Biographies | The Napoleon Series

Peter
Bagration: The Best Georgian General of the Napoleonic Wars
By Alexander Mikaberidze
A massive biography of one the greatest generals fighting
for Russia. This article focuses mainly on his contributions during
the French invasion of 1812.

Beauharnais, Eugene

Macdonald
and Prince Eugene: The Battle of the Piave
By Mike Hallaron
The 1809 campaign in Italy saw Prince Eugene’s first campaign
as an army commander. It was also notable in that future Marshal E.
J. J. A. Macdonald was recalled from early retirement to fight under
Eugene in Italy where the two men developed a professional relationship.
Macdonald’s experience and guidance were critical to Eugene’s success
and personal development as a general. Their first taste of victory
came at the Battle of the Piave River. This article is based on a
chapter from a new biography of Marshal Macdonald which the author
hopes to have published very soon.

Berthier, Alexandre

The
Indispensable Marshal: Louis-Alexandre Berthier (1753-1815)
By Kevin Kiley

A fresh look at the senior marshal in the French Empire.

Bessieres, Jean-Baptiste

Bessieres and
the Guides of Bonaparte: a Biographical Outline
By Roberto Scattolin

Bessieres and his relationship with Napoleon

Bijleveld, Adriaan

Horse Artillery Officers of the Netherlands Serving from
1813 to 1815: Bijleveld, Adriaan
By Geert van
Uythoven

Blake y Joyes, Joaquín

General Joa Blake y Joyes
By: Rodolfo B.González
Translated by: César Pérez

General Joaquín Blake y Joyes

By José Manuel Rodriguez

Two rare biographies of a Spanish General.

Bo(o)de, David
Esaias

Bois, Lodewijk Hendrik du

Bonaparte, Joseph

Joseph Bonaparte’s
Sojourn in America
By Alan Hills

Joseph Bonaparte’s life in America.

Point Breeze:
Joseph Bonaparte’s Home in America
By Tom Holmberg

Joseph Bonaparte escaped to America in 1815 and lived in
New Jersey…

The
Spanish Legacy: Portrait of a King – through the Eyes
of a Soldier
By Roberto
A. Scattolin

The problems of King Joseph’s rule in Spain, as seen by a French
Soldier

Bonaparte, Napoleon

The
Lost Voices of Napoleonic Historians
Thomas J. Vance
While new biographies abound, they cannot replace the many
great books about Napoleon that are now out-of-print. To capture these
lost voices, we must rely on well-stocked public and college libraries
and our favorite used bookshops. This article highlights nine such
authors, who were objective and free with their opinions about Napoleon,
focusing on their opinions about Napoleon’s place in history.

Bortolini, Bartolomeo

Dans le Sillage de l’Honneur: Historiographical Specifications
on the Trentine Memories of Bartolomeo Bortolini

The Weight of Honour: Bartolomeo
Bortolini’s Military Career

A Long Way to Glory: Questions on Bartolomeo Bortolini
By Roberto Scattolin

Tracing the roots and the controversies surrounding an Italian
soldier.

British Officers of the Napoleonic Wars

Lionel S. Challis’s Peninsula Roll Call
Edited by Robert Burnham

Biographical data on over 9,600 officers who served in the British
Army in the Peninsula.

List of
British Officers to Whom His Majesty Has Granted Honorary Crosses,
Medals, Etc.
Submitted by Steve Brown

Decorations received by British officers during the Napoleonic
Wars

Not One in Ten Thousand Know Your Name: the Officers of the British
1st Battalion of Detachments in 1809
By Robert Burnham and Ron McGuigan

Biographies of the officers who served in the unit.

The Training Ground: Regimental Services of British Army Generals
1793-1815
By Steve Brown

What regiments the generals served in.

Brown, Gustavus
By Christian Strutz

Military Career and Family Events of Gustav Heinrich Gottlieb Braun (Gustavus Brown)
Gustav Braun’s Family Information

A long forgotten German who served with the British Army

Brune, Marshal Guillaume

The Rehabilitation of Marshal
Brune

La Rehabilitation du Marechal
Brune (In French)
By Dominique Contant

How and why the marshal was lynched in 1815 and how his wife restored
his reputation.

Brunerie, Maréchal de France Guillaume Dode de La Brunerie

Maréchal de France
Guillaume Dode de La Brunerie: Le Vauban des temps modernes
Par François Lo Presti

Marshal Guillaume Dode de la
Brunierie: the Vauban of Modern Times
By François Lo Presti

An exhaustive biography of the first engineer officer to
become a Marshal since Vauban. This paper is both in French and English.

