Talks of Napoleon at St. Helena is a fascinating firsthand account of one of history's most legendary figures. Gourgaud's journal offers unparalleled insight into Napoleon's thoughts, feelings, and actions during the final years of his life, while his conversations with the emperor shed light on his military strategies, personal philosophy, and day-to-day life. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1903 edition. Excerpt: ... TALKS OF NAPOLEON AT ST. HELENA Journal Of General Baron Gourgaud From The Day After The Battle Of Waterloo, June 19, 1815, To The Arr1val Of Napoleon At St. Helena, October 15, 1815. June /p, The Emperor reached Charleroy at 7 o'clock in the morning, passed through the town, and crossed the Sambre. He passed some time in the meadow which lies to the right after crossing the bridge. There he tried to rally a small body of cavalry, carbineers, etc. It was a vain effort! The men who fell into the ranks on one side slipped out at the other..... His Majesty ate something. His servants rejoined me with those of Lariboisiere; my horse being exhausted, I took one of his. The Emperor told me to give orders to four companies of pontonniers who were near, equipped for bridge-building, to abandon their drays and their boats, and to fall back with the horses and soldiers of their party on Avesnes. I also hastened the departure of a number of peasants' carts, loaded with wine, bread, etc. They contained a considerable quantity of provisions, while in the army we were dying of hunger. His Majesty, who was greatly fatigued, demanded a caleche. We told him the roads were encumbered with vehicles, and that in a carriage he could not escape from the light horse of the enemy, which every moment we expected to appear. He then remounted on horseback, and for a short time we took the road to Avesnes; but after being informed that there were partisans of the enemy at Beaumont, the Emperor decided to go toward Philippeville. After a time we met some of our men in flight, who tried to obstruct our passage. His Majesty hesitated for a moment, but seeing no enemy, decided we must go on; we therefore resumed our route. With Saint Yon, Regnault, Amillet, and...

This Elibron Classics title is a reprint of the original edition published by A. C. McClurg in Chicago, 1903.

Napoleon promoted and honored great men throughout his reign. In addition to comparing himself to various great men, he famously established a Legion of Honor on 19 May 1802 to honor both civilians and soldiers, including non-ethnically French men. Napoleon not only created an Irish Legion in 1803 and later awarded William Lawless and John Tennent the Legion of Honour; he also gave them an Eagle with the inscription “L’Indépendence d’Irlande.” He awarded twenty-six of his generals the marshal’s baton from 1804 to 1815, and in 1806, he further memorialized his soldiers by deciding to erect a Temple to the Glory of the Great Army, modeled on Ancient designs. From 1806 to 1815, Napoleon had more men interred in the Panthéon in Paris than any other French leader before or after him. In works of art depicting himself, Napoleon had his artists allude to Caesar, Charlemagne, and even Moses. Although the Romans had their legions, Pantheon, and temples in Ancient times and the French monarchy had their marshals since at least 1190, Napoleon blended both Roman and French traditions to compare himself to great men who lived in ancient and medieval times and to recognize the achievements of those who lived alongside him in the nineteenth century. Analyzing Napoleon’s ever-changing personal cult of “great men,” and his recognition of contemporary “great men” who contributed to European or even human civilization and not just French civilization, is original. While work does exist on the French cults of Greco-Roman antiquity and of “great men” prior to 1800, Napoleon appears only fleetingly in other discussions of the cult of great men. None of the bourgeoning historiography adequately takes Napoleon’s place in the story of this cult into perspective. This book serves as a further exploration of the cult of great men, including its place in Napoleonic and European history and the alleged efforts of its members to enlighten the earth.