Napoleon's Eagle Standards

The Eagles of the battlefields of the age of Napoleon The genius of Napoleon did not confine itself to his skill as a strategist and tactician on campaign or battlefield. He understood the nature of men, what motivated them and what symbols could drive them to the achievement of his own ambitions. He had embraced the symbolism of revolution himself and understood the powerful influence of the aspiration of equality and brotherhood for the proletariat. When his ambitions for the First Empire came to realisation, Napoleon looked to a new identity for the French nation equal to his personality and objectives. There could be no better example from which to draw inspiration or which to emulate than that of the eagle of Imperial Rome. This permeated every aspect of the culture of the Napoleonic epoch from clothing to furnishings to the fine arts and architecture, but nowhere was it more powerful than in its adoption by the armed forces. All knew of the significance of the Roman Eagles to the ancient legions. Men marched behind it, rallied to it, fought to protect it and died in its defence. In 1804 Napoleon-the new Caesar-introduced the eagle banner to his own regiments. As in ancient times these martial birds of prey, of pride and victory, came to represent the collective souls of the men who called them their own. This is the story of Napoleon's eagles; here are the campaigns and battles in which they were held high and accounts of what befell them there. This is a story of triumph and defeat, of tragedy and self sacrificing heroism. These are the standards that men fought to hold and died in the attempt to take. Previously published as The War Drama of the Eagles. Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket.