1

2
3

Napoleon: The First Modern General

4
5I.

How much do you know about Napoleon? Answer

6the quiz and watch his biography to check your
7answers.
81.

What island was Napoleon born on?

9a)

Elba

b) Corsica

c) Saint Helena

d) Kokomo

102.

How old was he when he was sent to the military

11academy?
12a)

15

b) 17

133.

What rank did Napoleon rise to when he was 28?

14a)

Brigadier general

154.

When did he begin his military campaign in Egypt.

16a)

1788

175.

What areas of society did he reform while being Frances first consul?

18a)

economy and health

19d)

education and law

206.

Concerning Napoleons height, one cay say that he was probably...

21a)

tall

227.

What battle solidified Napoleons as a great commander?

b) 1798

b) a dwarf

23a) Austerlitz
1
2

c) 10

d) 21

b) Major general

c) 1878

d) Captain

d) 1778

b) religion and social security

c) shirt

b) Jena

c) Colonel

c) science and trade

d) of avarage height

c) Waterloo

d) Borodino
1

248.

Where was Napoleon sent when exiled for the first time?

25a)

Elba

269.

How long did he stay in his first exile?

27a)

one year

2810.
29a)

b) Corsica

c) Saint Helena

b) two years

d) Kokomo

c) three years

d) six months

Where did Napoleon die?

Elba

b) Corsica

c) Saint Helena

d) Kokomo

30II.

Answer the following questions while you read the text about Napoleons
31military career.
32Questions
331.

Why is Napoleon conseidered the first modern military general? (1st paragraph)

342.

Why is Napoleon a great synthesizer? (2nd paragraph)

353.

Why is he more than conqueror? (3rd paragraph)

364.

What were the factors that led to Napoleons defeat? (4th paragraph)

What was the tactic typcally employed by Napoleon in his battles? (5th
38paragraph)
375.

396.

Why was Napoleon more than one-dimensional military man? (7th Paragraph)

40Text
41Napoleon
42for

many reasons. First, he came of age at the very dawn of modern military

43history

(marked by the French Revolution and industrial revolutions). Second, his

44military
45future
46his

3
4

Bonaparte (17691821) is considered the first modern military general

abilities and accomplishments were studied widely at West Point, where

great American generals would be shaped by his influence and legacy. Third,

military campaigns inspired von Clausewitzs seminal treatise On War, which

47has

influenced great generals and warfare ever since. Napoleon became the model

48and

inspiration for successive generations of American and European generals.

49Napoleon
50defeated
51debate

all his enemies at least once except for Great Britain. Historians still

whether he represented the culmination of the French Revolution or

52whether
53was

led eleven campaigns and sixty battles. At one time or another, Napoleon

he ended up perverting the ideals of the Revolution. Militarily, Napoleon

a great synthesizer. He took Enlightenment military ideas such as

54concentrating
55(including
56produce

the use of divisions and corps) and ingeniously combined them to

one of the most formidable military machines of all time.

57Napoleon
58Corsica.

artillery, universal conscription, and innovative organization

had a humble start in life given that his family originated in provincial

The French Revolution opened up careers to ambitious young men such as

59Napoleon

based on merit. After getting an elite military education in France,

60Napoleon

made his name by helping to retake Toulon from the British. His

61subsequent
62France.

expeditions to Italy and Egypt made him famous and loved throughout

He showed he was more than a mere conqueror by bringing with him

63scientists

and experts to help study ancient Egyptian ruins during his Egyptian

64campaign.

Indeed, Napoleons venture in Egypt would mark the birth of modern

65Egyptology.
66Napoleon
67he

made himself emperor of France (1804). Victories at Austerlitz (1805) and Jena-

68Auerstedt
69to

(1806) gave him mastery over central Europe and Germany. His attempt

defeat the British by excluding English trade with continental Europe ended in

70failure.

5
6

seized power on 18 Brumaire (9 November) 1799. In a few short years,

Invasions of Spain (1807) and Russia (1812) overextended the empire and

71led

directly to Napoleons defeat in 1814. He would make an attempt to return to

72power

in 1815, but his attempt would fail when he lost the battle of Waterloo.

73Napoleons
74Arthur,

tactical and operational acumen on the field of battle was superb. Even

Duke of Wellington, conceded that Napoleon as a leader was worth forty

75thousand

men on the battlefield. Napoleon wisely took advantage of the earlier

76revolutions
77French

in military affairs that had taken place under the old regime and the

Revolution. The use of divisions, massed artillery attacks, meritocracy in

78promotions,
79fashion.
80the

Napoleons military genius was to synthesize the best military thinking of

day to create the superb Grand Armee. A typical Napoleonic battle would start

81with

skirmishers disorganizing the opponent. Napoleon would then ideally

82concentrate
83attacks
84the

and nationalism to motivate soldiers had all been done before in some

his artillery on the opponents perceived weak point. Then, infantry

would be focused on this same weak point. Finally, cavalry would sweep

field to deliver the coup de grace and pursue the vanquished army.

85These

tactics brought him many immortal battlefield successes. Austerlitz, Jena,

86Auerstedt,
87reason

Friedland, Wagram, Borodino, and others will be studied for good

at military academies for years to come. Unfortunately for Napoleon,

88battlefield

success could never quite be converted into a lasting and

89institutionalized
90Europe

success. When Russia would not comply with his designs for

or the Continental System (a program to kill British trade relations with the

91continent),

Napoleon relied on brute military strength yet again to get his way. By

92practicing

nepotism in placing his family in governing positions throughout

93Europe,
94a

Napoleon lost the liberationist rationale for his conquests. His marriage to

Habsburg princess in 1810 for the sole purpose of producing an heir to the throne

95practically
96French
7
8

ended his claims to embody the anti-monarchical sentiment of the

Revolution.
4

97Again,

Napoleon proved himself to be more than a one-dimensional military man

98through

his astute focus on Frances domestic affairs. He made peace with the

99Catholic

Church in the aftermath of the French Revolution by signing the

100Concordat
101France

with the Church. This recognized Catholicism as the majority religion in

and vitiated religious antagonism against Napoleon at home. He served as a

102catalyst

for the introduction of the Civil Code into France. This Napoleonic Code

103modernized

French law and thereby helped make the French state run more

104efficiently

(it even serves as the basis of the state law of Louisiana to this day).

105Napoleon

also took an interest in modernizing the French educational system. Such

106domestic

innovations proved to be the most lasting part of Napoleons legacy.

107

9
10

108III

Prepare a 10-minute presentation on one of the 6 major Napoleonic

109Battles,
110use

always highlighting leadership and tactical aspects. The students can

the link below to do their research.

111https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Napoleonic_Wars/Battles
1121.

Battle of Waterloo

1132.

Battke of Austerlitz

1143.

Battle of Borodino

1154.

Battle of Eylau

1165.

Battleof Ulm

1176.

Battle of Leipzig

118