If you wish to understand Napoleon's Egyptian Campaign, this book is a must read.
The French
expedition to Egypt, which Bonaparte launched in 1798, was one of the
most exciting, harrowing, futile, and yet most fruitful adventures in
modern times. Although the expedition was doomed, and almost
everyone in it had only one wish—to go home—the impact of the three
years of French occupation left a lasting mark on Egypt.
The book is
crowded with dramatic episodes. We see the French, without supplies,
crossing the desert in midsummer and, without a rest, fighting the
Battle of the Pyramids. We witness the glories and horrors of the
Battle of the Nile, the uprising of Cairo, the butcheries at Jaffa and
at Acre, the labors of the Institute of Egypt, the ravages of the
plague, and the unbelievable game that Bonaparte played with Islam.
The
personalities are no less colorful than the incidents. Besides
Bonaparte, who revealed, while in Egypt, his most repulsive and his
most admirable qualities, there are the forthright and caustic General
Kléber; Lord Nelson of the Nile; the uncatchable Mameluke Murad
Bey; the Pasha of Acre, who gloried in the surname Djezzar, "the
Butcher"; and the chivalrous and eccentric Sir Sidney Smith. Add
to that list the selfless and heroic General Desaix; Dr. Desgenettes,
who inoculated himself with the plague and survived to give Bonaparte a
public dressing-down; General Menou, who became a Moslem to marry a
bath-keeper's daughter; and Pauline Fourés, who became
Bonaparte's mistress in one of the more ludicrous episodes of the
campaign.
Christopher
Herold has drawn on official documents, on Arabic chronicles, on the
memoirs and diaries of generals, officers, simple soldiers, artists,
engineers, and physicians. He has also visited the countries
where the action took place and pushed thoroughness to the point of
contracting (briefly) Egyptian ophthalmia; although he stopped short at
seeking first-hand experience with the plague.
If you wish to
understand Napoleon's Egyptian Campaign, this book is a must read.
|
Manufacturer:
Fireship Press |
| SKU: |
978-1-934757-76-5
|
| ISBN: |
978-1-934757-76-5 |
