquin Paris : J. Tallandier, c1979. Unter Napoleons
fahnen; feldzugs- erinnerungen eines alten soldaten des kaiserreichs,
1803-1814 [von Major Parquin] [Heausgegeben und mit anmerkungen
versehen von generalmajor z. D. v. Werlhof.], Berlin: K. Siegismund,
1910.
Rapp, Jean, comte. Memoirs of General Count Rapp, First Aide-de-Camp
to Napoleon London, H. Colburn and Co., 1823; Ken Trotman, Cambridge,
1985. Also see: Memoires du general Rapp, aide-de-camp de Napoleon
Paris, Bossange freres, 1823.
Rapp's memoirs are direct and to the point. They read like an after-action
report in stark contrast to the more descriptive style of Marbot and
others.
Placed on the Napoleon Series: March 2001
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