Editor: Loredan Larchey; translated from the French by Mrs. M. Carey
Pages: 328
Illustrations: 100 black and white reproductions of period engravings.
Maps: None
Footnotes: 48, all annotated.
Appendices: 2, called "Documentary Extracts," one outlining Coignet's military service, the other a facsimile of a sample page from his note books.
Bibliography: None
Index: None
Publisher: Worley Publications, Tyne & Wear, England
Publication Date: 1996 facsimile edition of the 1897 original published in London.
Binding: Cloth (hardbound)
ISBN: 1-869804-44-9
Price: $50.00
Summary: Jean Roch Coignet joined the army of revolutionary France in 1799 and rose through the ranks from grenadier of the line to captain of the Imperial Guard, assigned to the Emperor's staff. His memoirs were written in 1850 at the age of 74 from his recollections and are widely quoted by modern authors. Coignet had a gift for telling a good story, despite the fact that he did not learn to read or write until he was in his thirties. This volume is a facsimile of an 1897 edition published in London, which also exactly matches an 1890 edition published in New York owned by the reviewer.

The memoirs of Captain Coignet are fascinating; Coignet personally observed many of the significant events in Napoleon's career, such as the meeting with Tsar Alexander I, Napoleon's marriage to Marie-Louise, and Napoleon's farewell at Fontainebleau. He tells a colorful story from the point of view of one of the many members of the Old Guard that must have been present at any of these events.

For example, this is what (a somewhat prudish) Captain Coignet had to say about the dress of fashionable Parisian women at the wedding of Napoleon to Marie-Louise: "The dresses of the ladies were as follows: Low in the neck; behind, almost down to the middle of their backs, and in front showing half their breasts; their shoulders and arms bare. . . . I must say I had never before seen the ladies of Paris, half naked, so near. I did not like it."

Coignet's knack for observation makes his book a valuable source of information on a wide variety of subjects. He describes many important battles and maneuvers from the infantryman's worm's-eye view; focusing more on how he and his comrades felt and what they ate after slogging forty leagues in one day rather than dwelling on the strategic implications of their march. Vivid passages tell of the day to day activities of a member of the Old Guard, including details of barrack life, the Guard's system of training, pay, etc. Curious anecdotes, such as a "hair dresser" coming to the Guard's barracks in Paris every morning to arrange their hair, can be found throughout the memoirs.

Coignet also comments on the attitudes of his fellow servicemen and includes his own (sometimes caustic) opinions of many important people of his time. Of Queen Louisa of Prussia, a woman Napoleon once referred to as "the only man in Prussia", Coignet says: "How beautiful she was, and what a queenly bearing! . . . I would have given one of my ears to stay beside her as long as the Emperor did".

Napoleon, of course, is a constant presence in these recollections. In 1799, soon after he joined the army, Coignet observed General Bonaparte during the coup d'etat de Brumaire, where Coignet was a member of one of the battalions of infantry present outside of the meeting hall of "the Five Hundred" at St. Cloud. The legislators declared Bonaparte a traitor, so the infantry dispersed them and Bonaparte was able to establish the Consulate with himself as First Consul.

Service Record

Coignet's service record is included as a "Documentary Extract" in the back of the book. Born in 1776, he enlisted in the army at the age of 23. He joined the 96th Demi-brigade during its initial organization, and was selected to the 1st Battalion's grenadier company despite his small stature. Presented to First Consul Bonaparte for bravery during the battle of Montebello in 1800, he was promised promotion to the Guard one day -- if he survived the required four campaigns!

In 1803 Coignet was finally appointed to the 1st Battalion of the Foot Grenadiers of the Guard, despite being 4 inches too short (this was overcome by placing packs of cards in his shoes during the official measurement). Coignet received the Cross of the Legion of Honor during the original distribution on June 14, 1804, and was with the Guard at all of its major actions.

Coignet was made Corporal in the Guard in 1807, with the expectation that he would take lessons every day until he learned to read and write. He was promoted Sergeant during the 1809 campaign in Austria -- due to a shortage in insignia, Coignet received his epaulets and chevrons from a fallen comrade.

Captain Coignet

Coignet managed to survive all the subsequent campaigns, including the disastrous retreat from Russia, rising to the rank of Captain in the Emperor's General Staff. Coignet was present at Napoleon's farewell to the Guard at Fontainebleau in 1814. When the Emperor returned from exile, Coignet was re-appointed to the Emperor's Headquarters during the 100 days; he tells a fascinating account of the end of the battle of Waterloo and the departure of Napoleon for Paris. Placed on half pay in 1816, he retired from the service in 1829, and wrote his "Note Books" 21 years later.

A vital issue in evaluating a memoir is accuracy. This issue is addressed by the original editor of the manuscript, Loredan Larchey, in a preface written to accompany the original edition. Mr. Larchey admits that many of the details in the story are known to be wrong, or are clearly exaggerations.

For example, Coignet specifies that Napoleon's stirrups used during the first Legion of Honor ceremony were "solid gold" when they were merely gilded. But while some of the details may not be trustworthy, the fundamental outline of Captain Coignet's record and experiences do not seem to be in question. Mr. Larchey offers many specific references to records, names, and places that at the time of the original publication in 1890 would have been easily verified.

Many current historians use Coignet as a reliable observer of the period. Dr. David Chandler refers to him as a first hand source in his Dictionary of the Napoleonic Wars [p. 98] and refers to his memoirs several times in The Campaigns of Napoleon. Colonel John R. Elting refers to him or quotes from Coignet's memoirs no less than three dozen times in Swords Around a Throne. Henry Lachouque, in The Anatomy of Glory also has a dozen Coignet references, Gunther E. Rothenberg has five in The Art of Warfare in the Age of Napoleon, and Brent Nosworthy also has five references in With Musket, Cannon & Sword, mostly to illustrate tactics or battlefield practices. Clearly Coignet's work is one of the most cited French memoirs of the period.

One of the most important memoirs in the field, Coignet's Note Books should be an early addition to any library. It is highly recommended.

More Book Reviews:

Military Maxims of Napoleon
Hougoumont: Key to Victory at Waterloo
Napoleon: An Intimate Account

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