Napoleon the Hundred Days Epoch: Volume Three Napoleon, Davout and the Nation

Résumé du livre

This is the third in the five-volume series that tells the story of Napoleon during the period April 1814 to the beginning of the military operations in June 1815 known as the Waterloo campaign. As such, the focus of this series is Napoleon, the obstacles he faced upon his return to France in March 1815, and how he and those around him took on what can only be described as a Herculean task to prepare the French nation for another war. In order to place the decisions and actions of the Emperor, his ministers and generals in their proper context, this series addresses a myriad of complex issues involving the military and the government that include the societal underpinnings and influences intertwining the challenges and organizational skills involving the principal characters associated with rebuilding a French nation long worn down by conflict. Included with this maze of challenges is the story of Napoleon's premier and most trusted lieutenant, Marshal Louis Davout, and how the legendary Marshal of the Empire played a vital role as Napoleon's Minister of War in the 1815 epoch. Included in this volume are extensive details on the raising of the National Guards and other formations. To also understand why and how events unfolded the way they did, and how those in turn impacted the Emperor and his principal army during its organization and then later on the battlefield, it is necessary to examine the ramifications of the nation's ongoing deep financial crisis that was inherited by Napoleon upon his return and how he, Davout and others had to contend with all the upheaval created by the financial predicament. It all adds up to a compelling story involving the struggle to overcome daunting challenges that were all part of France's economic, military and political milieux. How Napoleon and those around him in the Imperial government confronted these challenges adds up to an incredible story involving indomitable work ethics, extraordinary competence and illimitable patriotism. This is their story.