THE EMPEROR'S LAST VICTORY: Napoleon and the Battle of Wagram (Cassell) [Paperback]

Gunther E. Rothenberg (Author)

Book Description

Series: Cassell | Publication Date: March 1, 2006

In early July 1809 Napoleon crossed the Danube with 187,000 men to confront the Austrian Archduke Charles and an army of 145,000 men. The fighting that followed dwarfed in intensity and scale any previous Napoleonic battlefield, perhaps any in history: casualties on each side were over 30,000. The Austrians fought with great determination, but eventually the Emperor won a narrow victory. Wagram was decisive in that it compelled Austria to make peace. It also heralded a new, altogether greater order of warfare, anticipating the massed manpower and weight of fire deployed much later in the battles of the American Civil War and then at Verdun and on the Somme.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Gunther Rothenberg was the world's leading authority on the Napoleonic Wars. He served with the British, Israeli and US military and taught military history at Purdue University, Indiana, for 25 years. He was the author of six books of military history and regularly contributed to journals on the subject.

Product Details

• Paperback: 271 pages
• Publisher: Cassell (March 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0304367117
• ISBN-13: 978-0304367115
• Product Dimensions: 0.8 x 5 x 7.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,508,316 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Serviceable work describing Napoleon's last major victory, January 27, 2007

By 

Steven A. Peterson (Hershey, PA (Born in Kewanee, IL)) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: THE EMPEROR'S LAST VICTORY: Napoleon and the Battle of Wagram (Cassell) (Paperback)

This is a serviceable version of Napoleon's last major victory--at Wagram, as he defeated the Austrian Army under Archduke Charles. The battle was a monster of its kind, with a huge number of soldiers involved. 300,000 troops fought over a 2 day period; there were about 72,000 casualties (killed, wounded, missing, prisoners), with each side suffering about equally. As the book concludes: "The year after Wagram, Napoleon still looked unbeatable, but Wagram was to be his last decisive victory, the last to break the enemy's will to resist."

The book itself traces the Wagram campaign from its early origins. It describes how Napoleon created an army by shuffling a variety of units, some scattered hither and yon. It also describes the Austrian forces, under the leadership of Archduke Charles.

The maneuvering before the battles itself is described. Indeed, the lead up to Wagram was most propitious for the Austrian forces. In a battle at Aspern-Essling, Charles managed to bloody the French and experience a tactical victory. Unhappily for the Austrians, however, they did very little (such as fortification) after their modest victory. On the other hand, Napoleon redoubled his labors, brought some additional forces onto the field, and developed a typically ambitious plan of action.

At the last instant, Charles decided that he must also show some initiative. Thus, both armies planned to attack the other at about the same time. However, the French generals were better, Napoleon hit his stride during the battle at Wagram, and the end result was a fairly convincing French victory. It was not Austerlitz, but it was a substantial win.

Some useful features of the book: there are some decent maps at the beginning (while they could be better, they are serviceable); there is a nice section with short biographies of the major figures; the "order of battle" provides detailed information on the structure and leadership of the armies. The writing is not elegant, but it is serviceable. For a brief description of Napoleon's last big victory, this will serve.

A final brief comment. The author died before this book was published, always a sad event.