Welcome to the all new "FRENCH COMMANDER'S STUDY GROUP" web-site sponsored by "First Empire" magazine and compiled by Terry J. Senior (UK).
To call it a GROUP is somewhat misleading as the sole member is myself. My interest in the Napoleonic period dates back many years, in fact to my school days. Then about twelve years ago, I decided to specialise in the commanders of le Grande Armee. This in itself is a subject of considerable size and I decided to concentrate first on the Generals, as le Marechaux, had already been covered in some depth, by many historians of different nationalities, and I could leave the regimental commanders etc., until later.
Most students requiring details on a particular general will in the main, usually be referred to "Dictionnaire Biographique des Generaux et Amiraux Francais de la Revolution et de l'Empire 1792-1814". This extensive work by Georges Six is, not surprisingly, in French and comes in two volumes. You will note that it only goes up to 1814 which is probably why you will not find late appointments such as LaBedoyere featured. It details the military careers of some 2,400 high ranking officers of the French army and navy for the period mentioned. Of these, approximately 1,200 served during le Premier Empire. The work generally includes dates and places of birth and death, promotions, campaigns, engagements present, wounds suffered, decorations received, financial rewards and post military career details etc.
Valuable though this work certainly is, I feel that it tells only half of the story. What of the personalities of the men themselves ? What kind of backgrounds did they come from ? What were their strengths and weaknesses ? Were they educated men ? Were they staunch Bonapartists, Bourbons or Republicans ? What were their physical attributes ? Were they good commanders ? Did they consider the welfare of the men under their command ? Were they loyal and faithful husbands and fathers ? Did they have political aspirations as well as military ones ? These and a host of other questions remained unanswered. I had found my quest.
In the years that have since passed, I have reached the stage where I now have in excess of 500 files. Each one is dedicated to an individual general officer and contains all manner of information, including copy baptism and death certificates, copies of marriage documents, newspaper and magazine articles written down the years, genealogical data, photographs and prints of portraits, decorations, weapons, memorials and statues, tombstones, copies of Etats de Service, etc.