Napoleon at Dresden: The Battles of August 1813
Author: George Nafziger
Pages: 352
Illustrations: 71 (many excellent ones by Knötel)
Maps: 29 (very detailed, often with adjoining order-of-battle, as at right)
Footnotes: 619, used as endnotes at the end of each chapter
Appendices: 9 very detailed orders-of-battle, down to regiments and batteries in 55 pages
Bibliography: 233 listings, some references cited in the notes couldn't be found in the bibliography
Index: 422 listings in 5 pages
Publisher: Emperor's Press
Publication Date: 1994
Binding: Cloth (hardbound)
Price: $35.00
ISBN: 0-9626655-4-1
Summary: A complete account of the battles subsequent to the armistice of the summer of 1813 and prior to the Battle of Leipzig in October 1813. Each action is covered in detail and gives the reader a solid account, accompanied by detailed orders of battle, of every battle from 18 August to 7 September 1813. An excellent reference work.

George Nafziger has attempted the task of telling the tale of the pivotal battles of the 1813 campaign, centering on the French victory at Dresden. In large part, he has succeeded. He has covered every action and battle during the specified period in detail, and has accomplished the difficult task of putting in order for the reader the complicated chain of events that led Napoleon to the fateful decision to fight at Leipzig in October 1813.

As with other Nafziger works, the orders-of-battle in the book are excellent The illustrations chosen are of very high quality, especially those by Knötel. The maps are good, and there are enough to give the reader a good orientation. However, some, as those at Dresden, are somewhat inaccurate (for example, the Great Garden is out of proportion to the city and too far from it).

The book does, however, contain some flaws. It is not an easy read and, unless you are a student of the period, it is very easy to get lost and bogged down in the detail. The author's insistence in describing events down to the battery level on the Allied side does not help the text flow. Additionally there are a number of small errors throughout the book (such as listing both 5.7 inch and 24-pdr howitzers in the French order of battle - they were the same weapon; also the fact that no copy of the Trachenberg plan either survived the wars or exists today was left out, even though a subsection of one chapter was devoted to it, was mentioned) which detracts from the entire effort.

Lastly, the author does not make firm conclusions as to why an event occurred and leaves the reader hanging and waiting for more. For example, when Oudinot throws the Battle of Dennewitz away on purpose by following Ney's orders to leave his position when he should have bluntly informed Ney what was actually going on (as usual Ney was too busy with what was going on right in front of him than with the battle as a whole), the author leaves it to the reader to decide whose fault it was, Ney's or Oudinot's. It would be very helpful to have his firm opinion on the situation. Also some commentary or opinion why Napoleon left Davout, his best general, tied to Hamburg and gave Ney, Oudinot, and MacDonald important army commands would have really helped the reader to understand the strategic problems Napoleon faced.

Mr. Nafziger is obviously a knowledgeable researcher and dedicated student of the period. More opinions and analysis on the tremendous amount of data he presents would make his writing even more valuable.

Overall, however, this is a ground-breaking volume for the study of the 1813 campaign, and Mr. Nafziger has done a credible job with a difficult period. He has captured the scope and sweep of the campaign and the era, and he has done Napoleonic historians and enthusiasts a great service by writing this book. It is a solid reference work. This book belongs on the shelf of every Napoleonic enthusiast.

More Napoleonic Library Book Reviews:

The Waterloo Campaign: June 1815
Waterloo New Perspectives: The Great Battle Reappraised
Colonel John R. Elting comments on some recent books
Napoleon at Dresden: The Battles of August 1813
The Used Book Lover's Guide to the South Atlantic States
How to Study and Read Military History