Elting, a noted historian and lecturer at West Point has put it all together in this 700+ page book. He starts with a discussion of the decline of the French Army after King Louis XV and its destruction during the French Revolution. He then proceeds to discuss every aspect of the Army, from the equipment, feeding, transportation, etc. of each branch of the Army, from the infantry to artillery, etc.

An outstanding one volume history which ends with the new regime of King Louis XVIII, his mistrust of the Imperial army, his lack of skilled advisors, etc., and of course, the Hundred Days of Napoleon. I would recommend that if you are going to read this book, that you keep handy “Napoleon’s Marshals” which was edited by David Chandler. This book discusses (each Marshal is covered by a different historian) the records of all of Napoleon’s Marshals (25 French, one Polish) including their skills, greed, loyalty (or lack thereof), etc.

Another wonderful reference book to settle or at least provide fodder for any discussion of the subject (Napoleon’s campaigns, his personal skills, etc.). The two books total about 1200 pages so don’t think you will finish them in a sitting, but they are well worth the effort. If nothing else, as with so much of history, you learn a great deal about human nature and management.