ageofnapoleon
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Dispatch 37
🕑 Added 2025-07-19 03:21:33 +0000 UTCHere is the thirty-seventh patrons-only Dispatch. Topics include: camouflage, the balloons of the Aerostatic Corps, and café culture under the Empire.
Don't forget to leave any questions for the next dispatch below. And once again: thank you for your support!
Comments
The Age of Napoleon
Interesting, the examples of the air pump I found online are much smaller than that. I wonder if there were multiple models, maybe a smaller one for use in the field and a larger one to be used behind the lines or in static positions.
Luke
Thank you for the information on the Girandoni air rifle. I had never heard of it before (including its role in the Lewis and Clark expedition). I was recently in Vienna and was able to see an example of one at the military history museum (Heeresgeschichtliches Museum). The exhibit included the hand pump used to charge the air canister -- it was surprisingly large, about as tall as a person. Without this podcast I would have walked right past it without noticing.
Seth T
Since way back in your coverage of the first Italian Campaign, you've referred to Napoleon's "propagandists" who helped him spread word of his victories and build his public image. It seems like this propaganda was essential to Napoleon's rise to power, so my question is this: who were these propagandists? Did Napoleon have a consistent group of journalists and artists who helped him promote his image throughout his career, and were these true believers in Napoleon or simply people he paid? Did Napoleon's government have any sort of official department of propaganda to manage the spread of information? Lastly, how did this propaganda reach the average citizen, particularly those who couldn't read?
