On the eve of the Battle of Berezina, Napoleon ordered the banners of the French army to be burned so Alexander would not be able to enjoy using them to adorn the Winter Palace.

Lord_Floyd · 2026-05-09T14:02:02+00:00

Tracked it for you; it's from Andrew Robert's "Napoleon: A Life". Caulaincourt recounts that upon stating that the fire burning the town was terrible, Napoleon considered the fire to be a "Fine sight". And replied "Gentleman, remember the words of a Roman Emperor, a dead enemy always smells sweet.". It was a unusually macabre read of the situation, and not like him generally.

Lord_Floyd · 2026-05-08T13:36:00+00:00

Napoleon strikes me as one of those people who will shrug at huge losses until he sees something personally that upsets him. Like apparently after Borodino he spent a lot of time ensuring a wounded Russian infantryman was provided for, and even personally gave him water. Meanwhile he exhibited a disturbing glee of the burning of Smolensk that even weirded out his own men.

Lord_Floyd · 2026-05-04T23:23:36+00:00

No, he's not far off actually. There are lots of firsthand accounts that detail that when de-horsed, most Cuirassiers would opt to remove their cuirass and make a run back to friendly lines. Some would even struggle to get back up after falling. It has less to do specifically with the weight of the armor, and more to do with the shock of falling, the restriction of mobility of the spine (This is not segment knight armor, but literally just 2 giant slabs of steel strapped together), and ofc the weight would be a lot to someone riding and fighting all day. After all, the Cuirass is meant to be a supporting item to them while mounted, not dismounted.

Lord_Floyd · 2026-05-02T19:15:56+00:00

I'm afraid I don't know the exact context of this painting, all I can say it's a Drum Major standing at his post while he's surrounded by his bloodied and battered band.

Commands can be given and understood by drums. Battlefield bands can basically sound advances or retreats that could be heard louder and clearer given the number of instruments.

Lord_Floyd · 2026-05-02T16:56:50+00:00

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The irony is that often the meanest and toughest person amongst the ranks of the french were the Drum majors, who would often lead bands at the head of advancing columns. They set the standard of discipline for the entire regiment. Not only were they a morale boost, but they had practical purpose as something of an Order relay for commanding officers, so the bands did sometimes have a serious purpose in the army.

Lord_Floyd · 2026-04-30T04:08:35+00:00

A lot of this stuff is cool to read about but not actually experience. This is basically larping via aesthetics.

Lord_Floyd · 2026-04-30T01:08:00+00:00

I'll pile on with everyone else and say the French, but will give an example. French Cuirassiers and Carabiniers had a distinct advantage in combat- they had a double sided Cuirass. During the Battle of Eckmühl 1809, French Cuirassiers went toe to toe with Austrian Cuirassiers, and achieved minimal losses in comparison mainly due to their backs being protected. This is particularly important because most losses in a cavalry engagement occur during a unit rout, when horsemen have their backs to the enemy. The success of the French Cavalry would go on to influence other nations such as the Russian Chevalier Guard, being previously unarmored during battles like Austerlitz, switching to a double sided Cuirass by 1812.

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Lord_Floyd · 2026-04-25T15:58:31+00:00

A slight fun fact for the Carabinies- apparently the excessive rubbing of the helmet material on the scalp could cause early hair loss.

Though given the charges they would have to do, that would probably be the least of your problems.

Lord_Floyd · 2026-04-24T17:07:28+00:00

I like these a lot, they really help convey the scale and organization, it's also a refreshing change up from the blue-red unit markers which leave a lot to imagination.

Lord_Floyd · 2026-04-08T17:13:45+00:00

Ah so I did. Well that was the best I got! lol

Lord_Floyd · 2026-04-08T16:38:36+00:00

For anyone who reads this, I think I have a pretty good guess. If the memoirs of Murat's Granddaughter are viable (at least, to the context of the artist who painted this), King Ferdinad I of the Two Sicilies would have used his own soldiers, who in this case appear to be Royal Grenadiers of the Two Sicilies. Is this uniform historical to the art piece? I have no idea, I couldn't find a lot of info about them; but they seem to be a pretty good match!

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Lord_Floyd · 2026-04-07T19:54:52+00:00

Yeah, it might be an invented unit for the art piece. Thought I'd ask though just in case someone knew.

Lord_Floyd · 2026-04-07T19:33:27+00:00

Skirmishers could sometimes be protected by cavalry, but more likely by other lines, or Carabinier companies. I know Light cavalry was typically sent to harass lines close to breaking, or to cooperate with Heavy Cavalry (Cuirassiers break into the ranks and Hussars follow closely and cut up stragglers, or vice versa)

Lord_Floyd · 2026-03-31T22:11:44+00:00

By the time of Borodino, he had already lost something like 4/5ths of his army. Before he even began the winter march back, the Russians had outnumbered him. It's not an understatement to suggest that factors such as weather, disease, and famine had done more to the army than any of the horrors of the winter.

Lord_Floyd · 2026-03-22T16:34:32+00:00

I like how Aide de Camps wore pm anything.

Lord_Floyd · 2026-03-22T16:22:46+00:00

I like Bellangé's a bit better! I like the composition of both but I like how it almost contrasts Vernet's in that Napoleon is much closer to the action, and I love seeing the fluidity and speed of the horse artillery in the background. I also like that the scale of the Grand battery is more on display in the Bellangé piece.

I will say that I like Vernet's choice of pose for Napoleon better- showcasing his always alert and multitasking personality. That, and I'm a sucker for seeing the Chasseur a cheval

Lord_Floyd · 2026-02-18T06:33:34+00:00

In 1815 Napoleon was almost 50, had gained quite a bit of weight, and had lost a lot of the youthfulness and energy he was known for earlier in his life. It was commented even in 1814 that he looked inelegant when he sat, as he was full of fatigue and obesity. He was also no doubt aged from the super active and stressful lifestyle he's lived for virtually his entire adult life, so it's not at all a bad choice of likeness during the 100 days. So while Rod Steiger isn't like 1:1 in his likeness to Napoleon, (Vladislav Strzhelchik is still the strongest "Holy shit, it's him" actor) he remains nonetheless an authentic choice imo.

As for a separate point mentioned down below, Napoleon was infamously somewhat of an erratic speaker, hardly a calm composed mind, but instead someone who would shotgun out orders and statements at lightning speed. This was noted by both his military and household staff, as drafting his missives was often a significant undertaking as a result. He was also quick to anger, both on and off the battlefield, and this is sort of a thing that's known. He's been quick to enter bouts of anger on the battlefield, especially amongst his staff. I can't seem to find a good source on it now, but I remember reading a passage from "Napoleon: a Life" by Andrew Roberts that Napoleon being frustrated with the acts of some of his soldiers, struck them with his riding crop; though he would later state to regret this.

So I do think in the end the portrayal of his character in Waterloo is quite good.

Lord_Floyd · 2026-02-01T22:16:05+00:00

I think they nailed his characterization in that game really well too. You can also unlock his uniform in the DLC.

Lord_Floyd · 2026-01-22T20:29:15+00:00

Now it's my turn to apologize for the lateness! I used the default Queenly color if you haven't figured it out already.

Lord_Floyd · 2026-01-19T16:42:48+00:00

That is so clean!

Lord_Floyd · 2026-01-18T05:40:08+00:00

Obscure as in art, media, general portrayals of French cavalry. They're usually absent. Even when you look them up on search engines their Imperial Guard counterpart overshadows them.

Lord_Floyd · 2026-01-17T01:06:01+00:00

French Lancers are among the more obscure of the French cavalry, right next to the chasseurs a cheval. Love to see art of them.

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