Headley, Napoleon and His Marshals 2vol. Ed. 1890s

"Napoleon and His Marshals", by J.T. Headley, published by Hurst & Company, undated, 1890s. Complete in two volumes.

Hard boards, original maroon cloth, gold lettering on spine [some surface wear and a little soiling], 5.3/4" x 8.1/4"; foxed endpapers, former owner name handwritten on the front endpaper, 230 + 231 pages + several monochrome b/w illustrations, very good condition.

"The mighty genius of Napoleon has so overshadowed all those beneath him that they have not received their due praise, nor their proper place in history.... But with weak men Napoleon never could have unsettled Europe, and founded and maintained his Empire. The Marshals who led his armies, and governed his conquered provinces, were men of native strength and genius; and as they stand grouped around their mighty chief, they form a circle of military leaders, the like of whom the world has never at one time beheld." [from the Preface]

"American author J.T. Headley (1813-1897) took on the daunting task of rehabilitating the names and deeds of the emperor's righthand men, virtuoso military strategists and men of dauntless action eclipsed only by the brilliance of their leader. This striking two-volume work offers an extraordinary and unparalleled look at Napoleon's most trusted generals."

After a brief defense of Napoleon against British historians and an analysis of the emperor's character, Volume I introduces:Marshal Berthier, Duke of Neufchatel, Prince of Wagram, whom Headley calls Napoleon's Boswell. Marshal Lannes, Duke of Montebello, a man of humble birth whose "reckless daring and unconquerable resolution" caught Napoleon's eye. Marshal Macdonald, Duke of Tarentum, as bold and steely as Bonaparte himself, as well as Augereau, Davoust, St.Cyr, Moncey, Mortier, and Soult.

Volume II:
Marshal Murat, Grand Duke of Berg and Cleves, Prince of Naples, upon whom the emperor lavished honors (not for the least reason that he was also Bonaparte's favorite brother-in-law)Marshal Brune, whose independence and daring earned Napoleon's censure
Marshal Bernadotte, Prince of Ponte Corvo, Crown Prince (later King) of Sweden, with whom Napoleon had a contentious relationshipLefebvre, Massena, Victor, Oudinot, Bessieres, Jourdan, Suchet, Poniatowski, Grouchy, and Ney.

Joel Tyler Headley (1813-1897) was an editor at the New York Tribune and wrote extensively on historical matters. Among his many books are Washington and his Generals (1847), Life of Cromwell (1848), and the bestselling Life of Washington (1857).

Provenance:

From the library of J. Griff Edwards, 42 London St., Portsmouth, [Virginia] is hand-written on the front endpaper of both volumes.

John Griff Edwards (1870-1912) belonged to the old established settler familiy in Virginia. His father and uncles served in the Army of Northern Virginia during the Civil War. The grandfather, LeRoy Griffin Edwards (1804-1866), was the president of the Confederate Convention of 1864. John's wife, Mrs. J. Griff Edwards founded and led the first of the 'United Confederate Choirs of America' (1907). After that she was elected the 'Commander in Chief of the United Confederate Choirs.' In 1911 she published a volume titled "Echoes From Dixie A Collection of Songs Used in the South."

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