Byron, Lord

Between Emperor
and Exile: Byron and Napoleon
By John Clubbe

The fame English poet was fascinated by the Emperor. This paper
examines their relationship from 1814 – 1816.

Cambronne, Pierre

Newspaper
Accounts of the Trial of General Pierre Cambronne: 27 April 1816
Compiled by Susan Howard

How the trial was covered in The Times of London.

Caracciolo, François

Une vie
de gentilhomme des mers: L’amiral Francesco Caracciolo, duc de Brienza
The Life of a
Gentlman of the Seas: Admiral Francesco Caracciolo, Duke of Brienza
(The abridged English version.)
By Dr. Gabriel Vital-Durand

The controversial death of a Neapolitian Admiral in 1799.

Clarke, Henri

Henri Clarke, Minister
of War, and the Malet Conspiracy
By Everett Dague

The man behind the attempted coup-d’etat against Napoleon in 1812.

Corday, Charlotte

Charlotte Corday: Angel of Assassination
By Dan Cheng

A children’s biography about the woman who assassinated Jean-Paul Marat.

Cuesta, Gregorio García de la

Gregorio García de la Cuesta

By José Manuel Rodriguez and Arsenio Garcia Fuentes
Translated by Caroline Miley

The Spanish commander at Talavera.

Davout, Louis Nicholas

Davout and Napoleon:
A Study of Their Personal Relationship
By John Gallaher

A look at the often stormy relationship between the Emperor and
his most capable subordinate.

de Jongh, Wybrand Adriaan

Lt-Colonel Wybrand Adriaan De Jongh (1776 – 1821)
By Marco Bijl

Dorokhov, General Lieutenant Ivan Semyonovich

General
Lieutenant Ivan Semyonovich Dorokhov (1762-1815)
By Robert A. Mosher
A look at one of Russia’s great cavalry leaders who played
a key role at Borodino and Maloyaroslavets.

Drouot, Jean Batpiste

Newspaper Accounts of
the Trial of General Jean Baptiste Drouot: 18 August 1815 – 12 April
1816
Compiled by Susan Howard

How the trial was covered in The Times of London.

Dumonceau, General Jean-Baptiste

General
Jean-Baptiste Dumonceau: The Unblemished General
By Bruno Nackaerts
One of the most effective, but least known generals of the
French Empire was General Jean-Baptiste Dumonceau.

DuPont, A. Willem

Foures, Pauline

Pauline
Foures: Napoleon’s Cleopatra
By David Roberts
A biography of Napoleon’s mistress during the Egyptian Campaign.

Gey, Adrianus Rudolf Willem

Horse Artillery Officers of the Netherlands Serving from
1813 to 1815: Gey, Adrianus Rudolf Willem
By Geert van
Uythoven

Godoy, Manuel

The Royal Favorite:
Manuel Francisco Domingo de Godoy, Prince of the Peace
By Stephen Millar

A biography of one of history’s most notorious ‘social
climbers’.

Gruben, Philipp Baron

Philipp
Baron Gruben’s Stall Plate
By Georg Tzanis

Gun(c)kel, Carel August

Hamilton, William

Lieutenant William Hamilton, 95th Foot
By Colin Hamilton

A short biography of the Hamilton family, who had five members
serving officers in Wellington’s Army.

Heiden, Frederik Maurits van

Cavalry Officers of the Netherlands: Frederik Maurits van Heiden
By Geert van
Uythoven

de Herrasti, Perez

Perez de Herrasti,
Governor of Ciudad Rodrigo: “the thumb
breaks but does not bend”
By Miguel Martín
Angel Mas
Translated by Caroline
Miley

A biography of the defender of Ciudad Rodrigo

Higgins, Sarah

The Letters
of Sarah Higgins

An unusual collection of letters from the wife of an officer in
the British Army. They provide insight into the life of military
wives of the time.

Higgins, Thomas

Lieutenant
Thomas Higgins

Lieutenant Higgins was an officer in the British 45th Foot Regiment.
Contains information on his commission, images of his image, and
a letter written concerning the French Invasion scare of 1804.

More Letters
from Lieutenant Thomas Higgins

Hogerwaard, Christiaan Everhard Johan

Dutch Artillery Officers: Hogerwaard, Christiaan Everhard Johan
By Geert van
Uythoven

A horse artillery officer who fought for Napoleon.

