Collected Works:
Dictionaries and Encyclopaedias
by Paul Chamberlain
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Anyone who studies the period to produce articles for this magazine or campaign projects for wargaming often requires reference to a Napoleonic dictionary or encyclopaedia for that elusive piece of information. There are many such books available, each being useful in its way, and some being particularly helpful in answering a question. No one book will provide all the answers to all the questions that a researcher is likely to ask, and so a selection of such books is recommended. This article details what has been published in recent years, and attempts to show in what area that work is especially useful. A Military History and Atlas of the Napoleonic Wars Many readers may have the first edition of this volume on their shelves, and Greenhill have done the Napoleonic enthusiast a great favour by republishing this book. It looks at each of Napoleon's campaigns in great detail, accompanying the text with detailed maps to show the dispositions of the opposing forces for the campaigns in Italy, Egypt and Syria, Marengo, Ulm-Austerlitz, Jena, Eylau-Friedland, Spain, Russia, Leipzig, France 1814, and Waterloo. For example, the section on the war in Spain has nine maps detailing the movements of all the protagonists and is but one example of how useful this work is in studying a particular campaign. While this article is entitled Dictionaries and Encyclopaedias, this is the only atlas included and is, indeed, the only atlas readily available. Napoleonic Army Handbook: The British Army and Her Allies This is the first of a two-volume work, the second book of which will look at France and her allies. It is not only a practical reference book, but also one that makes for an interesting read in its own right. The authors have brought together as much information as possible on the British Army and her Allies, and this broad term covers the forces of Brunswick 1803-15, the Dutch-Belgian Army 1815, the Hanoverian Army 1792-1815, the Ottoman Empire 1799-1815, the Portuguese Army 1806-14, the Prussian Army 1792-1815, the Russian Army 1803-15, the Spanish Army 1801-14, the Swedish Army 1805-15, and the Austrian Army 1804-15. The text includes each nation's drill regulations, an account of its military involvement in the war, and a brief look at some of the general officers of each army. There are details of unit strengths, regimental names, service histories, and recruitment of officers and men. Much of the information is tabulated making it easy to access. There is also a bibliography that lists the sources used for each army. A Guide to Military Museums and Other Places of Military Interest Here is a book that has been in existence since its first edition in 1969, and is one of the most useful publications I have come across. I am often asked where to find information on a particular British regiment that featured during the Napoleonic Wars, and often I can amaze the caller by simply reaching for this book and giving them the details they want immediately over the telephone. My secret is now out! A Guide to Military Museums is a comprehensive listing of military museums plus other historical sites. It covers sites throughout the UK, and is comprehensively indexed so that you may find an entry both by its general description (e.g. aviation, military music, Napoleonic Wars, Nelson) and by regiment (both by name and by the old regimental numbering system). The entries are also placed under town headings, so that the researcher may plan a visit to a number of sites in a locality. Each entry has details of opening times, admission and contact details. If you are researching a regiment of the British Army, or simply want somewhere to visit when on holiday, then this book is highly recommended. Who Was Who in the Napoleonic Wars This is a collection of short biographies of many of the people involved in the period, from commanders, senior officers, statesmen, spies to unsung heroes, in alphabetical order from Charles Abbott (Speaker of the House of Commons 1802-17) to Field Marshal Hans Ernst Karl, Graf von Ziethen. This is a very useful book for information on the characters commanding armies and navies, and the politicians involved in the conduct of the war, and there are hundreds of entries covering every nation. Many of the entries are illustrated with portraits, and included are references to larger works that provide more information. A very useful book. The Napoleonic Source Book This is one that I constantly use and is a comprehensive encyclopaedia covering campaigns, weapons, the nations involved, biographies, sources and miscellanea, together with maps to further explain many of the battles and campaigns. Much of the information is tabulated for ease of use and there are many illustrations to complement the text. I find the accounts of the nations involved (from Anhalt to Wurzburg) very useful in learning how a particular nation or territory was involved in a specific campaign. The biographies cover the main characters and the section on sources is useful in following up a line of enquiry. Miscellanea includes tables detailing the calendars in use during the period; expenses of the wars; measurements; artillery equipment, calibres and ranges. This is a very useful