Young Soldier Describes True Horror of Life in Napoleon's Army (Russia, 1812) // Jakob Walter Diary
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Extracts taken from "The Diary of a Napoleonic Foot Soldier" by Jakob Walter (Doubleday, 1991)
Narrated and edited by David Kelly.
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Image credits:
European Map 1812: Alexander Altenhof, CC BY-SA 3.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/..., via Wikimedia Commons
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Frankfurt Oder Surroundings By Gottfried Hoffmann -…, CC BY 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
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Hello all! Next weekend we will discover what Napoleon was thinking during this awful time. And I shall pronounce corps correctly.
As soon as I heard that I thought "Oh no, your comments section!"
🤣
I got what I deserved
"Corpse" is rather apropos, all things considered.
How about some Islamic sources in the future? The Jahangirnama for instance. . .
He was extremely fortunate to survive the war. Very, very few made it back, and those that did were immediately pressed into service for the 1813 campaign. He lived to a ripe old age, too.
Well, yeah, we wouldn't have this account had he not.
@@westenicho grow up
@@westenicho Depends when he wrote it.
Well, Napoleon actually had 30 000 soldiers when he left Russia. Almost the same amount was under command of general Schwarzenberg, who's company was almost unaffected during the war. And there were also flank corpses and lots of straggling soldiers, who made their way out of Russia themselves. So there were almost 100 000 soldiers who returned to Poland. And speaking about captives: the Russian Senate was officially informed about 110 000 captives who were taken throughout the war. It's not like being a captive in that period is an easy thing, but many of them survived and were returned to their homeland up to 1814. Of course, it doesn't cancel the fact that more than a half of Napoleon's army died, not speaking about those who were injured, but still it's not true to say that "very, very few made it back".
@@ivanivan2390 First of all, when I said 'made it back' I'm referring to those who participated in the main action of the campaign and returned to Poland. We can thus dismiss from calculations both the Austrian contingent and the Prussians (who essentially capitulated), as well as those left on guard duty on the border.
Second, none of the figures involved are known to any degree of certainty, so the numbers you're claiming can't be asserted as correct. There are various estimates for how many soldiers crossed the Neman into Russia with the campaign, ranging from 400,000 to 650,000. The estimates for those who died, either in battle or on the march, is 300,000 to 400,000 (so actually closer to two thirds or three quarters rather than your 'more than half').
Perhaps 50,000 to 80,000 deserted. How many survived is unknown but probably very few. Approximately 100,000 prisoners were taken by the Russians, but given the conditions of the retreat, when most were taken, and the fact that the lands through which the campaign had been led were already stripped bare, it's very unlikely that the majority lived to be repatriated. Many of the Germans were pressed into Russian service, which certainly increased their chances of survival.
The estimates for those soldiers who recrossed the Neman alive are 30,000 to 70,000. That would amount to a 1-in-8 (at most) to 1-in-20 (at least) survival rate. It's really rather difficult to over-emphasize quite how appalling that is for a military campaign. Of course, many of those who left Russia still didn't survive the war, either being killed in battle between 1813 and 1815, or dying of wounds and disease.
So all in all, then, my original statement is entirely correct.
Speaking of Napoleon, have you considered reading Al-Jabarti's account of Napoleon in Egypt? It's one of the only accounts of the Egypt expedition from the eyes of a local Egyptian, and he happens to be a historian too! His comments on French bureaucracy and culture are very interesting. The book is called "Napoleon in Egypt", if anyone is interested.
Great! Never heard bout him!
Never heard about it, thank you for sharing!
That sounds fascinating
Interesting!
Thank you for the info
Interesting how he brushes over the battles, in almost a "just part of the job" way. Then, on the other hand, eloquently describes the absolutely wretched conditions of the march and retreat.
Anyone who has been to war will tell you, its the "down time" that sucks the worst. Battles are quick, and exciting. An adrenaline rush like no other. But long marches? Hunger? Cold, sleepless nights? Disease? This is what you need to vent about
I think a lot of the time soldiers back then had very little understanding of the battle going on as a whole. I remember in one part of the book he just describes his encampment getting hit by cannons and soldiers' legs getting ripped off from under them, it was a very confusing affair. Battles from a history buff's perspective, with all the charges, routs, and artillery exchanges can make for a good story, but from each individual soldier's perspective they might have seen only a small part of the battle.
@@John_on_the_mountain go enjoy.
A lot of soldier diaries read pretty similarly. We read some diaries from soldiers in the American Civil War in one of my classes, and it was pretty similar, even during sieges. There are a surprising amount of points where they just gloss over things with lines like "The constant barrage of artillery was numbing to the mind. I miss my family, and good food." but then describe daily struggles of marching, socializing with the other soldiers, reminiscing about home, melancholic/philosophical descriptions of the death and destruction. Lots of poetry too.
@@matthewmoore1780 Back then? The tradition of "first to go, last to know" continues, trust me.
Eurotrip: Depression edition
“Welcome to Bratislava! It’s good you came in summer. In winter, it can be veeery depressing”
@@SKa-tt9nm its nice in autumn
pack up guys we're going to spain....yay...wait isn't spain to the west...no actually we're going to russia...what tha fuck, that's the last time I sign up for anything...and it turns out it was for many.
Giving “backpacking” a new meaning
This guy was extremely optimistic i would say, probably why he survived!
That and, you know, not catching a bunch of canister shot in the chest.
Luck is why he survived.
I don't know about you but I'd rather be lucky than good at something. Especially when you're talking about war...
@@TLN-qu4rq I'll take consistent luck over skill, but I'll take skill over normal luck.
His faithfulness to GOD did.
@@truthteller3288 You're a genius.
The emotion of seeing friends and family again after such a traumatic time is inconceivable to me. To survive such a journey is astounding. I'm genuinely happy he managed to live through it. We're so lucky writings like this exist to give us a small glimpse into things that Documentaries can't ever really get across.
He lived to age 78.
Must have been a tough bugger.
how he described how his allies trampled on their comrades in that cellar was a very sad account.
What happened there,I don't get it
@@georgepats1168 On the retreat from Moscow, the starving French had discovered a cellar beneath a mansion. In desperate search of food many rushed in, got too tight and trampled over by those coming into the cellar.
