 In the Service of the Tsar Against NapoleonThe Memoirs of Denis Davidov (1806-1814) Translated and edited by Gregory Troubetzkoy Denis Davidov was an officer of hussars, a partisan, a Russian hero and the inspiration for the character, Denisov, in Tolstoy's epic "War and Peace". Here for the first time in English are his captivating memoirs, which recount his adventures in the Napoleonic Wars and convey the Russian perspective of the events that culminated in the invasion of Russia in 1812 and the annihilation of Napoleon's army. It was here that Davidov made his legendary reputation when he became a partisan and launched a series of successful raids on the French lines of communications. From August to December 1812, beginning with 50 hussars and 80 Cossacks, he was soon joined by local militias and Russian prisoners he had helped to liberate. With a few hundred men on horseback, and constantly on the move, he managed to outwit numerically superior troops and take the enemy by surprise time and again. During the months of September and October he was able to account for 3,500 prisoners turned over to his superiors in return for an official receipt. He understood the use of speed as a force multiplier. A few hundred men on the spot and ready to fight were better than several thousand getting in each other's way. Even in winter the Russian forest permitted the rapid movement of horsemen, particularly when their mounts were little Cossack ponies which could trot where other horses could barely stand and scrape away snow with their hooves to reach the dead grass beneath. Their riders were no less tough. Davidov and his men struck at French outposts and convoys, seemingly out of nowhere, relying on the element of surprise, and good intelligence supplied by local villagers.
Military life had great appeal for Davidov, and he was truly in his element - in uniform and on the move; sharing a pipe or a bottle around a campfire; riding his horse and charging, saber in hand. He loved the simple army life and made many life-long friends with his comrades-in-arms. He believed that a stale piece of bread at a bivouac, the smell of gunpowder and the shedding of blood brought people together and kept them ready to risk their lives for each other. Those whom he hated were the career officers, bureaucrats and those who spent their days intriguing at headquarters. His account of this triumphant and tragic campaign is one of the finest to have survived and ably presents the Russian point of view of a struggle, which swung from initial despair to ultimate victory.
This book is the only Russian account of the Napoleonic wars available in English and it was picked as an alternate choice for the Book of the Month selection by the History Book Club. It was published by Greenhill Books, London, in August 1999 and is distributed in North America by Stackpole Books, 5067 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055, USA. It contains 208 pages, 30 illustrations, 4 maps and is offered at $34.95 U.S.
The project took Mr. Troubetzkoy approximately three years to bring to a successful conclusion. For his outstanding contributions to the field of Napoleonic scholarship he was awarded the Legion of Merit Medal by the International Napoleonic Society in 1996.
|
