In the center of Mantua; in northern Italy; a covered bridge stretches over the narrow Rio where vendors sell fish from pushcarts just as locals did more than two hundred years ago when Napoleon Bonaparte laid siege to the city. Four cannon balls protruding out of an adjacent wall offer a tacit monument to the sufferings of townspeople during the 1796–1797 siege; when the city; held by Austrian troops; finally fell under French control. Two years later; Mantua was again barraged; this time by a combined Austrian and Russian army; which took it back after four months. In Napoleon in Italy; Phillip R. Cuccia brings to light two understudied aspects of these trying periods in Mantua’s history: siege warfare and the conditions it created inside the city.Drawing on underutilized military records in Austrian; French; and Italian archives; Cuccia delves into these important conflicts to integrate political and social issues with a campaign study. Unlike other military histories of the era; Napoleon in Italy brings to light the words of soldiers; leaders; and citizens who experienced the sieges firsthand. Cuccia also shows how the sieges had consequences long after they were over. The surrender and proposed court-martial of François-Philippe de Foissac-Latour; the French general in charge of Mantua in 1799; sheds new light on Napoleon’s disdain for defeat. Foissac-Latour faced Napoleon’s ire; expulsion from the army; and harsh public criticism.Napoleon in Italy is not only the story of Mantua’s strategic importance. Mantua also symbolized Napoleon’s voracious determination to win and Austria’s desperation to retain its possessions. By placing the sieges of Mantua in an eighteenth-century international context; Cuccia introduces readers to a broader understanding of siege warfare and of how the global impacts the local.
#1065391 in Books University of Oklahoma Press 2001-06-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 13.00 x .70 x 10.00l; 3.17 #File Name: 0806133473256 pages
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. A simply outstanding account of a controversial personality in American history.By I. C. SmithGeorge Armstrong Custer is one of those very enigmatic historical characters whose death took on a larger than life profile. He was vain; he was combative; he was courageous; he was colorful; he was petty; he was....well; you get the idea. Robert Utley's book; "Custer: Cavalier in Buckskin" is easily the single best account of Custer I've ever read. It traces his life from childhood to his still much debated death at the Little Big Horn. When one looks at his record; for instance; at West Point; one wonders how he even managed to graduate; much less become the youngest general in the Civil War. His Civil War cavalry exploits are fascinating. Time and again; he displayed the personality of the true warrior as he led from the front; not sitting on some nearby hillside ordering others to charge Confederate defenses. He seemed impervious to injury. But he also played the politics of the time and his rise in the ranks of the post-Civil War Army was due in no small part to his political connections. If one has a desire to learn more about Custer; indeed; the U.S. Army in the Civil War and post Civil War period leading up to the Indian Wars; then Utley's outstanding book is the best source available.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Buy It for What It IsBy kim harrisThis is a coffee table book (2001).The text in this large-format book can also be found in Utley's first edition book ofthe same name Cavalier in Buckskin (1988) Cavalier in Buckskin. The text in this newer book has been revised so it's not word-for-word compared to the first edtion of Cavalier In Buckskin. The "coffee table" version was published 13 years after the first addition hardcover. What you get in the original is a biography of Custer with a modest amount of maps (8) and an ample number of illustrations (46). Read my review of this very good Custer biography by clicking on the hyperlink above. Read on to find out what else you get in the "big" book.Ok what is different about the large-format book compared to the first edition hardback? Two things: (1) It is a large book measuring 10 x 13 x 1/2 inches and (2) there are many more photographs in fact over 200 photographs and paintings many in color in this most recent edition published in 2001.The text has also been updated relative to the original book. So you get an updated biography about Custer and 5 times the number of photographs etc. Is it worth it? I believe so. You get Utley's latest thoughts about how the Last Stand may have played out as well as other 8 chapters as in the 1988 original devoted to all aspects of Custer's life from his days at West Point and fighting in the Civil War to his days as an Indian fighter. In addition you get all the photographs; paintings and maps. Every page has at least one photograph etc.They average 2 a page. As Tony the Tiger would say; "They're Great!" Not so great is what happened when I first opened the book.The spine split from top to bottom down the inside. I was sick. Be careful!Get this book for the photographs and other reproductions of memorabilia associated with Custer and the Last Stand. As a bonus you get Utley's well written biography of Custer. If you are primarily interested in reading Utley's excellent biography of Custer get the original version published by the University of Oklahoma Press in 1988. It won't cost you as much and you will also save money because you don't have to buy a coffee table. You do know what a coffee table is; don't you?0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Buy it you want information on Custer's life.By John H. ProctorExcellent book about Custer and the pictures are tremendous. Good detailed summary of the Battle of Little Big Horn