Holsman, Godfried Jacob

Holsman, Godfried Jacob
By Geert van
Uythoven

Hugo, Abel

Hugo, Abel (or
Joseph-Abel) – French writer
(1798-1855)
By Tim Mahon

Older brother of Victor Hugo.

Hugo, Louis Joseph

Louis Joseph Hugo
By Dominique Contant

A biography of the uncle that Victor Hugo wrote so much about.

Isabey, Jean Baptiste

Jean
Baptiste Isabey: The Little Court Painter
By Chris Maine
Art Historians only too recently have attempted to fully
come to terms with the works of the famous Neo-Classical artist Jacques
Louis David. Searching for a place in history to place both David
and his works into social context, these so-called historians have
often overlooked the significant contributions of several of David’s
contemporaries. Men such as Jean Baptiste Isabey…

Janssens, Jan Willem

Lieutenant General Jan Willem Janssens
By Geert van
Uythoven

The defender of the Cape of Good Hope in 1805 and the Dutch East Indies in 1810.

Jefferson, Thomas

Thomas Jefferson on Great Britain
By Tom Holmberg

A collection of quotes made by Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd President
of the United States, about Great Britain.

Jomini, Antoine-Henri Baron de

General Antoine-Henri
Baron de Jomini with the
État-Major Général in 1812
By Eman Vovsi

Jomini’s duties in Napoleon’s Headquarters.

A.-H. Baron de Jomini in 1813: the Rubicon Crossed

Why Baron Jomini defected to the Allies in 1813.

Kaempfer, Nicolaas Lodewijk

Foot Artillery Officers of the Netherlands Serving from
1813 to 1815: Kaempfer, Nicolaas Lodewijk
By Geert van
Uythoven

Keinmayer, Michael Freiherr von

Der eiserne Obelisk: Ein sprechendes Grabmal am Penzinger Friedhof (in German)
By Nicolaus Drimmel

Kikkert, Isaac

Foot Artillery Officers of the Netherlands Serving from
1813 to 1815: Kikkert, Isaac
By Geert van
Uythoven

Krahmer de Bichin, Carel Frederik

Horse Artillery Officers of the Netherlands Serving from
1813 to 1815: Krahmer de Bichin, Carel Frederik
By Geert van
Uythoven

Krayenhoff, Cornelis Rudolphus Theodorus Baraon

Engineer Officers of the Netherlands: Krayenhoff, Cornelis Rudolphus Theodorus Baron
By Geert van
Uythoven

The senior Dutch engineer, who served in the armies of the Batavian Republic, the Kingdom of Holland, the French Empire, and the Netherlands.

Kuytenbrouwer, Martinus Antonius

Foot Artillery Officers of the Netherlands Serving from
1813 to 1815: Kuytenbrouwer, Martinus Antonius
By Geert van
Uythoven

Labedoyere, Charles Comte de

Newspaper
Accounts of the Trial and Execution of General Charles Angelique Huchet,
Comte de Labedoyere: 15 – 24 August 1815: 15 – 24 August 1815
Compiled by Susan Howard

Newspaper accounts of the trial and escape of Napoleon’s aide-de-camp.

Lannes, Jean

A Military Bull in
a Diplomatic China Shop: General Jean Lannes’s Mission to Lisbon 1802-1804
By Margaret Chrisawn

The future Marshal’s less than successful career as a diplomat!

Lavalette, Comte Marie

The Trial and Escape of
Count Marie Lavalette: 16 November 1815 – 2 January 1816
Compiled by Susan Howard

Newspaper accounts of the trial and escape of Napoleon’s aide-de-camp.

Lecor, Carlos Frederico Lecor

Carlos Frederico Lecor: the Making of a Portuguese General
By Jorge Quinta-Nova

The career of Portugal’s most famous general of the Napoleonic Wars

List, Frederik Carel

Horse Artillery Officers of the Netherlands Serving from
1813 to 1815: List, Frederik Carel
By Geert van
Uythoven

Loison, Comte Louis-Henri

Comte
Louis-Henri Loison: General Divisionnaire 1771-1816
Par Henri Jeanpierre

An exhaustive biography of French general Comte Louis-Henri Loison.
This paper is in French.

Louis XVIII

Newspaper
Accounts of the Proclamation of King Louis XVIII upon His Return to
France: 28 June 1815
Compiled By Susan Howard

Lux, Johannes Hendrik

Foot Artillery Officers of the Netherlands Serving from
1813 to 1815: Lux, Johannes Hendrik
By Geert van
Uythoven

Mackenzie, John Randoll

The
Peninsular Journal of Major General John Randoll Mackenzie 1808-1809
Transcribed,
edited and annotated by Moisés Gaudêncio and Anthony Gray

The general’s never been published before journal!

Macnab, Alexander

A Canadian Peninsular
and

Waterloo Man: The Story of Captain Alexander Macnab, 2/30th Foot
By Major John Grodzinski

A short biography of a Canadian who died at Waterloo.

Marshalate

Napoleon’s
Marshals
By Artea
Here you will find the biographies of the Marshals. They
come from the CD-Rom: Napoleon, Europe and the Empire by Infogrames.
Many thanks to Infogrames and Artea for making this text freely available
by not putting any copyright on it. If you are really interested in
Napoleon then you must get this CD-Rom, it is one of the best works
on Napoleon I have ever seen. Look for it on the Infogrames
homepage.

A Guide
to the French Marshals
By Alexander Mikaberidze

A handy guide to the French Marshalate! Here you can find out dates
of birth, death, mariages, wives names, children, dates of rank,
etc.r

Wives and Children
of the Marshals
By CoriHauer-Galambos, François Lo Presti, & Max Sewell

A list of the wives and children of Napoleon’s Marshals.

The Marshals’
Final Resting Place: Le Cimetiere du Pere-Lachaise
By Tony Broughton

A virtual tour of the tombs and mausoleums of the French Marshals.

Masséna, André

André
Masséna, Prince D’Essling, in the Age of Revolution
By Donald D. Horward

A look at the career of a man who is thought by some to be as great
of a military genius as Napoleon.

An Economic Discrepancy in the 1809 Austrian Campaign: the Scratched
Price of Titled Glory
By Roberto Scattolin

What it cost Marshal Massena to ride in the carriage at Wagram.

Mocquery, Alexandre

Address given by M. Dondeau
at the Funeral of General Mocquery, who died at Ervy (Aube) on 5 January
1853
Provided by Ian H. Hill

Murat, Achilles

Prince
Achilles Murat’s Grave
in Tallahassee, Florida
By Alexander
Mikaberidze

A photographic tour of his and his wife’s gravesite.

Murat, Joachim

Joachim
Murat and the Kingdom of Naples: 1808 – 1815
By: Dale
Pappas

A short history of Murat and his kingdom.

Murat:
Deacon, Waiter, General, Marshal, King
By David Block

One of the most flamboyant figures of the Napoleonic period
was Joachim Murat. His father, a hotel keeper, intended him to become
a priest…

Napoleon II

The Eaglet in
Uniform: The Military Service of Napoleon II
By Thomas Vance

The brief military career of Napoleon’s heir.

Ney, Marshal Michel

Did Marshal Ney Die in 1815 or Did He Escape to America?
By Tom Holmberg

Did Marshal Ney avoid death by a firing squad?

The
Lack of Opposition to the Execution of Marshal Ney
By Bruno Nackaerts

One of the most popular of Napoleon’s marshals is undoubtedly Michel
Ney, affectionately known to his troops as “le Rougeaud”
(“ginger”) for the color of his hair. So how could this man, later
known as the “the Bravest of the Brave” be executed in a
Paris public park?

“Pour
encourager les autres”: The Trial and Execution of Marshal Michel
Ney
By Stephen Millar

The politics behind the execution.

Newspaper Accounts of
the Trial and Execution of Marshal Michel Ney
Compiled by Susan Howard
Note: This paper won the prize for the Best Publication
and/or Translation into English of New Archival Material or Books Long
Out of Print Category in the 2006 Napoleon Series Writing Contest!

How the trial was covered in The Times of London.

Silent Words, Silent Histories: a Controversial Case of Reading
about Marshal Ney
By Roberto A. Scattolin

More anecdotes about how Marshal Ney escaped to America.

Prince (Willem) Frederik Karel van Oranje-Nassau

Foot Artillery Officers of the Netherlands Serving from
1813 to 1815: Prince (Willem) Frederik Karel van Oranje-Nassau
By Geert van
Uythoven

Oudinot, Nicolas Charles

Marshal Nicolas
Charles Oudinot: “Le Bayard de l’armée français”

A biography of the marshal who was wounded more times than any
of the others, but still lived to be 80 years old!

