Diary Of A Napoleonic Foot Soldier

Diary of a Napoleonic Foot Soldier
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of battles and conflicts declared against Napoleon’s French Empire by opposing factions that spanned from 1803-1815. Few detailed records of the experiences of Napoleon’s soldiers during these arduous campaigns have been uncovered. Jakob Walter, an ordinary German soldier serving under French Napoleon rule, givesa comprehensive first-hand description of the years he served in the army. His Diary of a Napoleonic Foot Soldier allows readers to fully understand what it was like to be at the mercy of a power hungry emperor seeking to expand his territory. As one pages through the recount, it becomes evident that the reality of war is gruesome but in spite of this a strong sense of communal nationalism isseen among the men and God and faith seem to be the only thing keeping some alive. By the end of his time under the command of “Bonaparte,” Jakob is a different man that has experienced a great deal of hardships. Through the daily struggles that Jakob faces, we are able to become aware of the reality of the Napoleonic era.
While Napoleon reformed several aspects of Frenchgovernment, stabilized French society, and made peace with the Catholic Church, his time in power is characterized by war. Napoleon was a genius military general that led his army to several very convincing victories as well as devastating defeats due to miscalculations on his part. Warfare under Napoleon’s command was absolutely exhausting. Napoleon would push his army forward until they were met withresistance by an opposing force in the form usually of an army or nature. Soldiers rarely saw a day of rest. Walter describes one such experience in the early days of his campaign in Russia saying “the march proceeded day and night toward Vilkomirz and Eve…meanwhile it rained ceaselessly for several day, and the rain was cold” (Walter 42). This shows the extent to which Napoleon forced his armyto be paced. He had little sympathy for the soldiers and those that could not keep up in spite of the rigorous speed at which they moved were left behind. Napoleon regarded the men serving in his army as a means to reach the end he sought, conquering the whole of Europe. It is because of this that there are such great causalities throughout the campaigns Napoleon led during his absolutistrule. At the end of his diary of the third campaign, Walter proceeds to tell the readers “my convoy had left behind 100 dead out of 175 men, and 75 men on a few wagons reached the border” (Walter 107). Earlier, he describes an encounter between a man of his company when they meet up after sometime saying “there were five of us common soldiers when we march out of Moscow, likely we are the last twoleft” (Walter 105). These instances show the devastation experienced by soldiers at the command of Napoleon. The great army that Napoleon had hoped would conquer the world was diminished to a fraction of its original size due to several blunders by the emperor.
While Napoleon continued his campaigns for conquest as long as possible soldiers struggled daily to survive the harshconditions. The instinct for survival proved to be a source of great nationalism among the soldiers as well as a source of betrayal. As the soldiers continued the daily fight to stay alive, camaraderie is seen less and less among the men. He states, “Neither did we dare to fall asleep at the fire all at the same time, because no one was safe from stealing and robbery” (Walter 72). This forcesWalter to sleep with one eye open much of the time and makes the war effort even more tiresome. At one point, Jakob has his horse stolen from him in the middle of the night by a man in his camp; despite this, he does eventually get it back. While some soldiers took advantage of the need to survive by stealing from fellow soldiers, others were willing to help each other out even in the most...