People do that at soccer matches to this day
@Ярослав Л Only western countries do that? Look at the human species as a whole
@Ярослав Л Bold of you to assume I'm from the West
"If only my mother had not borne me"
Christ, that hit hard. Really hard. These poor, poor people. Napoleon's invasion of Russia had been little more than a joke to me until now, laughing at the whole 'never invade Russia in Winter' thing. It won't be a joke anymore.
Napoleon is not some great figure of history who was gentle of nature, he was a monster who inflicted misery, pain and devastation on multiple nations, decimated the French populous, killed off many of his men. For what? The greater glory of France?
@@mwnciboo you know- right? Historically speaking, Napoleon is by all accounts the precursor to Hitler, yet he is nowhere near as vilified or damned by memory. I wondered for long why that is, truly..
@@markeedeep I will tell you exactly why....It is the biased revisionist history, biased historians changed the narrative of Napoleon to portray a false image and lie to the rest of the world. The biased historians who rewrote the narrative can't have a warmongering military dictator with a powerful army almost conquer all of Europe, so they changed him into a noble and military genius to hide the truth. So many people are just blindly following this overt revisionist history. If people would just use a little common sense, look at the mass resources Napoleon had to work with, look at the terrible outcome for Napoleon and France, question just a little bit the narrative promulgated, you would actually see just what an incompetent, reckless, warmongering military dictator Napoleon was. You would see how he destroyed his own mighty army, left France occupied, defeated and forced to change governments radically. See, the biased historian wants to remind you how brilliant the Battle of Austerlitz was, never mind how Napoleon left France defeated, occupied, loss of territory and its once overwhelming army completely destroyed. Also the biased historian tells you that Egypt was brilliant, despite it actually being a foolish invasion and that Napoleon left the French Navy as sitting ducks as it was utterly destroyed, but who needs a Navy anyways. But you should have seen the artwork taken from Spain, never mind the 300,000 dead French soldiers lying under Spanish soil, Napoleon having no answers for guerrilla warfare, or Wellington's southern invasion France, there can always will be more conscripts. And Wellington, he had a good opinion of Napoleon, it's important for the British to claim they beat a "genius" in Napoleon and not a madman. There is no prestige or honor in beating a madman, a madman beats himself, not like Napoleon did anything of the sort. But beating a genius, well that just makes you more of a genius. Russia?....Hey, anyone can make a mistake. Napoleon was only human, stuff happens. But you should have seen the 6 day Campaign, utterly brilliant. Never mind that Paris was easily conquered and Napoleon forced to abdicate for incompetence. Yes, but Napoleon was trying so hard to spread liberal reforms across Europe. True that he usurped power, ran a Police-State, quashed freedom of expression, tried to give European thrones to his own corrupt family members. True that he had his soldiers, who were forced into service with no say in the matter, live off the land by pillaging the food, looting goods, and murder any civilian that protests, but it is the noble ideas Napoleon claimed to portray that count. Also ignore the Invasion of Haiti to re-enslave the black population, how he tried to poison his own troops in Egypt, and that he was probably responsible for more deaths of Frenchmen than anyone in history.
@@markeedeep Because Hitler was responsible for the Holocaust and Napoleon was responsible for.. the Napoleonic code?
@@stratdaddy I get the difference, but you would have at least thought Napoleon got killed off as someone who dared to lay conquest to all of known Europe in his day, but not only did he simply get exiled to a far away, deserted island as a "punishment", France as a whole lived to see another day as a free nation pretty much pardoned and without having to incur any kind of cost even comparable to that incurred by Germany for losing wwii. Certainly the stakes were greatly raised with regards to the latter, because of the scale of devastation wrought by advanced, modern warfare, but that the powers of Napoleon's day pretty much left France alone after his deposition, seems very fishy to me.
"Your army is effected by attrition"
Affected, no?
Since Russia has attrition bonus.
@@nanonymous9139 600k men campaigning in some of the most impoverished areas in Europe will suffer attrition regardless of the scorching of the earth.
It means nothing until you hear this lol. I think I'll have a mini break down whenever it appears.
@The Snow Nigro most of it was lost in summer, and no strategy games do not downplay attrition. Play Eu4 and see how many you can loose to attrition
Good God, you weren't kidding when you put 'true horror' in the title there.
Haunting stuff...🙃. Definition of dark.
Diaries like this always blow my mind because the Soldiers write so calmly we will never feel the true terror or grasp the human misery Walter felt and saw on the retreat from Moscow
@@BigSmacks I disagree. People where just the same and you'd have the same reaction if you had to go through something so brutal.
@@BigSmacks I actually agree that compared to everyday people back then were far more resilient but I guess that's the same as third world poverty today. We haven't changed physically apart from getting fatter.
@@BigSmacks I do agree with that. I do think industrialisation and agriculture was a mistake and that we probably would be better off as a species as hunter gatherers. However and this is a big thing, we would sacrifice so much of what we have achieved medically speaking and humanitarian wise. In a hunter gatherer society you could die from an infected cut and a simple broken leg could cripple you for life. Child mortality would've been terrible I imagine, and warfare over resources was quite commonplace. Our natural instinct is to explore, conquer and procreate.
@@BigSmacks judging by the way it seems to go right now that day aint to far of, could just be a tad unvoluntarily.
Everyone forgets that more french soldiers were lost in the summer than the winter, through disease and desertion
Not all soldiers were French. He stole men and boys from Flanders
@@catholicracialist776 yea there were also loads of Polish, Dutch, Neapolitan, Saxon and Bavarian soldiers.
And the other part everyone forgets is that Napoleon crossed Berezina back even before winter.
@@catholicracialist776 it was France during this time.
@@walideg5304 WRONG. It was all occupied territory, you clown
Can we appreciate how clear and eloquent this guy, being probably an everyday person, is with his sentences?
Compare it to your average commenter today...
every writing i hear of people born centuries ago always sound like they're written by poets. Nowadays its not even comparable.
Don't blame people. They were never taught
Eyo wuz good homie, your tryinna say somethin?
That's more because language tends to get simpler over time. More "eloquent" and complex language simply was the norm in the past, whereas nowadays it has gotten simpler.
Good Lord... This guy is a multi pulitzer prize winning author compared to your average youtube commenter.
The war in which Napoleon forgot everything he ever knew. "Une armee marche a son estomac?" The Grand Army did not march on it's stomach, but rather crawled on it's belly.
Right. The other thing he knew was how to win a battle - but Russia didn't want a battle. He should have accepted that and not pushed into Russia to try to get one.
