B009YBU18W EBOK (83 page)

RIGHT
Joachim Murat, King Joachim I of Naples, a legend of dash and flash who invented his own uniforms. Detail from a painting by Louis Lejeune, a colonel on the general staff.

BELOW
Elements of the Army of Italy on the march on 29 June, shortly after crossing the Niemen, sketched by Albrecht Adam, an artist attached to Prince Eugène’s staff. At the centre of the picture, an officer has drawn his sabre to try to get a
cantinière
’s wagon out of the way of his marching men.

A French infantryman returning from the
maraude
, on a small peasant pony typical of the type to be found in this part of the world, a drawing by Christian Wilhelm von Faber du Faur, a Swiss artist serving in the Württemberg contingent of the Grande Armée.

Portuguese infantry returning from a foraging expedition, by Faber du Faur.

A Bavarian cavalryman haggling with Jewish traders, by Faber du Faur.

French cuirassiers returning from a foraging expedition, by Albrecht Adam.

ABOVE
This scene, sketched by Albrecht Adam near Pilony on 29 June, shows how inexperienced many of the men were at the tasks of butchering and cooking.

ABOVE
A detail of Württembergers on grave-digging duty, by Faber du Faur.

RIGHT
Tents were not part of the French army’s equipment, and the only shelter the men could hope for was one constructed with straw or foliage, like this one, depicted by Faber du Faur.

The fierce rainstorm that assailed the Grande Armée four days after it crossed the Niemen slowed progress. This engraving by Faber du Faur shows French artillery teams floundering through a sea of mud on 30 June.

The conditions took a heavy toll of the French army’s horsepower, and it is thought that as many as 50,000 horses may have died in the space of twenty-four hours, often in harness, like these drawn by Albrecht Adam on 29 June.

The territory through which the French were moving was criss-crossed by a multitude of rivers, most of which had to be forded. Here, Albrecht Adam shows Prince Eugène’s 4th Corps on 29 August crossing the river Vop, which was to prove a fatal obstacle on the way back.