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Dispatch 32

🕑 Added 2025-02-14 04:39:53 +0000 UTC

Comments

Lilly

In my experience, the narrative that is taught to high school students in the United States is that the American Revolution and French Revolution share the same focus on natural rights, but they diverge in that the American system sought to protect these rights through a tempered, constitutional system, while the French Revolution pursued a more abstract understanding of these rights. As I’ve listened to your show, I have come to think that this narrative is a bit reductionist and insufficient. This meditation combined with your discussion of Washington (my favorite President and Founder) and Napoleon made me start to wonder how the French revolutionaries viewed themselves in relation to the Americans. Did they see their efforts as being parallel? Inspired by the Americans? Pursuing similar goals? Did they see the American Revolution as successful and to be emulated? I recall your discussion of Lafayette and his involvement in both events, but was there a general consciousness among the French regarding the American revolution? Were they upset when the United States refused to get involved in the conflict?

Roger Ford

I have been a fan of Napoleon ever since I found out that General Sir Thomas Picton was an ancestor of mine. I have read many books on this, however, the details you bring to this era are well beyond anything I have ever read. Full disclosure- I descended from Thomas’ younger brother, as he himself had no ( recognized) descendants.

Chris Lachky

I loved the section in the last main episode about Lord Cochrane. You said that you — understandably — didn’t have time to go too deep into his history. I’m wondering if a Dispatch would be a good place for that deeper dive. What was his role in British politics/navy before and after the Battle of the Basque Roads? What were the repercussions of that battle, and how did Cochrane’s life and career change because of his participation in the battle and the Napoleonic Wars as a whole?

Christian Curto

Curious what it would be like to take a step back from the war and check on the home front back in France at this point in the war. The early conflicts with the church and political rivals seem to have faded. Would seem with army engaged so broadly that there could be vulnerabilities. Thanks for how hard you work preparing the podcast. I look forward to every episode!

The Age of Napoleon

I'm planning to cover this in the main narrative in the near future. Probably not next episode, more likely the episode after next

Mike H

I have a question! How often were assassins used during the era? Where there guilds or how were they recruited? Other espionage from the era?

Pierce

And thank you, Everett. I adore this podcast and I have learned so much from you.

Pierce

There is the story of how the occupying french Army of the Orient destroyed the nose of the Sphinx as target practice, which is legendary and untrue. However, with the seizure of many great artifacts and treasures by the grande armée all over Europe, and armies occupying and besieging cities, there must have been real destruction or loss of cultural relics during the decades of the revolutionary and Napoleonic wars. Are there any accounts of this?

JC

Just finished ep 123. You touched once again on the “inferiority complex” you believe the French navy may have suffered from. I’m curious if you could expand on this at all. Imagining for a moment that I was rooting for the French navy setting out for Martinique. I can’t help but imagine that many of the fleets sailors and officers felt a sense of dread at being caught out in open sea by the British. Is there any literature (poems, diaries, letters etc) that touch on this subject?

Nathaniel Webb

Having just listened to episode 123, I was intrigued by the similarities between the fighting in Italy and Poland. Both Beauharnais and Poniatowsky benefited (whether intentionally or not) from stringing out their opponents deep into their own territory. My understanding is that the Russians did something similar during Napoleon’s ill-fated invasion. Was this a known and accepted strategy of war at the time? Was it considered “honorable?” What were the risks and drawbacks for the defending army?

Aviv tal

In the Battle of Friedland and the Battle of Aspern-Essling, among others, we talked about river crossings. But how could an army of thousands of men cross a wooden bridge that was built in just a few hours? Was the wood and other materials for such an operation pre-made and transported with the army? Why didn’t they just use boats for such a large crossing, like Mehmed did when he crossed into Wallachia? Thanks!

kyle pulley

I recently drove a town in NY state called Austerlitz, which was apparently named after the battle. It got me thinking, What were Americans official and unofficial stance towards Napoleon (the government and the general public). I’m sure it’s complicated since the French Monarchy were allies in the Revolutionary war ( there’s even a street named Dauphin in Philadelphia where I live) , since Napoleon represented enlightenment thinking but turned the republic into an empire.