I would have let Russia do whatever it wanted. Europe was his at that point.
@@Dayvit78 He just lost his nerve somehow, and did everything wrong. He had plenty of time to withdraw, and solidify his supply lines over the winter.
On the positive side should anything else have happened none of us would exist.
In hindsight is easy to point out the failures of the campaign but to assume that Napoleon ignored or didn't know that his army would not be as supplied as it had been on Germany is wrong. Even though the Grand Armée survived and owned a great deal of its speed to the soldiers mostly foraging their food Napoleon knew that the same wouldn't happen on Poland and Russia where the villages were very poor and the roads' condition bad at its best. So he arranged for a enormous supply system of wagons to carry the food and water to the frontline units..the problem was that the system itself would not work properly on the bad roads with the oxen often dying and being eaten by the desperate soldiers.
Napoleon knew that logistics would be a big problem..he just didn't foresee that his idea would not work.
He relied tooheavily on speed and aggression, meaning his supply line became overstretched in russia. Spain was a bit of a failure too though
@@Psychol-Snooper :) Very true. The tiniest ripple difference and different people meet and marry - meaning different babies - meaning no us lol.
Voltaire once wrote:
"Conquerors are a species between good Kings and Tyrants, but partake most of the latter, and have a glaring reputation. We are eager to know the most minute circumstances of their lives. Such is the ... weakness of mankind, that they look with admiration upon persons glorious for mischief, and are better pleased to be talking of the destroyer, than the founder of an Empire"
He also wrote about the Qing, one of the most guilty of that mixture of idealism and absolutism;
"One need not be obsessed with the merits of the Chinese to recognise that their empire is the best that the world has ever seen."
Oh wow so much morals, Voltaire
@@shinybreloom4027 the more people qoute Voltaire to me the less smart he comes off as
Know any quotes of his that are really wise?
-from guy who has never read his works
I don't recall reading this before, but my god did Voltaire sum it up beautifully here. Deep down I want to believe that there were good conquerors throughout history. A general like the great Epaminondas of Thebes who freed Greece from Sparta's hegemony and freed their slaves. He lived poorer than his poorest soldier. I want to believe that there were selfless "conquerors" like Epaminondas. He was the exception and not the rule though.
@@ianlilley2577 But that a camel-merchant should stir up insurrection in his village; that in league with some miserable followers he persuades them that he talks with the angel Gabriel; that he boasts of having been carried to heaven, where he received in part this unintelligible book, each page of which makes common sense shudder; that, to pay homage to this book, he delivers his country to iron and flame; that he cuts the throats of fathers and kidnaps daughters; that he gives to the defeated the choice of his religion or death: this is assuredly nothing any man can excuse, at least if he was not born a Turk, or if superstition has not extinguished all natural light in him. (Voltaire)
The next time I think I have a bad day or that life is treating me unfair I'll listen to this again.
A few parts of his diary are omitted. He had to eat coagulated horse blood and rotten cabbage too, if memory serves me. When he was robbed by his fellow soldiers on the retreat, he was thankful that they only took his food and that they didn't kill and eat him. He thought a lot about his family on the campaign and would eventually be reunited with them, although they didn't recognize him first. His diary would eventually be found in an attic in the U.S. Nice video and RIP Jakob Walter
When did his diary reemerge?
I think a Russian Napoleonic perspective would go nicely with this, I can recommend "Recollections from the Ranks: Three Russian Soldiers’ Autobiographies from the Napoleonic Wars" By: From Reason to Revolution. The first story is short and written by a Russian peasant, Pamfil Nazarov, who was conscripted in the Russian Guard and served in the Napoleonic Wars and afterwards. There is also from the French perspective Chasseur Barres and Sergeant Bourgogne both of the Imperial Guard.
If you read this and Clausewitz's "Der russische Feldzug von 1812" you get qutie a view on both sides of the coin.
Meh. 200 years from now, one would want to read eyewitness accounts from the peasants about the Great Biden Riot that involved millions of lives than some propaganda praises for Emperor Biden by couple of SJWs or Antifas.
@@shogunfox7141 Perhaps but im not sure how this relates to the Diaries of 3 soldiers in the Napoleonic Wars
You got your wish
th-cam.com/video/mdzkV5meLY0/w-d-xo.html
Amazes me that anybody could have come out of that campaign alive.
It's also amazing to see the treacherous existence humans can survive through.
If it don't kill ya, it makes you stronger.
They reckon only less than 50,000 dragged them selves back . Basically wiped out all Battle experience he had in his troop up to that year . One year of a very hot summer killed quite a lot marching there , but a ferocious -20 cold winter hit that year too . 500,000 troops from various countries supplied from all over Europe
My 80+ grandmother in-law is the great grand daughter of Napoleon's personal doctor Gen.Francios Robin,He served before Napoleon took power and up until his death. After his death he traveled to Leonville Louisiana, There's a monument dedicated to Dr.Robin at the visitors center. He practiced medicine in St.louis for a short time before settling in Louisiana.
Interesting.
Great video.
This show us we should appreciate what we have
Indeed
@@garrgravarr Agree, must have been tough to experience the long march far away the homeland
When I'm worried about my rent and groceries for the week
I listen and read to entries like this for peace of mind
Napoleon's army budget...
Fancy Uniforms: 99%
Food & warm clothes: 1%
At least they died in a fancy uniform 🤔
Emperor’s Concern for his Soldiers: 0%
@@C0wb0yBebop
Actually they had to pillage and take the towns supplies because wagons would slow the army down
Can you fight if you can’t drip 💧
Cannon : 9999%
Wow. That poor soldier knows all too well that those who've never experienced war, and never come close to accurately fathom it. It isn't only the sights that stay with you...It is the smells, the sounds, and feelings that stay with you. They can hit you out of nowhere.
You sound as if you have first hand experience with it too. I hope you are doing well!
Where did you serve Cody ?
Yes in deed.
Afghanistan. 2010-2011. My brother served in Iraq 2004-2005 and again in 2008-2009. We talk quite a bit about the similarities and differences between the two. Something that really resonates with both of us are the sounds and smells. Heck even certain days when the sun hits just right and puts that hue of light on everything. Jakob could really set the scene with his writing. Im grateful that he took time to pen the words, and grateful for this channel for its execution and delivery. Outstanding.
@@average-osrs-enjoyer I am, thank you! Better than I deserve lol
“They were converted into cushions so the living would not have to sleep on the snow.”
