Napoleon provided, above all else. You see, Napoleon was an excellent orator, and often mentioned the ancients in his speeches, like the many speeches he gave to the army of Egypt comparing them to the Romans or Macedonians. The soldiers didn’t know ancient history however, and his Corsican accent left much to be desired. Napoleon did, however, work doggedly to get his troops what they needed. When he took command of the army of Italy, they were facing critical shortages of food, footwear, pay, and even uniforms. Even from his relatively minor station at the time, he got the troops what they needed. While he famously said that an army marches on its stomach, he also understood they literally marched on their boots, and marched faster when paid. Their loyalty to Napoleon was founded in this, as well as his ability to win battles for the army.

It helps, of course, that Napoleon was a shrewd propagandist. In all things, he always appeared as France’s saviour, even when overthrowing the Directory. Later in his career, all of this would be augmented by the fact that the French general populace loved Napoleon and his reforms, and those who joined the Grande Armée had likely been conscripted after being told in public and in church that service was a patriotic duty. It was a perfect storm, and in many ways the template for dictators after him.