Maxton

One thing that popped out to me during the most recent episode is you mentioning a Jewish offer in the polish army. Can you elaborate on ethnic/religious minority officers in the army of the this era? I know these states didn’t think of minorities the way the modern nation-state does, but I’m curious if you noticed any Slavic officers in the Austrian army, Polish officers in Prussian/russian armies, or Jewish officers across the armies in general. Just wondered in general

Bertan van Zanten

Concerning the last episode of the narrative: On Wikipedia I read that after coming back in England, Gambier initiated some kind of lawsuit (court martial?) against Cochrane and actually succeeded in ruining the man’s navy career. Is that true and how did he manage to do so, considering the fact that he (Gambier) himself had performed so poorly on the Basque Roads?

brycekino

Very hypothetical question, but if Corsica was never controlled by France, but instead by one of the Italian kingdoms as Napoleon was growing up, could he have still rose to stardom? What if he had led Genoa to conquer all of Europe? It’s a funny thought. Were there any other countries that could have developed military talent like France?

Chris Tarantino

I’m really struggling to think of a question, what’s the question you wish we would ask? Love the podcast!

Deja Vu

As artillery and cannons developed and standardized over the course of the narrative so far, how has their use and employment changed? Were larger and larger artillery pieces employed regularly on the field, or did armies of this period stick to more mobile variations? Were new kinds of shot developed? How much did Napoleon micromanage this aspect of his military, with his penchant for it?

Wes

What did Napoleon think of Louis Bourienne, Did they fall out over money speculation? Or was there more

Blake

Question: Did Napoleon ever express any opinions about the treatment of the Cagots in southern France? Did the empire continue the attempts of the Jacobins to fully emancipate the Cagots?

James Tamhane

I've been reading the Sharpe books for the first time from your recommendation and really enjoying them, but I'd like to get your opinion on the accurcy of some claims the books make. 1. Was the British infantry really the most effective on a man-by man basis? 2. Did French troops favour column formation over the line? 3. Did Napoleon really think that rifles were not worthwhile compared to muskets due to their reload time? Would also be curious to know about how France sourced saltpetre, the books claim the french sourced it by scraping the edges of cesspits?

Salomé

You talked about the women and sometimes the families of the soldiers that accompanied them. How did they evacuate themselves if an army lost a battle and had to go on an unorganized retreat? Did they have enough time to retreat because they were in the camp a few miles away from the battlefield, or would it be a chaotic scene for them as well?

Connor Gouge

Did Napoleon and his government have an opinion on the luddites? Did they view them as a positive consequence of the continental system? Were they aware of the scope of the UKs governmental response? From what I read there were more British troops in the north of England than there were fighting Napoleon in Iberia (not sure if this is actually true). Did France have agents or attempt to contact British dissidents during this time?

NotEvenRealAnymore

What did a Napoleonic army on the march physically look like? Did the various regiments and divisions move in a formation similar to what they would adopt in battle? How battle-ready (or not) were the men while marching? Was there a rotation between fully ready "guards" and more at rest reserves, or did everyone just sort of maintain a basic level of readiness? Asking because I have trouble conceptualizing what tens or hundreds of thousands of people in the place look like, outside of a stadium or big music festival.

Sam & Matt

In the last episode Everett mentioned the death of Lannes and Napoleon's inner circle. His brothers Lucien and Joseph were mentioned. I wonder how his relationship was with his other siblings around this time, especially Louis and Jerome.

Benjamin Drachman

Great episode! I am going to Corsica in May for my honeymoon. In addition to backpacking in the mountains and hanging out on the beaches, my lovely wife-to-be said we can spend some time doing “Napoleon stuff.” Do you have suggestions for the best places to visit/things to see in the birthplace of the Emperor? Also, go Mariners. Getting ready for another year of getting my heart torn out.