Gotta do what u gotta do
@@onetwothreefourfive12345 yeah....,who are u though?
@@chaosdweller Is that actually relevant?
@@samolson7070 kinda.....I remember seeing that name alot a week ago
It is quite interesting reading his memoirs in the original German (he was a conscript in a regiment of the army of Württtemburg, not the french army.) He misspells quite a few words, writing them phonetically, for example when describing stacks of arms he calls them 'pierre mieten' instead of Pyramiden (pyramids in english), Perezina instead of Berezina, etc, for some placenames he even uses several different spellings for the same place. Overall his style is quite matter of fact I would say throughout the memoirs (the video has some of the more poetic examples of the book) . It is kind of hard to say though what parts are misspellings and what is correct, as he writes in a Swabian dialect, not standard high German, so many of what I would see as misspellings are probably correct. Still it gives a good idea of him as a rather uneducated, but eloquent fellow.
Neat, a history person!
As a stonemason, I'm somewhat surprised he was literate at all, though the German lands did have above average literacy
I don't know about the early 1800s, but in the times before, spelling wasn't really standardized. That is - there didn't really exist a "correct spelling". When reading different old texts every text basically has a different spelling of the same words, depending on the author.
@@-RXB- Sort of true here, like what the author of the text writes in a mix of Swabian dialect german and high German, (going by the notes of the editor in the copy I read), but the editor notes that the example with the pyramid/pierre mieten is not a result of dialect, but a phonetical spelling. Between the dialect differences and misspellings I found you have to almost read it out aloud to be able to understand it what is being said, trying to match the sounds with modern german words.
Read it. It was a great read.
Even as a modern combat vet, I can relate. The beginning when you first go off to war its all drinking and singing and fun. You come back and the drinking stays, but it aint fun anymore. Atleast they feed us better nowdays though.
His faith in God gave him sufficient motivation to continue on. As a US Veteran, indeed the treatment of soldiers have gone a long way since then. What struck me most was the fact that he had to choose between drinking dirty & diseased water or die of thirst. Leaving him to fight many battles on multiple fronts: dealing with bullets, sword cuts, disease, harsh leaders, lack of food, lack of clean water, ice cold & wet weather...etc.
Misplaced faith. Anyone who believes in a god in the 21st century is deluded at the very least.
@@phoarey Why would it be unreasonable to believe in God? How do you know that God doesn't exist?
@@DreDredel3 Because he lived a well wealthy life, so God doesn't affect his riches, i know many man like that and they are all the same, extremely harsh with others and lack emotions.
@@hbtm2951 As a soldier "lacking emotions" is a way to survive in a harsh reality.
@@DreDredel3 Talking about Mr Vegetari-I mean, Mr Atheist, he is not in war i supose. I have close people that served, they just doesn't breakdown and where i'm from, things like this is quite common, yet people know how bad it is, they just don't show it to make others weak, but someone who lived a soft life has no place in having no emotions, the way i see it, not set in stone tho.
Fun fact Napoleon offered a reward for anyone that could find a way to make food last longer and it led to canning and pickling foods in jars.
Definitely not true
@@JoeSmith-sl9bq it was invented by Frenchman Nicolas Appert in 1809 while Napoleon Bonaparte was atill emperor. Google it for 10 seconds and you will see.
@@lordot8665 that was years before the Russian invasion though
@@Steve-in1sb he never set a specific date
Lord Ott did not say that preserving food was instigated by Napoleon specifically for the Russia campaign: he said that Napoleon offered a reward for figuring the problem out. Please don't attack people for what wasn't said.
10:45 That painting and description of the burning Moscow made me cry. To think of all the burned cities and villages in all the wars... - what took generations to build can burn down in one night. - It’s bad enough when it is an accident like the fire at Notre Dames, or a natural disaster like the earthquake that burned San Francisco down in 1906(?), but when it’s war it’s all the more tragic: how the cities have burned in WW II: Tokyo, and Hiroshima, and Dresden and Hamburg... - in times of peace you sometimes have one burning building, but in times of war, you had strategic Bombardement: „Blockbusters“ taking off the roofs and shattering the windows, followed by white phosphorus setting everything on fire, firestorms racing through whole quarters... - unimaginable to me who has only known peace in his whole life.
Who said Notre Dame was an 'accident' while flames were still burning
Keep drinking that MSM propaganda koolaid ;-D
@@kensin7244 Yes, unbelievable that people lap up such blatant misdirection from corporate media institutions.
Napoleon may have been a tactical genius but he made the same stupid mistake over and over again. He refused to treat his own soldiers properly. He exposed them to extremes of weather that no sane commander would consider, and it cost him over and over again, yet he never seemed able to learn how to manage an army in the field properly. He lost his entire army in Egypt by stupidly marching through the open desert when he had other, better options. He then lost most of his army in Russia by doing the same stupid things. He had to raise a third army because he had lost the majority of his most experienced veterans through his own poor decisions. he was many things, but he was NOT "a military genius." He was a good tactician, and that was about as far as it went. He does not deserve to be mentioned with the great military leaders of history.
Don't forget about the army Napoleon lost in Spain as well, 300,000 French soldiers who never made it back to France in the disasterous Peninsular War. And that army he raised after Russia, Napoleon lost as well in the Leipzig campaign. I mostly agree with you, Napoleon was NOT a military genius. But I actually think he wasn't even a tactical genius. Let me explain why: Early 19th Century France had one of the most powerful, overwhelming forces in military history. In context, way more powerful than any army it was facing. The French army, reinforced and armed due to Revolution, and swelled through mass conscription, was the most powerful army in the world....by far. The best trained, the most guns, the most horses, the best funded, polished officers and the most men of any army in Europe. This is the powerful army that Napoleon inherited through usurpation of power. This is the army that won Napoleon so many victories early on. Many times, this overwhelming army hid Napoleon's flaws and miscalculations. For example, at Marengo Napoleon had lost the battle because of his reckless miscalculations but French reinforcements literally came out of nowhere to his rescue and won the battle for him (Of course Napoleon was quick to take the credit, as the manipulator he was). Some of Napoleon's most famous victories Ulm, Eylau, Friedland, Wagram, Borodino were just uncreative, non-tactical slugfest bloodbaths where he won the battle just with such an overwhelming force. Heck at Borodino, Napoleon said "just get on with it" and then watched the bloodbath literally with his feet up like someone inactively watching tv in their living room....it was the bloodiest battle in European history until that time, and Le Grand Amree won without him that day.
When 10,000 calvary horsemen charged at Eylau, that is not a testament to Napoleon, but a testament to the PROWESS of the French military at the time. So many time Napoleon would send troops on sacrificial frontal assaults or sacrificial calvary charges, knowing they would be obliterated, but it would give him a tactical advantage in battle by doing so. Why could he sacrifice his own troops so callously?...because of his numerical advantage, a luxury his opponents did not have, even when they united against Napoleon. If you look at the French casualty rates in battle, they were EXTREMELY high (Eylau, Wagram, Borodino), even when they won the battle. But Napoleon would then just call up more and more young conscripts to replace the dead because he could with France's vast population, that's why he sacrificed so many of his own troops. Austerlitz was probably the one exception where Napoleon took a gamble and it worked decisively in a victorious campaign. But by the end of bloodbaths like Eylau, most of the victors of Austerlitz were dead.
Every year the French army got worse under Napoleon, not better. By the time Napoleon was done, the once powerful French army was in shambles. Plus Napoleon really showed a poor performance when his army was not as strong, as in the Leipzig campaign and 1814 France campaign. Campaigns in which Napoleon decisively and swiftly lost, despite how biased historians attempt to portray it, (like falsely claiming that the Six Day Campaign was brilliant, when in fact Napoleon gained nothing in said campaign, but lost time and recourses as he left Paris exposed to capture). Napoleon was easily beaten in less time than expected and Paris was easily captured, it was as clear of checkmate in war as ever. The People of France could not even put up any resistance to the invaders as Napoleon's 15-year overuse of conscription had left the country without fighting men.
Furthermore, Napoleon did not even have the most revolutionary, important or effective military tactics of the Napoleonic Wars. That would go to the Spanish Guerrillas, whose methods changed warfare forever. Today, nobody fights like Napoleon, it is an outdated, costly and ridiculous strategy fighting in lines. In fact, it was outdated strategy by the U.S. Civil War, over 150 years ago. But today, all across the world and in the 20th and 21st century, people still use Spanish guerrilla tactics in wars and conflicts. Napoleon had no idea how to fight a guerrilla army, a huge reason why he lost in the end, he could not adapt. Today Napoleon's tactics are obsolete, but Guerrilla tactics endure. Napoleon was a reckless, wasteful, incompetent, inflexible general, with terrible ideas that withered away his numerical advantage in infantry, calvary and artillery. Only a terrible general can waste it all away in defeat and disgrace.
@@RidleyScottOwnsFailedDictators Good summary in detail! His use of artillery was inspired at times but otherwise I completely agree. He was not a military genius in any way I can find. He destroyed several armies through foolish or heartless decisions.
I cannot image this horror. God have mercy on us. May there never again be such campaigns of the reaper.
But then the Battle of Stalingrad came to Russia, on top of the communist dictatorship...
You lack imagination and haven’t been paying attention; it will happen again.
@@Dadecorban the ammunition used was even more devastating to humans.
@@Dadecorban If Western Europe embraces Islam and Eastern Europe holds strong to Christianity there's opportunity for propaganda to cause tension.
@@dwandersgaming the way it’s going I’m surprised that Arabic is not the dominant tongue in some major European cities
Wow. Amazing content.
Thanks for bringing it to life.
I teared up going through what this Jakob lad endured. Powerful!
To imagine the events unfold and to imagine him suffer as so is so terrifying and depressing I couldn’t help but shed a tear for the poor man. A strong man nevertheless. Bless you for this, bless your heart!
It is shocking that conditions were so bad even before reaching Moscow
Remember, they thought Moscow would be the end of it. "It'll be a hard campaign and you'll all hate it, and some may starve, but once we take their capital we will have peace," was the mentality. Then the Tsar wouldn't make peace.
I feel like this account could be related to ANY soldier of ANY army at that time.
9:36 "if only my mother had not born me..." that's so heart wrenching
Flasks full of wine is one of the main reasons people died on their way to Russia. Although alcohol gives a warm feeling to the stomach it also makes it easier for your body to freeze to death.
These men suffered tremendously, but everyday life as a civilian was very hard too. They were all much more jaded & used to the hardships than most everyone alive today is. We will suffer worse than ANY of these people if the society we know breaks completely down & we’re forced to live without all the luxuries we all take for granted every day! And guess what? We’re headed DIRECTLY that way right now! 😠👆🏽
I read the book a few years ago. What stood out most to me is how such soldiers never asked any political questions, questions like “why am I here”, or “what or we fighting for”, or “why can’t we they supply food”. Instead the entries are substantially about duty, presented in a simple and matter of fact way, and about surviving, like finding food, enduring the bad weather, and keeping his horse away from desperate soldiers turned thieves.
an interesting point i’ve heard is that the “self” in our culture is a relatively recent invention. people didn’t tend to think of themselves as individuals as much during the past, but rather as a piece of a larger collective due to profound community ties.
@@RwandaBob that's an extremely interesting point now that I think about it. Individualism has really become a popular viewpoint in recent years
my wife calls individualism Ego. the idea of we are above nature - like the rainbow and global warming are ideologies that puts humans hostile and above nature, which is absurd. Not only above nature but also without the humility of something greater than you, like God. @@tommyp.7108
Not trying to belittle you, but they were in the middle of war; even Aristotle wouldn’t have time to ponder philosophy lmao
@@AYVYN your not belittling me ! your belittling yourself. and you prove my point. people back then, unlike you, just do their duty and understand their station in life. you dont know what the hell you are talking about but you question me. Even people who wrote diaries in the time and comfort at home did not indulge their egos
This guy was one of the lucky ones who lived to tell his story and even we on the 21st century are learning about it...amazing...BTW, how's the "History" channel doing? Any more pawn shops shows...?
Yeah, the History Channel really went down hill. Not saying it’s aliens, but..
I'd gladly go back for the days when it was the WW2 channel. Even their later "history" specials got real dumb.
@@dr.lyleevans6915 Under-rated comment.
About as grim as it gets. His survival, a miracle. And, yes, The Great Courses Plus is a good resource oftentimes if you seek depth rather than a diversion.
