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Dispatch 29

🕑 Added 2024-11-19 03:42:52 +0000 UTC

Comments

m

Your account of why Napoleonic soldiers did not suffer as much PTSD as modern soldiers makes a lot of sense, because one of the other common causes of PTSD is abusive relationships, which also create a sense of pervasive low level terror which can fundamentally shake someone's sense of security.

Tarun Narasimhan

What in your mind is the battle we've covered that most exemplifies Napoleon's approach to battles? The battle that isn't necessarily his most famous or strategically important but that best demonstrates his idiosyncratic approach to battle, e.g. taking a decisive approach, seizing the central position, dividing his enemies? P.S. in case you're curious, I'm inspired by this post from Bret Devereaux that covers the "Alexander battle" - https://acoup.blog/2024/01/26/collections-phalanxs-twilight-legions-triumph-part-ib-subjects-of-the-successors/

Isaac Wehner

Back in Egypt, we got to see a bit of general Alexander Dumas. Has he still been active in the army or did Napoleon fire him after Egypt.

Dr. Martin Nicolai

This was quite normal for wealthier men in the past. I doubt that the women liked it, but there was not much they could do about it except grin and bear it and pretend they didn't mind. Or they took lovers of their own in some time periods. According to DNA tests of descendants, Napoleon III, for example, was not the son of Louis Bonaparte. Marriage tended to be an economic, social, or political transaction, and of course you would want to get together with someone you were actually attracted to or liked.

Or Koren

Since we’ve just started the war of the fifth coalition on the main episodes, I wonder if you can go into a bit more detail into what exactly the Austrians were thinking when they went to war? It seems bizarre to me that after losing 3 wars against the French in succession they’d try again with even fewer allies at their side and with France much more dominant. Was anyone on the Austrian side going “no, this is insane, we’re gonna get our asses kicked again”?

Tristan Bavol

It seems like it was very common during this era for men to openly have a mistress in addition to their wives. Was this more common in some areas touched on in this show than others? How unique to this time period was this practice, and what did the wives of the men who openly had mistresses think of this?

Adam H

What maps did Napoleon and his generals use while on campaign? Who made them, what scales were they at, what information did they include, and how accurate were they? Did the army ever suffer from any map shortages or have to march into a region totally blind?

Iver Støylen

Hi. Are you aware of any instances of skis being used by any of the warring nations of this era? I feel like they would have been especially usefull during Napoleons wars in eastern Europe and it always irks me that I never hear about anyone using them. I mean surely the Russians must have had some skis, right? Anyway, love the show. Keep up the great work :)

James Tamhane

A few episodes back you mentioned that Napoleon was considering switching the Grand Armée's uniforms from blue to white. But wouldn't this have made it really confusing fighting the Austrians? Also you mentioned that Napoleon stopped considering white uniforms due to the way it showed blood. Do you think this could have had any impact on the Austrian's moral, especially fresher troops?

Brennan Doherty

To add to the comment above, I wonder how many Napoleonic soldiers developed PTSD simply through the brutality of daily life. Flogging, for instance, was a horrific and potentially lethal punishment routinely carried out in many armies (except the French!), often at a whim for very minor offenses. Sure, Europeans in the 19th century were more accustomed to corporal punishment than we are, but living under the constant threat of maiming or death under the lash for the smallest transgressions (like showing up on parade with filthy trousers) can't have been great for a soldier's mental health.

Todd Campbell

First of all, happy birthday and I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I was listening to the dispatch and agree that it would be hard to gauge how much PTSD was experienced during this period. Unlike modern times, Napoleonic battles typically were more decisive and finite. I do think PTSD-like cased would be found around certain lengthy occupations (think Spain) or campaigns (the French retreat from Moscow). Specifically, I think being a French soldier in the Peninsular war could have been stressful given the Spanish peoples' use of guerrila warfare. Certainly not knowing if you were going to be attacked en route to a location or defending a stronghold knowing that the guerillas applied means of gruesome torture could be unnerving. Even more so if the torture was experienced or viewed firsthand. Same for the retreat from Moscow due to the Cossacks, the mass death from disease, starvation, cold, or exhaustion, and the uncertainty of one's safety or survival. I'm almost certain that some of the French soldiers who were fortunate enough to survive this misadventure may have returned home not quite the same.

Carla

Amazing episode, I would definitely love a bonus episode talking about women in the napoleonic era.

Brennan Doherty

Great episode, as always. Loved the questions on PTSD and women in Napoleonic armies. On the latter, I've read that laundresses and seamstresses in the British Army could outearn privates. I'm curious about pensions for enlisted men in the Grande Armee. What happened to French soldiers who were too wounded, sick, or old to serve under the eagle any longer? How were they cared for? The Imperial Guard, it seems, had access to facilities like Les Invalides if they were unable to work, but what about the average French conscript serving in an inglorious infantry regiment?

