Napoleon's Army; The Military Memoirs of Charles Parquin

London, England: Greenhill Books, 1989. Reprinted Edition. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. xxii, 200, [2] pages. Footnotes. Includes Introduction; Acknowledgments; Chronological Table, Parquin's Career 1803-14; Memoirs; Appendix 1: The Chasseur a cheval Regiment; Appendix II: La Legion d'honneur; Biographical Notes; Select Bibliography; Index. Also contains black and white frontis illustration of Charles Parquin, as well as three black and white maps: The Baltic Coast and Eastern Russia; Spain and Portugal; and Eastern France. Comparatively few memoirs of the Napoleonic period from the French side have been published in English. These memoirs of an officer in Napoleon's army provide a fascinating picture of that army in action in victory and defeat--at Eylau and Jena, at Wagram, in the Peninsula and at Leipzig; of the army's organization and morale; and of the life and views of the class from which the writer came, the bourgeoisie. The gripping memoirs of a cavalry officer of the First Empire This is the story of a remarkable French cavalryman of the Napoleonic era, Denis Charles Parquin, an officer of the Chasseurs a Cheval. Memoirs of soldiers of Napoleon's army are always exciting, but few exist in English translation. La Grande Armée was the imperial army commanded by Napoleon Bonaparte during the Napoleonic Wars. From 1804 to 1809, it won a series of military victories that allowed the French Empire to exercise unprecedented control over most of Europe. Widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest fighting forces ever assembled, it suffered terrible losses during the disastrous French invasion of Russia in 1812, after which it never recovered its tactical superiority. On January 1, 1803, when he was only sixteen years old, Charles Parquin joined the 20th Horse Hunters Regiment,where he remained until 1813. He was awarded the rank of brigadier on 25 October before being appointed a furrier on May 1, 18061. That same year, he fought in Saalfeld and Jena. On February 8, 1807,during the Battle of Eylau,he was wounded by a shot and five spears and then taken prisoner. After a few months of captivity in Russia, he joined his regiment. Promoted Marshal of the House on February 2, 1809 then second lieutenant on April 30, 19911, he took part in the Battle of Wagram where, on 2 July 1809,he was wounded by a gunshot wound to the left arm. On May 5, 1811,Second Lieutenant Parquin was shot in the face at the Battle of Ciudad Rodrigo. In Guarda, under the command of Commander Denys de Damrémont,he took part in a charge that removed five flags from the Portuguese and allowed the capture of 1,500 prisoners. On July 22, 1812,during the Battle of Salamanca,he was wounded with a sword in his right wrist, which prevents him from using his arm until the end of the Spanish campaign. Lieutenant at the 13th Fighter Regiment since February 27, 1813, Parquin agreed to be demoted second lieutenant to join the 1st Guard Horse Hunters Regiment on March 10, 18131. Noticed by the Emperor during a review at the Tuileries, he was made a Knight of the Legion of Honour on April 6, 1813. A few days after protecting Marshal Oudinot during the Battle of Leipzig, he was wounded by a bayonet in the face during an engagement against the Bavarian infantry at the Battle of Hanau on September 29, 18131. However, he continued his service and on 21 December, he was appointed captain of the 2nd Horse Hunter Regiment of the Guard. During the campaign of France (1814) he distinguished himself by taking over Oulchy-le-Château, where, without suffering any losses, he took a hundred prisoners (2-3March) and, a few days later, overloading 18 Russian artillery pieces to Saint-Dizier. Appointed by king's patent to the 11th Regiment of Cuirassiers on June 19, 1814, Parquin probably took part in the Battle of Waterloo, although his service records, written under the Second Restoration, do not speak of it. After the war, he retained his rank as captain by moving to the Cantal Hunters Regiment on May 25, 1815.