One thing that’s often not talked about is how Napoleon was the most petty men to have ever lived. While all military leaders understand the need to deny resources to the enemy, if Napoleon couldn’t have something then no one could. On this campaign that’s illustrated by his ordering of the Kremlin to be blown up. The Kremlin was obsolete and had no military value. But it was important Russian cultural heritage, so it needed to be destroyed.
This is on par with Hitler’s orders for Paris to be leveled to the ground when it became clear that the allies would soon capture it in 1944. Hitler, as everyone knows, was once an artist and loved Paris for its cultural and artistic value. But once he realized it couldn’t be his he wanted to burn it to the ground and salt the earth so there would be nothing left of it for anyone else. We’re fortunate that the commanding officer in Paris disobeyed that order and the city was liberated almost entirely intact. Warsaw, once called the Paris of the east, was not so fortunate. The Nazis leveled almost every single historic and important building to the ground. Almost every single historic building you see in Warsaw is not the original but a post-WW2 reconstruction of the original. And the destruction wasn’t done for any military objective or strategy. It was purely out of spite and pettiness to obliterate Polish history and culture.
Too bad he didnt, maybe it would work like ring for Sauron
@arlenaddison Why lie? First, there is no such thing as a "nazi". They were, in fact, National Socialist. Second, Adolf Hitler never wanted war. Third, Adolf Hitler highly respected his blood Volke within Britain. They were all Germanic/Nordic in lineage. Fourth, poor comparison between National Socialist Germany and Despotic self-appointed monarch Napoleon Bonaparte.
Midwit take
*Napoleon* An Army marches on its stomach!
*Grande Armée* So why don't you feed us?
Exactly.
Maybe he only realised it in his Russian campaign
That's the point of Napoleons grand armed
Its supposed to take the villages they come across and then the invasion of Russia the supply lines were thined and the army had to pause each time but cossacks kept disrupting or stealing the supplies thus many were not able to get food and Russia does the scorch earth tactics and thus making the grand armed a lumbering slow beast
And besides its pretty common for literally every army in this era and before
Unlike today we have technology to help us but back then men march hundreds of miles to fight a battle and March more to fight
Truly balls of steel of those men
I'm imagining Napoleon trying to come up with an answer like Skinner in the "steamed hams" bit. th-cam.com/video/4jXEuIHY9ic/w-d-xo.html
because the roads were so bad, horses kept dying and the russians kept burning their fields so they could never get enough food in russia
A more appropriate line would be, "Death under the Emperor Napoleon." He was responsible for more deaths than Robespierre and the others running the Reign of Terror.
it's an extremely confusing time in history...especially in trying to figure out who was in charge of France and what the goals were. Im reading a bio of Nap. and it is difficult to understand what he was trying to do.
@@joejones9520 It is not that confusing, France was a lost country scarred by Revolution, and they put their faith in the wrong man, Napoleon. Napoleon was just trying to help Napoleon and his own. Napoleon's intention was not help any other country, it was to subjugate countries through military force, that is why he was a despot tyrant. Napoleon would send his troops to "live off the land." That means pillage the food, loot the goods, seize people's homes and lands to quarter soldiers, impose heavy taxes, murder anyone who protests. Even pillage property that was of no military value. Napoleon was a self-serving dictator, who did not care for the countries he occupied, or the soldiers who did it for him, not an enlightened ruler. Napoleon's egotistical nature consumed almost every decision he made is nothing short of criminal. His poor strategic and diplomatic abilities ended up costing the lives of countless young French men who he threw to the meat grinder with false notions of a progressive France or the cultivation of national movements in places like Poland, Germany, or Italy. His goal of subjugation gives him no reconciliation for the awful decisions he made as a despotic ruler. Even after exhausting the French people and his allies in terms of manpower and resources he still dragged them along, regardless of their willingness. Even with such clear notions of defeat, Napoleon still found it necessary to personally save face by continuing the war to a bitter and devastating end. His notions of conditions of victory were simply delusional. Napoleon’s grandiose and unrealistic plans for making France the dominant force in Europe simply lead the nation to ruin l.
@@joejones9520 Agreed. Seems like he was just collecting the levers of power. So much like Julius Caesar.
Perfect upload time for My work shift.
Thanks so much for your amazing work man!
500 000 died. God, what must they have suffered. Unimaginable. Man is an insane creature beyond explanation.
Man is okay. It's the ones at the top who push war. Many German soldiers in WW2 starting walking back home. Screw this! Sgt York in WW1 captured how many Germans? Probably because they had enough of the meaningless slaughter.
and all for nothing, everything has always been for nothing, no one even remembers most battles and wars..
500 000 dead , prisoners,deserters
Man is stupid...being lied for centuries. This century as well. We are being lied left and right and for what...in 30 years gonna get replaced by androids and just gonna get killed by a plague. Just an example. :-D
and biden and the democrats are bloodthirsty as napolean was. We will go to war with russia soon. the left which worships satan hates that russia got away from the bolsheviks and the trotsky'ites and antichristian stuff and has become pro christian and very pro freedom. Russia has always been a target and never defeated. So a fool goes there to die in the harsh conditions and mega million man force russia has. But history repeats itself so get ready another fools invasion will happen......and fail.
Great writer, really manages to paint a picture with words. Eloquent and captivating, just excellent.
I have been subscribed to The Great Courses Plus for years now.
Regarding you and your brothers work in comparison, all that can be said is, "I love this".
Thank you.
Making good choices! Thanks Lane!
Beautifully narrated. This is a real delight!
I dare say Jakob Walter you sure went through your own version of hell once you crossed over into Russia. Glad you survived.
To think that people in Europe had to go through horrors like that merely 200 years ago is heart breaking
You mean 80 years ago in Stalingrad and Leningrad...
@@EroticOnion23 yeah i simply dont know that much about Napoleon era and i was surprised
Napoleon was Hitler's idol and both their fates were sealed in the endless harsh countryside of Russia.
@@mattbarbarich3295 Don't be stupid, please and learn something, especially the political views in the spectrum,
@@mattbarbarich3295 you are a tankie
Can you make a video on best military speeches (Alexander the great, Napoleon, Hannibal, Hulagu etc.)
Alexander the gay
Hitler
@Michael Ardenté triggered
“I expect the best and I give the best. Here's the beer. Here's the entertainment. Now have fun. That's an order!” Lieutenant Jean Rasczak.
