The Diary of a Napoleonic Foot Soldier Review

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(More customer reviews)This diary reads very fast, maybe not so much because it's a small book with large-ish text but more because it is written with surprising skill-- surprising considering the author was a Napoleonic "foot" soldier, a non-officer (i.e. a common man that most likely had little access to a "quality" education). Walter himself mentions that many of the people he meets on his journey to Moscow are without any schooling whatever, even the simplest of religious teachings, and that many children can not read or write. That realization obviously attests to Walter's own level of learning compared to the average citizen, and Walter's writing is obviously well above that level -- even if it does not approach genius -- making this work very accessible.
What I appreciated most about this diary was the point of view, that of the poor, starving, battered, exhausted soldier in the ranks, which serves as a definite counterpoint to a commanding officer's battlefield or campaign memories. Reading an account by a Napoleonic general's aide on the building of bridges to cross a river during the Moscow retreat and reading Walter's impression of the same event is quite enlightening. The general's experience, one of honor, valor and sacrifice, seems world's away from Walter's experience of horror, squalor and pointless death. Without placing one account or type of account above the other in terms of "rightness," I view it as extremely valuable to be exposed to both.
Still, as interesting as this work is, it is necessary to point out that many, very many, of Walter's observations and assertions, particularly those involving his own motives, are questionable. The simple fact that the work was written some years after the wars -- which in itself seems to dissuade the use of the word "diary" -- allows for error in judgment and interpretation, but it seems that Walter is given to rationalization of hard actions and building up the correctness and moral certitude of his own character. In other words, this book, like all books, I suppose, should be read with circumspection.
Also, I enjoyed the account of the Moscow retreat most out of any section of the book, and I saw the added letters at the end as the least useful. It does have some valuable background in the introduction, but as it really lacks a sweeping account (and why should it have it?) this book should make up a small portion of a larger study of the Napoleonic Wars

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