Alexander Mikaberidze

Invasion of France, 1814

The third of three volumes, this book offers to English readers, for the first time, the memoirs of Ilya Timofeyevich Radozhitskii, which rank among the best in the vast Napoleonic memoir literature. Radozhitskii, a distinguished Russian artillery officer, chronicled his experiences shortly after the wars against Napoleon, drawing from notes kept during his campaigns. Born in 1788, the author was educated at the Imperial Orphanage and entered military service in 1806 as part of an artillery unit. Through skill and determination, he rose steadily through the ranks, earning a reputation as a capable and dedicated officer. Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812 changed his life. Serving as an artillery lieutenant, Radozhitskii saw action in virtually every major battle of that historic campaign. In 1813-1814, he took part in the War of the German Liberation and the invasion of France, serving with distinction in several battles before finishing the war as a staff captain in Paris in 1814. Radozhitskii’s memoirs provide vivid, unvarnished insight into the daily lives of Russian officers during the Napoleonic Wars. This volume follows him through the invasion of France and its aftermath, offering striking descriptions of soldiers’ trials and triumphs, gripping accounts of battles, and poignant tales of human suffering. When first published in Russia, these memoirs captured the public imagination and were widely acclaimed. Leo Tolstoy drew upon them while crafting his epic War and Peace. Now, these evocative pages allow readers to step into the chaos, courage, and calamity of the Napoleonic era through the eyes of one who lived it.