Don’t forget accounts like this when considering the personalities and ambitions of men like Napoleon
Campaigns such as this do not go to the ambitions of one man. There has to be much consensus from men we do not see or history does not tell. Do you think Hitler , by himself, could decide to invade Russia and all fell in line because of his whim? To invade Russia was not rational.
Dan Anderson Your wrong Hitler did indeed decide to invade Russia his generals strongly advised him against it...but he did it anyway repeating Napoleons mistake.
@@boomerhgt I am not wrong by any stretch. Don't be so naive. They all laid down for Hitler's word even though it meant the destruction of one's own nation and family? Just to take on Russia alone was not rational. Anyone who could merely sit down and crunch the numbers would know that-man power, manufacturing, geographical location, supply lines, troop morale...it is simply impossible to take down Russia in a quick manner which was what was needed to be done. And then you also have to worry about the US and Great Britian? His generals should have ended his life right then and there!
@@boomerhgt
Napoleon’s and Hitler circumstances were completely different.
@@leonardodavid2842 It's fair to compare them. To compare is not to equate. Too many people mesh the two concepts together. Egomaniacs looking to expand. Delusional in defeat. Even Jeff Davis was the same.
Looks like this soldier was somewhat anointed with the Holy Spirit.
@Gwyn and Gold hurtful comments are useless. The way reality is that every infinite of a second we prove the word of God. We age and every day our cells die then rejuvenate. You'll be 80 years old one day and say to yourself I have proven the word of God. The Napoleonic wars (Napolean Code) in consequence gave the Calvin teaching of separation of church and state. Isn't it interesting Napoleon capitulated Rome or the Vatican? Isn't interesting the church or the body of Christ is being torn apart by apostisy? Isn't interesting the doctrin es of men are replacing the doctrines of Jesus? Isn't interesting the Jews are proud and blind then have followed the doctrines of men or the Talmud instead of what is true? Isn't it interesting you have heard of the Gospel and Jesus? Isn't it interesting you worship vain things than truth? Isn't it interesting I replaced my lifestyle for Jesus recently? Isn't it interesting there is so many people who think are Christian but are in reality hypocrites? Isn't it interesting your own decision will lead you to Hades and knowingly you could of avoided hell itself by accepting Jesus Christ in your heart? Isn't it interesting how the world, space, and time will end but the word of God will be fulfilled?
@Elivinture actually psychologists are barely figuring it out. You just don't understand. You'll probably get stuck with false truths or lesser truths instead of the ones God offers. All I'm saying get away from mystery schools, the occult, Kabbalah, gnostics, sacred geometry*, numerology*, etc. These truths tend to be demonic or demonic truths since Jesus gave us their past; demons used to be angels and they share their memories or the truths they hold when they used to be holy for God. Do not follow the Muhammad or Islam religion. The Islam prophet wrote from abhorrent sources when he was intending to be inspired from the Holy Bible. The Jews are correct BUT Jesus fulfilled the law. Talmud was created after 70 AD or basically after Jesus Christ. Talmud is meant to decieve the minds and conciousness of Jews so they do not conclude Jesus Christ is their actual messiah. You think you know but it's yikes. You probably do not know of the Knights Templars history. Napoleonic Code took a lesson from John Calvin which I tend to disagree with Calvin. You're probably those edgy dudes that just wonders the internet for memes, atheism, more memes, edge, the predictable list goes on and on. Just walk with Christ because this world were in right now is ruled by the Accuser, Deciever, and other titles for the Devil. Millions of mother's abort their babies. Millions of people commit suicide. The list is abhorrent. You wonder why is there evil? You probably ask yourself "If I were God I would of destroyed humanity a long time ago" I ask these questions myself and if I were God I would destroyed humanity a long time ago but you don't get it. God is true love we people yet are to understand. God is not human! I recommend you not dying and be judged by God, knowing Jesus or the Gospels, you just cannot be in that place.
@Elivinture then explain why do we have conciousness? Explain why the mind exists? You can't. Science used to side with religion which was metaphysics. Science was meant to unravel God but we're extremely far from him. Why do you think architecture from the past is amazing; metaphysics. We used to serve Gods and Goddesses. You probably don't know Greek myths and how messed up their Gods are. The only God we know that holds weight is the God from Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. Their God predicts the future, past, present. We know there is some sort of time mechanism here or at least space is not what we think it is but God chills in eternity. You will get old and die someday proving the word of God. People are dust and shadows. Death is so easy to grasp. Good luck with psychology since it boasts smaller and lesser things than God.
I once read an interesting correspondence between a mayor and governor in the Netherlands in 1814 during the retreat of the last French units from all the way up north in Delfzijl all the way to France. The French had finally surrendered after a long siege with the terms negotiated that they were allowed to retreat to France with their weapons and equipment. The mayor was tasked with gathering up the local peasantry with their horses and wagons to transport the French and their equipment from the northern end to the southern end of his jurisdiction.
The almost 2 decades of French rule had kind of soured the once relatively positive opinion of the French that had existed when they took over, so the local peasants were not pleased with this decree that meant they had to transport their erstwhile oppressors. When the time came to gather, barely anyone showed up. The mayor sent people around to put pressure on the stragglers, but they couldn't be found, they were probably hidden in the forests, bogs and heaths. So he sent law enforcement to all the farms whose farmers hadn't shown up and put pressure on and threatened the people left behind to force the farmers to comply and that seemed to work for a few.
Somehow the French were transported after a long delay and the mayor sent a letter to the governor complaining about all the people who wouldn't comply with his decrees (he named them all by name). I am sure he meant it as an indictment of how disloyal his peasantry was, but it definitely reads more as an example of the Dunning-Kruger effect on this mayor.
This is one of the few accounts that talks about the suffering and losses getting to Moscow with the heat and no clean water.
i'm partway through, and I expected a lot more about the plague of biting insects they must've had to endure.
Once again, truly awesome. Thank you! The MOST evocative channel on youtube, bar none. ☝️😎👌
Wow. Written and read with such emotion. I was really moved by this. What a shame to lose so much life. Thanks.
Just found this channel and this is amazing!!!! Love it too much. Will be listening more and I can’t wait
Jakob Walter's diary is one of only two accounts from common soldiers of Napoleon's invasion of Russia. The other was by Joseph Abbeel, a Belgian who was conscripted into Napleon's army.
This is one of the best mini-docs I've seen. Fascinating. I love all the artwork you've chosen for this video. Makes it feel like you're really there.
