THE REAL NAPOLEON

THEUNTOLDSTORY
NOWAVAILABLEIN

PAPERBACKONAMAZON

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PREFACE

Butbenotafraidofgreatness:somemenareborngreat,some
achievegreatness,andsomehavegreatnessthrustuponthem.
(WilliamShakespeare:TwelfthNight)

Andonemanwastheproductofallthree.

NapoleonBonapartewasbothamanofhistimesandyetonewhoroseabovethe
circumstancesthatprevailedaroundhim.Comparedtotheotherrulersofhis
dayhewasinaleagueofhisowntheonlyonewhopromotedcareersopento
talent,theonlyonereallyopentothenewwaysoftheEnlightenment.Thefact
hetook177scientistsandexpertswithhimtoEgyptprovesthathewasmore
thanjustanotherconqueror.OnlyamanwithamindlikeNapoleon,ashestood
nexttotheGreatPyramidofCheopsin1798,wouldspeculatethatitcontained
enoughstonetobuildawallaroundthewholeofFrance.
Napoleonwasbornwithaphenomenalmemory,oneofthegreatestofalltime,
andhepossessedanincredibleabilitytoconcentrateonthetaskinhand.His
capacitytoworkastoundedhisministers.Hehadvisionsbeyondthekenofhis
contemporariesandthewillpowerandsheerapplicationtomakethosevisions
comealive.AsWilliamHazlittsaidinhisessayOntheDisadvantagesof
IntellectualSuperiority:Thechiefdisadvantageofknowingmoreandseeing
fartherthanothers,isnottobegenerallyunderstood.Tothisday,Napoleonis
oftenseenasbutacaricatureofhisrealself.Manydonotwanttounderstand,
theypreferthepropagandaoftheirownnationandtheselfdelusionthatthey
alone,andtheirvaliantarmyortheirheroicnavy,weretheonesthatwere
alwaysintheright.
Inanageofpersecution,itwasNapoleonwhofirstconceivedtheideaofa
JewishhomelandintheHolyLandandonlyheallowedtheJewsthesamerights
aseveryotherpersoninhisEmpire.Andhewastheonlyrulertoemploythose
thatdisagreedwithhim.HeoncesaidtoCaulaincourt:Iknowyoudontlikeme,
butyoualwaystellmethetruth.1
ThetruthwasthelastthingthatGeorgeIII,TsarAlexander,FrancisofAustria
andFredrickWilliamofPrussiawantedtohear.Thosefeeblemonarchsbelieved
theyhadadivinerighttoruleeventhoughtheyallprovedtobepretty
incompetentatthetask.Theirforbearshadfounditeasyenoughtocarveup
Polandbetweenthem,andtheyexpectedtocontinueinthesameoldway.But
theydidnotknowwhattodowhen,astheyrepeatedlyattackedFrance,
Napoleondefeatedthemtimeaftertime.Therewasntenoughgoldinthevaults
ofeventheBankofEnglandtobuyNapoleonsgenius.Thus,inamilitarysense,
didhehavegreatnessthrustuponhim.
Onapersonallevel,heputthosearrogantfoolstoshame.AsFelixMarkhamhas
said,tohisservantsandsecretaries:hewasnaturallykindandconsiderate.2
Andhewasperhapstheonlyexceptiontotherulethatnomanisaherotohis
valetasMarchandprovedsoadmirablyatSaintHelenaandafterwards.Heeven
allowedhisstaffandofficialstogetawaywiththingsthatwouldhaveledto

imprisonmentorfarworsewithanyotherruler.Oneexampleisaletterhewrote
toDecrs,hisMinisterofMarine:
Iregretthatyoushouldhavelostyourtemperwithme;
butinaword,whenoncetheangerisover,nothingremains;
Ihope,therefore,thatyoufeelnoillwilltowardsme.3
ThatwasaletterfromNapoleontooneofhisstaff.FordecadesinEngland,
CharlesJamesFoxwasdeniedaplaceintheCabinetbecauseGeorgeIIIdidnot
likehim.HadFoxbeenintheEnglishCabinet,therewouldprobablyhavebeen
peacebetweenEnglandandFrance.Napoleondidhisbesttoenticeevenformer
enemiesintohisgovernmentinordertodothebestforFrance.
NapoleonwastheepitomizationoftheNewAge,alivingexamplethatthrough
hardworkandconstantendeavour,eventhosefrommorehumblebeginnings
couldmakeittothetop.Inthisbookheisshownforwhathewas,notashis
enemiesconstantlyportrayedhim.
Weshallseehispassionforintellectualenquiry,thekindnessheshowedto
menofallranksandstations,andhisabilitytoidentifywithandpersonifythe
hopesanddreamsofhissoldiersandthenationasawhole.Withtheaidof
CoignetsandBourgognestestimonyweshallseetheEmperorupcloseand
personalandhowhecameacrosstothecommonman.
InareviewofhiscareerasdepictedintherecentEnglishPressandbyEnglish
historiansingeneral,weshallseehowNapoleonhasbeenconstantlymaligned
andmisinterpretedandaforthrightrebuttaloftheiraccusationsdulyfollows.
NapoleonwouldhavelovedtheInternetsomanyfactsavailableatthemere
pressofabutton.Itsoverwhelmingsweephasenabledmetogleaninformation
fromforgottenhistorianslikeAbbotandRuncimanwhohaveacompletely
differenttakeonthesupposedCorsicanOgreandmanyothergermanefacts
fromamultitudeofwebsites.Inparticular,theinformationontheTamboran
eruptionof1815oughttofascinateanyonewhohaseverarguedoverthedetails
ofthatmuchdebatedbattleWaterloo.
Recently,informationontheweatherconditionsprevailingduringtheyear
1812,inparticularthelackofsunspots,whichindicateparticularcoldspellshere
onEarth,andevenastudyoftheElNiophenomenonwhichalsoaddsunusual
turbulencetotheglobalclimateshowthatin1812Napoleonwasincredibly
unluckytohaveboththeseadverseweatherconditionstocontendwithatthe
sametime.4
Inparticular,Ihopeanewgenerationofreaderswilltakeafreshlookatthe
historyofNapoleonBonaparte,withoutthatdeadweightofbigotedtradition
thatsmothershisachievementsandhisdeservedclaimtogreatness.

JohnTarttelin,
Conisbrough,SouthYorkshire,England,2013

CONTENTS
PREFACE
1THEREALNAPOLEON
2NAPOLEONSACTSOFGENORISITYANDKINDNESS
3ENGLANDSWARSAGAINSTNAPOLEON
4ENGLANDSUNLIKELYHERONAPOLEON
5COIGNETOFTHEGUARD:PARTONE
6COIGNETOFTHEGUARD:PARTTWO
7COIGNETOFTHEGUARD:PARTTHREE
8COIGNETOFTHEGUARD:PARTFOUR
9COIGNETOFTHEGUARD:PARTFIVE
10NAPOLEONANDRUSSIA
11MARCHORDIE:THERETREATOF1812
12ASHESTOASHES:VOLCANOESANDNAPOLEON
13NAPOLEONANDTHEENGLISHPRESSGANG
14THISSEPTICISLE:BRITAININTHEEARLYC19TH
15NAPOLEONTHETAMBORAERUPTIONANDWATERLOO
16HAIRSAYANDHERESY:THEMURDEROFNAPOLEON
APPENDIX
IMPORTANTNAMES
BIBLIOGRAPHY

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