An Eyewitness Account of the Napoleonic War
An Eyewitness Account of the Napoleonic War
At the age of nineteen, Jakob Walter is enlisted in the French Army, under the rule of Napoleon Bonaparte. The Napoleonic period is often described as the rise of French Nationalism and the dissolution of absolutism in Europe (Backman 604). Throughout his three campaigns for the Napoleonic Army, Walter keeps a journal to portray his thoughts about the war; in this journal, he also shares his experiences away from home. Walter thoroughly explains the true reality of the war, and he also expresses his thoughts on French occupation and conscription without bluntly mentioning it in his passages; by the thoughts he expresses, it is clear where Walters’s loyalties truly lie.
Walter’s story differs from the standard story of the Napoleonic period because as a soldier, he fought in battles that were pointless to him and risked his life. The reality of the Napoleonic war was unlike any other; this particular war was initiated by one man’s ego, and his self-absorption was also the cause of most deaths throughout the course of the war. This man is Napoleon Bonaparte, the ruthless leader of France at this time. This war consists of many conflicts between France and other European nations. Napoleon wished for France to rule all of Europe and for him to rule France with an iron fist (Backman 604). One would think Napoleon would provide his army with the proper necessities needed to stay alive in order to take over Europe; However, Walter is constantly mentioning the struggle of starvation and dehydration. At one point, horses were shot and then eaten; because he was unable to get a piece of meat, his violent hunger lead him to “station (himself) behind a horse that was being shot, and caught up the blood from its breast. (He) set this blood on the fire…and ate the lumps without salt” (Walter 67). He also mentions the suicide committed by others such as an officer cutting his throat due to lack of food, water, and mental stability
At the age of nineteen, Jakob Walter is enlisted in the French Army, under the rule of Napoleon Bonaparte. The Napoleonic period is often described as the rise of French Nationalism and the dissolution of absolutism in Europe (Backman 604). Throughout his three campaigns for the Napoleonic Army, Walter keeps a journal to portray his thoughts about the war; in this journal, he also shares his experiences away from home. Walter thoroughly explains the true reality of the war, and he also expresses his thoughts on French occupation and conscription without bluntly mentioning it in his passages; by the thoughts he expresses, it is clear where Walters’s loyalties truly lie.
Walter’s story differs from the standard story of the Napoleonic period because as a soldier, he fought in battles that were pointless to him and risked his life. The reality of the Napoleonic war was unlike any other; this particular war was initiated by one man’s ego, and his self-absorption was also the cause of most deaths throughout the course of the war. This man is Napoleon Bonaparte, the ruthless leader of France at this time. This war consists of many conflicts between France and other European nations. Napoleon wished for France to rule all of Europe and for him to rule France with an iron fist (Backman 604). One would think Napoleon would provide his army with the proper necessities needed to stay alive in order to take over Europe; However, Walter is constantly mentioning the struggle of starvation and dehydration. At one point, horses were shot and then eaten; because he was unable to get a piece of meat, his violent hunger lead him to “station (himself) behind a horse that was being shot, and caught up the blood from its breast. (He) set this blood on the fire…and ate the lumps without salt” (Walter 67). He also mentions the suicide committed by others such as an officer cutting his throat due to lack of food, water, and mental stability