Diary of a Napoleonic Foot Soldier

Eighteen-year-old German stonemason Jakob Walter served in the Grand Army of Napoleon between 1806 and 1813. His diary intimately records his trials: the long grueling marches in Prussia and Poland the disastrous Russian campaign and the demoralizing defeat in a war few supported or understood. It is at once a compelling chronicle of a young soldier's loss of innocence and an eloquent and moving portrait of the profound effects of all wars on the men who fight them.<p>Also included are letters home from the Russian front previously unpublished in English as well as period engravings and maps from the Russian/Soviet and East European collections of the New York Public Library.<p>Vivid and gruesome ... but also a story of human fortitude. ... It reminds us that the troops Napoleon drove so mercilessly were actually more victims than victors--a side of Napoleon that should not be forgotten.<br> --<b>Chicago Tribune</b></p></p>