Perponcher-Sedlnitsky, Hendrik George de

Luitenant-generaal
Hendrik George de Perponcher-Sedlnitsky
By Geert van
Uythoven

Commander of the 2nd Netherlands Division at Waterloo

Petter, Abraham

Horse Artillery Officers of the Netherlands Serving from
1813 to 1815: Petter, Abraham
By Geert van
Uythoven

Piedmont

Gli Ufficiali sardi al servizio russo (1799-1816)
By Virgilio
Ilari

Piedmont officers in Russian Service (1799-1816)

Piontkowski, Charles Frederic Jules

Piontkowski:
A Life of True Devotion
By Bob Elmer

A biography of the man who twice accompanied Napoleon into exile,
firstly to Elba, and then to St. Helena.

Plunkett, Thomas

Rifleman
Thomas Plunkett: ‘A Pattern for the Battalion’
By Stuart Hadaway

Rifleman Plunkett, like so many of the common soldiers of the day,
was destined for obscurity, until he took the shot that made him
famous!

Riesz, Carel Jan

Foot Artillery Officers of the Netherlands Serving from
1813 to 1815: Riesz, Carel Jan

By Geert van
Uythoven

la Romana, Pedro Caro y Sureda, 3^rd Marquis of

Pedro Caro y Sureda, 3rd
Marquis of la Romana
By Jose Manuel Rodriguez

The premier Spanish general of the Peninsula War.

Ross, Patrick

Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Ross 48th Foot
By Ron McGuigan

Commanded a brigade in the Peninsula War.

Savin, Pierre-Felix

The “Last Veteran” of Napoléon’s 1812 Grande Armée
or How a Great Mystery Was Solved
By Victor Totfalyshin and Yves
Gauthier

Scheffer, Johan George Hendrik

Foot Artillery Officers of the Netherlands Serving from
1813 to 1815: Scheffer, Johan George Hendrik
By Geert van
Uythoven

Smissen, Jacques-Louis-Dominique, Baron van der

Horse Artillery Officers of the Netherlands Serving from
1813 to 1815: Smissen, Jacques-Louis-Dominique, Baron van der
By Geert van
Uythoven

Smith, Digby

Digby ‘Otto Von Pivka’
Smith
By Nick Smith

A biography of one of the most well known and prolific authors
who cover the Napoleonic Era.

Spanish Artillery Officers

Spanish Artillery Officers
during the War of Independence
Translated by Caroline Miley

Spies, Johannes Nicolaas

Foot Artillery Officers of the Netherlands Serving from
1813 to 1815: Spies, Johannes Nicolaas
By Geert van
Uythoven

Steenberghe Maximillian-Henry

Foot Artillery Officers of the Netherlands Serving from
1813 to 1815: Steenberghe Maximillian-Henry
By Geert van
Uythoven

Steuben, Baron Friedrich von

Baron von Steuben: A Study of His Impact on the US Army
By Ümit Kaan Usta

Stevenart, Emmanuel-Joseph

Foot Artillery Officers of the Netherlands Serving from
1813 to 1815: Stevenart, Emmanuel-Joseph
By Geert van
Uythoven

Stewart, Alexander

Captain Alexander Stewart 1st Foot
By Gareth Glover

Stendhal

Following in
the Footsteps of Glory: Stendhal’s Napoleonic Career
By J. David Markham

One of the most notable literary figures of 19th Century Europe
was at first an official in Napoleon’s government.

Suvorov, Aleksandr Vasiliyevich

Suvorov
– Russia’s Eagle Over the Alps
By Robert A. Mosher

Born into the lesser nobility, in the city of Moscow, on November
24, 1729, Aleksandr Suvorov would spend most of his 72 years in military
service to the Russian Tsars and die – according to legend – of heartbreak
when Tsar Paul I denied him both recognition and the opportunity of
further service even in the face of ill-health and old age.

Travers, Etienne Jacques Baron de Jever

Cavalry Officers of the Netherlands: Lieutenant-General Etienne Jacques Travers Baron de Jever
By Geert van
Uythoven

Trip, Hendrik Rudolph

Foot Artillery Officers of the Netherlands Serving from
1813 to 1815: Trip, Hendrik Rudolph
By Geert van
Uythoven

van Bijlandt, Willem

Major
General Willem Frederik van Bijlandt (1771 – 1855)
By Marco Bijl

Wellington’s
Sharpes: British Army Ranker Officers 1793-1815
By Steve Brown

White, Andrew Douglas

Andrew Douglas White, Australia’s only Waterloo Veteran

By Steve Brown

Wijnands, Pieter

Foot Artillery Officers of the Netherlands Serving from
1813 to 1815: Wijnands, Pieter
By Geert van
Uythoven

Winssinger, Leopold