Tom Dolan

I recently heard on another history podcast a passing mention of Napoleon's defeat at the hands of a chess playing automaton. Can you give any more details on this? And why wasn't this scene included in Ridley Scott's director's cut?

Jack Lawless

Awesome dispatch as always. I just wanted to say that the 10,000 German soldiers killed in a mine explosion at Messines Ridge is a MYTH! It would be kind of insane for that many men to be killed in an instant, nearly nuclear level bomb levels of destruction. It was more likely that this 10k figure comes from a misinterpretation of data, or simply British propaganda. According to freelance historian Simon Jones, “The figure of 10,000 missing is from the German Official History which states that it covers a 21-day period ending on 10th June 1917. Furthermore, of this figure 7,200, according to British sources, were actually taken prisoner, reducing the number who were killed to 2,800. To this must be taken into consideration that many of the German casualties were caused the massive and highly effective British artillery barrages, rather than by the mine detonations.” https://simonjoneshistorian.com/did-the-messines-mines-really-kill-10000-germans/ This seems to make more sense to me given that 10,000 men is nearly an entire division and would be spread out over a couple miles.

Jeff Gillooly

Thank you for the Lady Heater Stanhope lead. I was vaguely familiar with the name but not completely aware. A cursory review of the stories around her life (which indeed are amazing) begs the question as to why Hollywood hasn’t jumped onto her story! Talk about box office gold. Wow!

Nikhil Vyas

Do we know anything about connections between Napoleonic France and Qing era China, or South East Asia? Anything precluding the colonial expansion later in the 19th century?

Andrew Haworth

Hello and happy birthday! I can only imagine how busy this podcast must keep you but I had a question if you happen to find the time. I was wondering about the role (if any) of mercenaries during the Napoleonic wars. I know there are companies today that will basically hire out ex-soldiers and I am wondering if there was anything equivalent to that during this era? Or did they exist, but in a less formal structure? Thank you for your hard work, I truly appreciate this show. Andrew

Alex David

Happy belated, cheers for another great episode! Your last comments on Hester Stanhope and the Near East got me thinking - apart from Egypt, did Napoleon have any other plans for India/the rest of the subcontinent please?

Hobert Carleton

Hello, I speak Spanish and actually specialize in 18th century Spanish from Spain. I've studied this for literary and religious works, but I wouldn't know where to search for information on old weapon laws. If you could let me know where to look or what was giving you trouble, I'd be happy to translate.

Mike Ruttle

Marshal Augereau’s VII Corps was virtually destroyed by the Russian artillery at Eylau. He never recovered. PTSD seems the most likely explanation for his absence of higher command after 1807.

C Wiggs

We share a birthday, Everett! HBD to you and what a great present to have this episode drop

Blake

Happy birthday Everett!

Joseph Stewart

Thank you for answering my question, very interesting and detailed. It’s very exciting to have been picked! Happy birthday and thanks for making such a great podcast

Eoghanii

New patron and very excited to explore this podcast series with you all !

Alexandr Mateaş

Greetings from the Republic of Moldova and Happy Birthday to you, Ev! Dispatch question: I've seen a Russian historian (who claims specialist in this era) saying that Napoleon personally verified all (!) the bills from all over the Empire calculating on paper in order to fight corruption , finding sometimes as little as 2 francs stolen by an official and returning them to treachery. However unbelievable it seems. Do you know of any such practices by Napoleon and could elaborate?

thurgave

Happy belated, and thanks to you for all the work you put into this great show.

Nathan Bennett

Where do you get the name of your podcast? Does it come from The Story of Civilization by Will and Ariel Durant and their volume on Napoleon?

Martin Conway

Lady Hester does seem like an interesting character. Happy birthday!

Steve Verdoliva

Happy late Birthday

Gabriel L Manga

Thank you so much for answering the question about women with the army. I had the exact same question after the last episode.

Stuart Mathieson

Fascinating, this is one of, if not thee best dispatch to date. Very thoughtful and insightful commentary on a range of 'less visible' topics.

Maxwell Neely-Cohen

Happy Birthday!!!!!

George Wells

Thanks for making my Tuesday! This remains the best podcast I’ve come across! Thank you for continuing to churn out such wonderful content!

Charles H MacKay

Regarding PSTD - I thought your coverage was appropriate - spot on, in fact. Having written my dissertation on Junot, I faced a lot of these challenges (and there's literature on his mental health going back at least a century). But that's not my primary comment. Readers/listeners might want to check out primary source material centering around the second French siege of Saragosss. All of the marshals/generals involved talked about how morally depressing the siege was (Lannes, Moncey, Junot). Soldier accounts on both sides were understandably more intense. As you mention though, Saragosss might have been an exception to the rule of prolonged, intense, CLOSE combat for this period.