Ale

Great dispatch as always. I was wondering if you knew anything about mutinies or insubordination in the French armies? Considering that the times were beginning to become harder for Napoleon, were there any signs that the general loyalty the rank and file were showing was beginning to falter?

Brendan Moriarty

It’s funny to hear the comparisons with military figures and later hear his views of bankers. He sounds like Andrew Jackson in many ways

Alasdair Forrest

Question: I was curious about sports in Napoleonic times. Was Napoleon a fan of sports, be that horse racing, boxing etc or any other organised sporting activity? I read about a precursor to the Olympics that the revolutionary government held, was there a general interest in sports in Napoleonic/revolutionary society?

Henry Cooley

Hello, can you speak a bit on the experiences of POW's in the Napoleonic wars? I've always been curious about the captured soldiers listed in casualties reports, especially those captured by defeated armies from victorious armies. For instance, how did the austrians capture 500 French (number from Wikipedia) during austerlitz? What did the French do with the whopping 12-20k captured austrians? How did prisoner exchanges work?

TheMjjdewit .

A bit of a longwinded question here. In my homecountry (the Netherlands) the period of French dominance is regarded as a period of exploitation. With the Empire exhausting our country in terms of finances, manpower and agricultaral products, the ‘French period’ is not one we look back at with pride. However King Louis Bonaparte is generally regarded quite favourably. We often call him our country’s best ‘rabbit’ (a pun on how he proncounced the the dutch word for king (koning) as ‘konijn’, meaning rabbit). On several occasions, such as a flood in 1809 and an incident in which the city centre of one of our most prominent cities accidentally blew up in 1807, he showed a keen personal interest in humanitarian relief, which earned him the nickname Louis ‘the Good’. When Louis came to Amsterdam after the Napoleonic wars he was greeted with a standing ovation by the local citizenry. To get to the point, what was the turning point for Napoleon to remove his brother from power? And are there other insances where French appointees were more popular with locals than the regimes which came before or after? Keep up the good work and I’m looking forward, as always, to the first of the month. Martin de Wit

Anne Gretchen Beyer

Such a basic question but I’m wondering the source for the long quote from Napoleon. Im familiar with the Las Cases and OMeara memoirs but is there a “pure” Napoleon memoir?

BenMc

I am currently doing lot of hiking and am struggling with blisters. It has made me wonder how Napoleonic soldiers coped with the amount of marching required of them - especially with the equipment of the time? In one of your previous episodes I think it was mentioned the soldiers were sometimes force-marched over 30 miles a day (Davout’s march to Austerlitz, 70 miles in 2 days). Were blisters and foot injuries a large problem for armies to manage? Was there specific treatment or did they just have to suck it up and try to keep up? Am interested to know as even with todays technology, and a whole industry devoted to hiking, blisters are still commonplace.

Mark Hatherly

Kind of put me off sugar this one... :)

Alikchi

"what if" question - I remember reading that Sieyès had a few candidates in mind along with Napoleon to be his "sword", including Joubert, who he preferred before he died. I was wondering, if (for example) Napoleon had died in Syria, what you think the French government would look like in 1800? Could the Directory survive? Thank you!

Alex Gould

In past episodes, you've gone into great detail about Haiti, and it's people, politics, and so on. What about the other French colonies of the time? How did they affect, and how were they affected by, the events of the main narrative? What was life like for these people in Africa, Asia & other parts of the Americas?

guy hanin

There’s a famous quote of Napoleon about china being a sleeping giant. What did Napoleon and his contemporaries knew about east Asia and specifically about the Chinese empire? Were there any interactions?

David Atkins

Love the q&a episodes almost as much as the actual show. Thanks for another banger

Or Koren

I remember that on my he final episode on Haiti you mentioned Napoleon rarely admitted to making a mistake, and that Haiti expedition was one of those rare occasions. What were some of the other mistakes Napoleon admitted to? Did he eventually agree that his conduct in Spain was a mistake?

