A Tribute to John R. Elting

Andrew Uffindell

Author of On The Fields of Glory: The Battlefields of the 1815 Campaign. "I remember Colonel John Elting not only as a distinguished soldier and a scholar of international repute, but as a gentleman who was unstinting in his time, courtesy and encouragement. Many are those indebted to him for his advice or support, whether in book reviews or in the many prefaces he wrote to introduce the work of fellow historians.

"Many of us had the privilege in February of meeting Colonel Elting at the Napoleonic Fair in London, where one of the highlights was to hear him at a seminar with Dr. Christopher Duffy, an event that was peppered with new insights, anecdotes and his wry, sparkling sense of humor.

"Colonel Elting wrote many authoritative books and articles in the course of his long and productive life. They covered a wide range of military topics, but three deserve particular mention: first, Swords Around a Throne, his definitive study of Napoleon's Grande Armee; second, the epic A Military History and Atlas of the Napoleonic Wars, an indispensable reference book for this era; and third, the lavishly-illustrated, four-volume Napoleonic Uniforms. His writing was characterized by his inimitable humor, wisdom, commonsense and total professionalism. What he wrote was always immensely readable, accurate, fun and, above all, original.

"Colonel Elting was unusual among military historians in this day and age in having first-hand experience of war as a soldier in World War II. He himself believed that his military service helped him shed light on the Napoleonic wars, notably for example when he based his fascinating chapter of speculative history in the recently-published The Napoleon Options on his memories of an actual German counter-attack in the Hurtgen Forest in November 1944. Through his pre-war service he also learned much about the problems of caring for horses and just what they could do, experience invaluable in understanding Napoleon's cavalry.

"Colonel Elting will be long remembered with fondness and gratitude. It was a privilege to meet him and I am sure that his books will find an honored place on the shelves of Napoleonic scholars and enthusiasts for generations to come."

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