Customer Reviews

The Notebooks of Captain Coignet: Soldier of the Empire, 1799-1816 (Greenhill Military Paperbacks)

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This is one of the top three Napoleonic memoirs that I would recommend, the other two being Parquins Souvenirs, and In the Legions of Napoleon by Brandt. Jean-Roche Coignet started as an illiterate private, and worked his way up to Captain in the Imperial Guard, one of those loyal, ever-present, tough as nails Grumblers that marched and fought the length and breadth of Europe.

Coignet distinguishes himself in his first fight at Montebello in northern Italy in 1800 and is rewarded with a loaf of bread by Berthier, Napoleon's chief of staff. He is almost killed a few days later at Marengo, one of the few who survived in his company, and getting whacked over the shoulder by an Austrian cavalryman, which does effectively cut off his qeue, which saves his life.

He is one of the first recipients of the Legion of Honor in 1804, serves throughout the wars all the way to Waterloo, and kills a Prussian officer in a one-on-one contest between the lines outside of Paris. The Prussian was yelling insults and made him angry.

This is a great tale, well told by a loyal, hardworking, very good soldier who did more than his assigned duty. I have a picture of Jea-Roche Coignet, a photograph taken in old age-he still looks as if he could eat nails for breakfast, and wouldn't take too kindly of insults against his Emperor. Just seeing the picture made me believe the book.

Very often used as a primary source, this classic memoir is well known to Napleonic writers such as John Elting. Many exciting stories, probably easier to believe than Marbot, though not as much fun and detail. Marengo and Russian campaings particularly good. Goes through his story swiftly and this may make many readers feel cheated.

This book worth the time and the money expended on it. M. Coignet was there, fought and lived to writte his tale. Excellent for anyone interested in the Napoleonic Wars. Besides it is a primary source for a lot of other works on this subject.
The author gives the soldier point of view, a battle is reduced to smoke, cries, fear and sweat. It is a very different thing them showed in the more usual historic approach. Superb.
The only problem is that M. Coignet, in his own words, is to perfect, everybody liked and helped him. Ok, he entered the dreaded Guard, but one can't satisfy everybody everytime. Otherwise a great book.

This book offered an honest and sober account of a man, who rose from very humble origins, overcame illiteracy, and distinguished himself so much as a soldier of long service in Napoleon's Grande Armée that by the time he was retired from the military in 1816, he had risen to the rank of Captain.

Coignet tells things as he sees them, often with a disclaimer to reveal his bias. He is candid about his own weaknesses and mistakes often enough to make one believe that when events sound a little fantastic, they are indeed true. Doesn't claim to give us an overview of the Napoleonic Wars, but does an incredible job of letting us see the campaigns through the eyes of a decorated veteran and member of the Guard.