Really incredible work. Thank youz guyz!!! :)
The weapons may change, the words describing it may alter, but for every soldier, the experience of war is the same
Wow this was awesome. Like a good quality audiobook. More please!
I really enjoyed this. Thank you.
Amazing work on this channel. Really enjoyed the story, visuals and the sound track. Thank you
Love your vids u just made my day by uploading thank u 😁
Next time I'm having a bad day, I'll just listen to this, and remind myself how thankful I am.
This is one of the best Channels on TH-cam ever I wish I had this in schools 🏫 all schools with history classes need to show this to students.
Amazing video. Thank you so much
Thanks! I’m descended from one of the Dutch soldiers of Napoleon’s army and it’s interesting to hear what their experience may have been like.
read about the battle of berezina ! the dutch pontonniers (bridge builder ) were heroics
Wow, that was a ride. Subscribed.
Great channel, great voice. Blessed be the TH-cam algorithm, and blessed are we who get to see content like this.
Incredible video. One of your best yet.
History with cy , voice of the past and history time gives me what I really needed 🙏🙏💖 THANK YOU! amazing channel 🏹🛡⚔️👌
- greetings from Tokyo 🎌
'Muskets' not 'rifles'. Corps is 'core' not 'corpse' however apposite in this tale. Young Jakobs' piety reminds me of the shock of the German allied troops at the casual profanity and coarse language of their British comrades in America in an earlier war.
Which that pronunciation of corp never made sense, considering it comes from corpus, which does pronounce P and S.
@@NecromancyForKids French is written as it was said centuries ago, not as it is said today unfortunately. It is an orthographic nightmare.
@@NecromancyForKids Ahh, I had flashbacks to my High School times. And remembered why I absolutely hated french language.
You hate it more after studying latin. They truly pronounce the words like drunktards.
This is an excellent presentation. 👍
I’ve just found your channel on TH-cam and im glad i have as it’s excellent.
Hey Voices - love your work!
If you're delving into Napoleonic History, but are still interested in the theme of 'making sense of difference' I'd recommend looking into the Egyptian Campaign.There are fantastic written sources on all sides of the conflict that I'd love to hear you read/enjoy.
I recently finished reading a British Surgeon's journal documenting a journey from Acre to Jerusalem - Francis B. Spillsbury (the book also has some great illustrations).
From the Egyptian side also, there's Al-Jabarti's Chronicle of the events of the French Invasion, and how the locals made sense of European technology and secular learning etc.
Wow what story. And there are so many who have no idea what war is about. Thanks for sharing!🎭❤️👍
This work is a masterpiece
Excellent. Thank you.
One of my ancestors was an officer in Napoleon's Russian campaign, he had to eat his own horse...
But you're Japanese
@@Lachausis I'm a French living in Taiwan
@@baihongliang oh, cool. Look where the life has taken you as opposed to your ancestor. Vive Le France
@@Lachausis Yeah, family histories, just like History with a capital H, are full of surprises!
People always forget that more French soldiers died of heat stroke during this campaign than froze. The Russian Winter is majorly over credited in people's minds.
@Zahir ADATs They've always wanted Russia's resources.
@Zahir ADATs So overstating the coldness of Russia is because westerners view Russia with disdain? More like westerners view Russia as cold...
I f-ing love this channel!
Wow. Thanks. Excellent
This reminds me of a great book I’ve read. The diary of Flemish conscript (Joseph Abbeel) in the 2nd regiment of Carabiniers. He fought from 1806 until 1815 under Napoleon. The largest part consists of the Russian campaign. He got wounded 10 times on top of the sheer misery he describes in detail yet survives and a few miles outside Hamburg (which was safe French territory) he gets captured by the Russians, sent to Siberia, and survives again. A must read for anyone interested in the horrendous yet incredible adventures of a Napoleonic soldier.
More of this please , this put in the true grit of war back then and it was all so dark from drinking the dirty waste through their linen and desperately eating raw meat , to sitting on their dead comrades . It was all to real . I imagined and felt every moment of it when he was reminiscing about the beer and bread i felt that and when he reunited with his kin was emotionally heavy almost like a movie. Thank you for this experience it was humbling 🙏
Its a sad fact of life that we must know tragedy to be able to know happiness.
Great work!
Just imagine all those soldiers turning around, say no and walk home. It just never happens...
if they all on both sides were as scared of fighting as i am, there could be no fighting.
They literally where doing this or wich part of retreat you don't understand?
Every seasoned soldier down to the recruit knows, you gotta keep moving no matter what
Thanks VotP for another wonderful video!
Part of this reminded me of something from The Divine Comedy:
At 9:30 in your video Jakob says:
“...where-ever I looked I saw the soldiers with dead, half-desperate faces. Many cried out in despair: ‘If only my mother had not born me!’ Some, demoralized men, even cursed their parents and their birth.”
I do not think it a coincidence that this bears a resemblance to this passage from Inferno, canto 3 (Courtney Langdon translation):
“...they kept blaspheming God, and their own parents, the human species, and the place, and time, and seed of their conception and of their birth. When, each and all of them drew on together, weeping aloud, to that accursed shore which waits for every man that fears not God.”
Great stuff.
Keep one eye on the moon, and one eye on the finger!
X
A fantastic video, thank you for creating this!
You should team up with Epic History, they have a great series on the Napoleonic Wars
Invade Russia they said, it'll be easy they said
A classic
My Manly Man-Emperor of Mankind isn't just wise, he is also kawaii!!!
@@denisc4312 You came from backdoor that's cheating. That doesn't count.
@@denisc4312 Russia wasn’t even unified when they invaded
Said the Mongols
This should be mandatory listening for every new military officer. Great example of why 'amateurs talk tactics, professionals talk logistics...' really amazing video :)
I remember when my father who was a logistics officer, told me that, I did not understood exactly what he meant, now as I read more, I understand exactly what he meant.
Herrlich. Danke.
A beautiful video and much respect to the man who wrote it,when he described Napoleon tho I expected Napoleon would have looked more concerned about the situation since I had read about much of his campaigns and the invasion of Russia but I guess Napoleon would look indifferently at his army considering that it is Napoleon I am talking about
He looked concerned at the situation, just read about his staff reports, but he couldn't stand alongside a common soldier and told him/her, God, how we are going to make it? we are out of supplies and the first corps was defeated at Vyazma. you should understand who a leader must try always to be in a good mood, so there would be no panic, neither plumeted morals