Marshal Oudinot-soldier of the First Empire of France Nicholas Charles Oudinot, 1st Comte Oudinot, Duc de Reggio and Marshal of Napoleon Bonaparte's France was not born in the unusual style of the great men of the First Empire, but far from the opportunities that might lead to greatness. One of nine children and the son of a brewer, distiller and farmer in Lorraine, Oudinot served as an ordinary soldier during the 1780s eventually resigning with the rank of sergeant after despairing of failing to achieve further promotion. The French Revolution then cast opportunity at his feet as only great social turmoil can and created the chance to rise through merit in ways impossible during the days of the old regime it swept aside. As a lieutenant colonel of volunteers in 1793 his action in the defence of the fort at Bitsch brought him to the notice of influential commanders and he was transferred to the regular army where recognition for his talent in numerous actions, but particularly at Kaiserslautern in 1794, won him promotion to general of brigade. Now Oudinot began to keep company with the great soldiers of France and he proved himself consistently on the battlefield, rising to inspector general of infantry and winning both the sword of honour and the grand cross of the Legion of Honour. By 1809 Oudinot had joined the elite ranks of the Marshals of France. He fought at Schongrabern, decisively at Austerlitz, at Friedland, Wagram, on the Russian Campaign, Lutzen, Bautzen, Leipzig and in the campaign to Napoleon's fall in 1814. Oudinot supported the Bourbon Restoration and did not rally to his former master's flag during the Hundred Days. This account of the Marshal's life and career is ably assisted by contributions from his wife. This book is, of course, essential reading for all those interested in the Napoleonic age and especially in the actions of its most outstanding military figures. Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket; our hardbacks are cloth bound and feature gold foil lettering on their spines and fabric head and tail bands.

The post of Marshal of France during the age of Napoleon was a much sought after honour, carrying with it riches, titles and land grants enough to satisfy the dreams of every French soldier. It did, however, carry with it the possibility of hardship, wounds and possible death in the firing line of the many battlefields across Europe. Few men who attained the dignity can said to have seen as much fighting as Marshal Oudinot, or to have faced death with such sang-froid as he. Once asked by Napoleon if he feared death, he replied, "Sire, I haven't had the time." He was constantly at the forefront of the fighting and became the most wounded of the Marshalate, having no fewer than 30 wounds to show in the service of France. His memoirs were collected and gathered together by his second wife soon after his death and are filled with the gripping and often brutally bloody action of the Napoleonic battlefield. They are in the main focussed on the latter part of his career - through the snows of Russia in 1812 to the end of Napoleon’s reign in 1812. Author — Oudinot, Nicolas Charles, duc de Reggio, 1767-1848. Author — Oudinot, Eugénie de Coucy, duchesse de Reggio, 1791-1868. Text taken, whole and complete, from the edition published in New York, D. Appleton and co., 1897. Original Page Count – viii, 474 p. Illustrations — 2 Portraits