The Age of Napoleon

That's great to hear. Good luck!

Brendan Culhane

Not a question, just letting you know your show is hella inspiring to me! Starting my History Masters in the Fall, and I would certainly say that this show is partially responsible for encouraging me to study history seriously.

Scott Miller

If you could go back in time and give Napoleon a land bridge across the English Channel, would you do so? If so, what date would you do so?

Adam H

Thanks for the Dispatch! What medical techniques were used to treat the various kinds of injuries soldiers would suffer on the battlefield, and how did they compare to those before and after this time period? Were there any major advances in treatment techniques during the Napoleonic Wars? How strong was their understanding of germ theory and the need to disinfect wounds to increase the odds of survival?

Michael

Question: I’m very curious about Napoleons family history, where did his family originate from? Who are the first ancestors of Napoleon we can positively identify? And were there any other famous figures with direct family ties to Napoleon?

Mark Igglesden

I am wondering if you can add anything to the standard biography of General Jean Reynier. I've always found him quite fascinating. Being born a Swiss protestant doesn't seem like a sure path to the top, yet he held a lot important and independent commands. His demise seems unusual as well. Wikipedia lists it as gout which seems unlikely to be the cause on its own. I have read that he was "exhausted" during the 1813 campaign. His capture after Leipzig and exchange is also murky to me. Do you have any more on this unique character?

Tariq

Can’t wait to listen. btw Radio War Nerd just dropped a really good War of 1812 episode might be of interest to my fellow AON listeners.

Rory Smith

A few times you've mentioned soldiers' wives and girlfriends accompanying armies on campaign as camp followers. Did prostitutes also follow the army as camp followers? I have to imagine that prostitution was a big part of military life along with drinking and gambling.

J

I have been researching the history of rockets and it does seem surprising that Napoleon did not appear to adopt them like the British did - particularly given his background in artillery. Was this simply lack of exposure? Britain certainly learned the ins-and-outs of rocketry from Tipu Sultan. Thanks!

Terry Dunk

Thanks for answering my question - sorry for the macabre vibes everyone.

Malaparte_Animal

Rote repetition is the reason why we can reliably put 3.5 rounds per minute down range. Keep repeating ❤️

Alex Golonka

Did Napoleon smoke weed?

Afeman

In The Emperor Alone I think you mention the oppression of the Poles by their various occupiers, and the campaigns in Spain were also marked by fierce popular resistance. What were the motivations of this popular resistance to foreign dominance? Nationalism as we understand it today seems to have been in a nascent phase - did a foreign occupation also involve the systematic plunder and enslavement that marked WW2? I can understand why nobles or intellectuals would oppose occupation - what would motivate a peasant to do the same? How did this differ for the countries outside France that provided their own troops, willingly or unwillingly, to the Grande Armée?

Samuel Hume

Great answer, thank you! I've noticed that Napoleon dethroned Cromwell as the "traitor to the revolution" bogeyman that 19th/20th century revolutionaries watched out for, so it was super interesting to hear how Napoleon viewed him!

Carla

Last day of term as a school teacher needed this to get me through the day, thank you

Connor Martin

I really liked this! Two questions: Where are the Habsburgs getting their soldiers? I know France did the levee-en-masse to increase the size of their army, but the Habsburgs had to have done something to increase the size of their army. Second, a relatively recent example of a nearly identical figure to Napoleon is Nader Shah of Afsharid Iran about sixty years earlier. He had a meteoric rise off his military genius in a time of chaos, a period of dominance for a little of a decade, and then a sudden fall. How did Napoleon and his contemporaries relate the two?

Mathew Muntz

I just broke a tooth tonight and scheduled my dentist appointment while listening to this. Thanks for making me appreciate modern dentistry and I hope I don't end up with a corpse tooth