THE REAL NAPOLEON THEUNTOLDSTORY

NOWAVAILABLEINPAPERBACKONAMAZON

FrontCover

2

PREFACE

“Butbenotafraidofgreatness:somemenareborngreat,someachievegreatness,andsomehavegreatnessthrustuponthem.”

(WilliamShakespeare:TwelfthNight)

Andonemanwastheproductofallthree.

NapoleonBonapartewasbothamanofhistimesandyetonewhoroseabovethecircumstancesthatprevailedaroundhim.Comparedtotheotherrulersofhisdayhewasinaleagueofhisown–theonlyonewhopromotedcareersopentotalent,theonlyonereallyopentothenewwaysoftheEnlightenment.Thefacthetook177scientistsandexpertswithhimtoEgyptprovesthathewasmorethanjustanotherconqueror.OnlyamanwithamindlikeNapoleon,ashestoodnexttotheGreatPyramidofCheopsin1798,wouldspeculatethatitcontainedenoughstonetobuildawallaroundthewholeofFrance.Napoleonwasbornwithaphenomenalmemory,oneofthegreatestofalltime,andhepossessedanincredibleabilitytoconcentrateonthetaskinhand.Hiscapacitytoworkastoundedhisministers.Hehadvisionsbeyondthekenofhiscontemporariesandthewillpowerandsheerapplicationtomakethosevisionscomealive.AsWilliamHazlittsaidinhisessayOntheDisadvantagesofIntellectualSuperiority:“Thechiefdisadvantageofknowingmoreandseeingfartherthanothers,isnottobegenerallyunderstood.”Tothisday,Napoleonisoftenseenasbutacaricatureofhisrealself.Manydonotwanttounderstand,theypreferthepropagandaoftheirownnationandtheself‐delusionthattheyalone,andtheirvaliantarmyortheirheroicnavy,weretheonesthatwerealwaysintheright.Inanageofpersecution,itwasNapoleonwhofirstconceivedtheideaofaJewishhomelandintheHolyLandandonlyheallowedtheJewsthesamerightsaseveryotherpersoninhisEmpire.Andhewastheonlyrulertoemploythosethatdisagreedwithhim.HeoncesaidtoCaulaincourt:“Iknowyoudon’tlikeme,butyoualwaystellmethetruth”.1ThetruthwasthelastthingthatGeorgeIII,TsarAlexander,FrancisofAustriaandFredrickWilliamofPrussiawantedtohear.Thosefeeblemonarchsbelievedtheyhadadivinerighttorule‐eventhoughtheyallprovedtobeprettyincompetentatthetask.TheirforbearshadfounditeasyenoughtocarveupPolandbetweenthem,andtheyexpectedtocontinueinthesameoldway.Buttheydidnotknowwhattodowhen,astheyrepeatedlyattackedFrance,Napoleondefeatedthemtimeaftertime.Therewasn’tenoughgoldinthevaultsofeventheBankofEnglandtobuyNapoleon’sgenius.Thus,inamilitarysense,didhehavegreatnessthrustuponhim.Onapersonallevel,heputthosearrogantfoolstoshame.AsFelixMarkhamhassaid,tohisservantsandsecretaries:“hewasnaturallykindandconsiderate”.2Andhewasperhapstheonlyexceptiontotherulethat‘nomanisaherotohisvalet’asMarchandprovedsoadmirablyatSaintHelenaandafterwards.Heevenallowedhisstaffandofficialstogetawaywiththingsthatwouldhaveledto

3

imprisonmentorfarworsewithanyotherruler.OneexampleisaletterhewrotetoDecrès,hisMinisterofMarine:‘Iregretthatyoushouldhavelostyourtemperwithme;butinaword,whenoncetheangerisover,nothingremains;Ihope,therefore,thatyoufeelnoill‐willtowardsme.’3ThatwasaletterfromNapoleontooneofhisstaff.FordecadesinEngland,CharlesJamesFoxwasdeniedaplaceintheCabinetbecauseGeorgeIIIdidnotlikehim.HadFoxbeenintheEnglishCabinet,therewouldprobablyhavebeenpeacebetweenEnglandandFrance.NapoleondidhisbesttoenticeevenformerenemiesintohisgovernmentinordertodothebestforFrance.NapoleonwastheepitomizationoftheNewAge,alivingexamplethatthroughhardworkandconstantendeavour,eventhosefrommorehumblebeginningscouldmakeittothetop.Inthisbookheisshownforwhathewas,notashisenemiesconstantlyportrayedhim.Weshallseehispassionforintellectualenquiry,thekindnessheshowedtomenofallranksandstations,andhisabilitytoidentifywithandpersonifythehopesanddreamsofhissoldiersandthenationasawhole.WiththeaidofCoignet’sandBourgogne’stestimonyweshallseetheEmperorupcloseandpersonalandhowhecameacrosstothecommonman.InareviewofhiscareerasdepictedintherecentEnglishPressandbyEnglish‘historians’ingeneral,weshallseehowNapoleonhasbeenconstantlymalignedandmisinterpretedandaforthrightrebuttaloftheiraccusationsdulyfollows.NapoleonwouldhavelovedtheInternet–somanyfactsavailableatthemerepressofabutton.Itsoverwhelmingsweephasenabledmetogleaninformationfrom‘forgotten’historianslikeAbbotandRuncimanwhohaveacompletelydifferenttakeonthesupposedCorsicanOgreandmanyothergermanefactsfromamultitudeofwebsites.Inparticular,theinformationontheTamboraneruptionof1815oughttofascinateanyonewhohaseverarguedoverthedetailsofthatmuchdebatedbattle‐Waterloo.Recently,informationontheweatherconditionsprevailingduringtheyear1812,inparticularthelackofsunspots,whichindicateparticularcoldspellshereonEarth,andevenastudyoftheElNiñophenomenon–whichalsoaddsunusualturbulencetotheglobalclimate–showthatin1812Napoleonwasincrediblyunluckytohaveboththeseadverseweatherconditionstocontendwithatthesametime.4Inparticular,IhopeanewgenerationofreaderswilltakeafreshlookatthehistoryofNapoleonBonaparte,withoutthatdeadweightofbigotedtraditionthatsmothershisachievementsandhisdeservedclaimtogreatness.

JohnTarttelin,

Conisbrough,SouthYorkshire,England,2013

4

CONTENTSPREFACE1THEREALNAPOLEON2NAPOLEON’SACTSOFGENORISITYANDKINDNESS3ENGLAND’SWARSAGAINSTNAPOLEON4ENGLAND’SUNLIKELYHERO–NAPOLEON5COIGNETOFTHEGUARD:PARTONE6COIGNETOFTHEGUARD:PARTTWO7COIGNETOFTHEGUARD:PARTTHREE8COIGNETOFTHEGUARD:PARTFOUR9COIGNETOFTHEGUARD:PARTFIVE10NAPOLEONANDRUSSIA11MARCHORDIE:THERETREATOF181212ASHESTOASHES:VOLCANOESANDNAPOLEON13NAPOLEONANDTHEENGLISHPRESSGANG14THISSEPTICISLE:BRITAININTHEEARLYC19TH15NAPOLEONTHETAMBORAERUPTIONANDWATERLOO16HAIRSAYANDHERESY:THEMURDEROFNAPOLEONAPPENDIXIMPORTANTNAMESBIBLIOGRAPHY

Formoreinformationpleasegoto:‐

https://www.createspace.com/4131957

(AnewSecondEditionKindleversionisalsoavailable)

BackCover