Published by Greenhill Books £35

The Anatomy of Glory is a remarkable book insofar as it has become a latter-day Napoleonic icon in its own right. Greenhill Book's latest reprint is at least the third since initial publication in 1961 and is a reproduction of the second edition, which contained some corrections and amendments. Publication date is approximately February 1997 and I understand that copies will be available in time for the Napoleonic Fair '97.

The original version of this book was written by Henry Lachouque and published in 1956 as Napoléon et la Garde Impériale. The English version, The Anatomy of Glory, was translated and adapted by Anne S K Brown and includes 173 contemporary and other illustrations of uniforms and related subjects, all of which are taken from the world famous Brown Collection. Indeed, as Colonel John Elting points out in the introduction to this latest edition, the book that Napoléon et la Garde Impériale became is the creation of Anne Brown. Without her adaptation and, most importantly, the illustrations from her collection, I doubt it would have stood the test of time so well as it has.

The Anatomy of Glory is, to use Colonel Elting's words, a tale of high adventure, and certainly proves Thomas Hardy's contention that as far as history is concerned, peace makes pretty poor reading. The narrative is a chronological account of the Imperial Guard, its characters, its relationship with Napoleon and the influence of his personality upon it. The story starts with the disparate units that predated the Guard but to which its beginnings can be traced. The development of the corps is described as it grows from a comparatively small personal bodyguard, through the formation of the Consular Guard and the transformation into the 6,300 strong Imperial Guard in 1804, to the monstrous 90,000 strong corps of 1813, further expanded in 1814, and the reformed and reorganized Guard of 1815.

The reader is taken through all the familiar campaigns and other events in which the Guard was involved. However, those who expect a detailed account of battles must look elsewhere for they are dealt with almost in passing. The chapter on the 1806 campaign, for example, consists of less than three pages of text in which the Battle of Jena receives but three lines. Of the other battle fought on that day against the Prussian main body, at great odds by a single French Corps consisting of humble line regiments, we are told "Meanwhile, a few miles to the north, unknown to the Emperor, Davout won a victory at Auerstädt".

Napoleon's relationship with his Guard is a constant theme throughout the book and I have always been impressed by his consistent ability to motivate men, sometimes under the most extraordinarily difficult circumstances, and in this context he must have been a remarkable man indeed. It certainly appears that he retained the trust of his soldiers generally and nowhere more so than in the ranks of the senior regiments of the Guard. He looked after the Guard's interests, often at the expense of lesser line regiments, and they clearly appreciated his attentions and the status they brought.

Be that as it may, his relationship with his soldiers was carefully crafted. It was not generated by motives of compassion or philanthropy. The remark to the effect that he cared little for the lives of a million men is, perhaps, a better reflection of the character of the man, rather than the benevolent father figure that is sometimes portrayed in the pages of this book. He was a ruthless exploiter of men; his soldiers were merely capital, the battalions and regiments they peopled were simply disposable assets which were expended in order to win battles. I do not share the generally uncritical enthusiasm for him that many of his admirers do, and for that reason I found it difficult, at times, to read this book again.

The Anatomy of Glory is a blatant celebration of the Napoleonic legend. The text is partial and bellicose and reflects, what are in my opinion, Lachouque's myopic predilections. Those who are beguiled by Napoleonic myth and legend will delight in it, others will read it with varying degrees of circumspection. Nobody, I suggest, could apply any caveat to the wonderful accompanying illustrations from the Brown Collection by the likes of Weiland, Martinet, Klein, du Faur, Knotel, Rousselot et al; these are all quite superb. Whatever one's scepticism might be in the context of the text, The Anatomy of Glory remains a landmark work in Napoleonic literature of the 20th Century and is de rigeur for any collection.

Other Book Reviews:

Imperial Bayonets
Wellington's Peninsula Victories
British Forces in the West Indies
Recollections of Rifleman Harris
Nelson's Battles
Origins of the French Revolutionary Wars

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