The Napoleonic Library is about to receive a remarkable addition: THE IRON MARSHAL A Biography of Louis N. Davout by John G. Gallaher Louis Davout's prodigious talent for war made him one of Napoleon's most effective, capable and feared lieutenants. With masterful prose, John Gallaher paints a complete picture of the man who was outstanding in battle and brilliant on campaign. This definitive biography – the only available study of the Iron Marshal in English – charts Davout's career from his enlistment as a Volunteer in the Republican army to his appointment as Minister for War in 1815. A veteran of campaigns in Germany and along the Rhine under the flags of the Republic, Davout first came to Napoleon's attention in Egypt and he was created a marshal in 1804. He quickly won a reputation as a fierce disciplinarian, an energetic and resolute leader, a capable subordinate and a successful and trusted independent commander ­ as demonstrated at Auerstädt, Eckmühl and Hamburg. The Iron Marshal was originally published in 1976 and will now become the thirty-fifth volume in the Napoleonic Library. John Gallaher, a renowned authority on Napoleon's military machine, writes about the reissue of his comprehensive study: "The career of Louis N. Davout continues to interest and fascinate all who are interested in the Napoleonic period. Only Marshal André Massena can rival Davout for the title of Napoleon's most capable lieutenant. Never defeated in battle, he was a superb strategist, tactician, organiser and administrator. While The Iron Marshal was in press, the late Daniel Reichel published Davout et l'Art de la Guerre (1975). This is a serious study of Davout's military career up until 1805. Reichel planned a second volume, but he never finished the work. F. G. Hourtoulle's Davout le Terrible, also published in 1975, is respectable but does not add to our knowledge or understanding of Marshal Davout. In the past quarter of a century there have also been published books and articles on the various campaigns and battles in which Davout played a major role, but these do not change my opinion of him, or my evaluation of him as a military leader or a man. I have therefore chosen not to undertake a re-writing of The Iron Marshal as I believe that this study has stood the test of time in its present form." The Iron Marshal will be published in February (ISBN 1-85367-396-X, £19.95) and Professor Gallaher will be presenting a lecture on Marshal Davout and his art of war at the Napoleonic Fair in February. Back to Greenhill Military Book News No. 96 Table of Contents Back to Greenhill Military Book News List of Issues Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 1999 by Greenhill Books 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