encyclopaedia. The Greenhill Napoleonic Wars Data Book This impressive data book details the actions and losses in personnel, colours, standards and artillery from 1792-1815, and lists over 2,000 skirmishes, raids, ambushes, clashes, battles, blockades, sieges and capitulations that took place in and around Europe and in Egypt during the period. This is a practical tome for researching all aspects of the wars, and for a particular campaign can be found a chronological listing of all the engagements in that time span. Each entry gives a brief description of the site of the action, who fought whom, and the outcome, placing the action in its overall military context with reference to previous battles and those that followed. The text includes the commanders, casualty returns (where known) and comments on the importance of that action. The author has pulled together as many reference sources as possible, and includes many of the more obscure actions (many of which I have never come across before). A very functional book for studying the campaigns of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. An Encyclopaedia of Napoleon's Europe This is another that I find useful in my own research. It is a comprehensive collection of entries covering all aspects of the period, including such topics as the status of the Jews, Catholic Emancipation, serfdom and slavery, the great cities of the period, palaces and social life, leading political and military figures, writers, philosophers, artists and composers. People, places and events are well covered, and it is strong on laws and conventions which compliments others encyclopaedias.
This book was published as Volume VIII of the classic series of Oman's A History of the Peninsular War. The Biographical Dictionary is a comprehensive dictionary of over 3,000 officers in British, Portuguese and Spanish service killed or wounded during the seven years of that campaign. Each entry is a very detailed biography of the officer detailing their service history; medals and awards received; the place, date and cause or nature of their wound; subsequent career details and additional campaign material. Many entries also include eyewitness accounts about a particular officer taken from memoirs, diaries and despatches of the period. A very handy book to accompany any research on the British Army of the Peninsular campaign. The Longman Companion to the French Revolution For information on the French Revolution and the wars that followed, this book is probably the premier source. It covers all aspects of the subject in great detail including politics, the French Government both pre- and post- Revolution, international relations, administration, religion, society, the economy, and the opponents and allies of the French during the 1790s. There is a useful biographical section on the main characters, with a glossary of French Revolutionary terms. It is a book packed with information on all aspects of the subject. The Longman Companion to Napoleonic Europe As with the volume on the French Revolution, this book is very useful dictionary covering all aspects of the subject including international, national and domestic affairs of all the nations involved; military campaigns; rulers and governments, the departments of Napoleon's empire; economic and military potentials of the leading powers; biographies; alliances, coalitions and leagues; codes, decrees and declarations; maps and genealogical tables. It is a companion volume to the French Revolution, and is a practical book to have at hand. Napoleonic Military History: A Bibliography, This has to be one of the most useful volumes on my shelf of reference works. It is divided into sections, each written by an authority on the subject, and lists the books and papers that are most useful in that area, that have been published up to 1986. Sections include armies of the Napoleonic Period, the Egyptian Campaign, the naval war, the Scandinavian States, and the Duchy of Warsaw to name but a few in this comprehensive work. As an example of how useful this book is, I am currently working on a paper on Denmark and Danish prisoners of war in Britain, and I found in this book a good list of relevant papers and books, plus an overview on the role of the Scandinavian states during the Napoleonic Wars. It also provides information on suitable archive sources to contact, not only in Britain but in the appropriate countries as well. This is one book that I feel would be well received if the entries were brought up to date and published again. Dictionary of the Napoleonic Wars This was probably the first good dictionary of the period to be published to complement David Chandler's The Campaign's of Napoleon. It covers all the military and naval aspects of the wars from the people involved, to the battles and campaigns. To overcome a dictionary's natural tendency to fragment its subject, the author also included longer article-length entries on various subjects such as the naval wars, the Peninsular War and the War of 1812. I have always thought that this dictionary is particularly strong for biographies of the characters involved in the conflict. Back to Table of Contents -- First Empire #53 Back to First Empire List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2000 by First Empire. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com |