One of the world's leading Napoleonic authorities; supported by over 100 period illustrations; tells the surprising story of what actually happened in the emperor's infantry battles as compared to what should have occurred if they'd gone by the regulation book. Descriptions of infantry weapons feature the muskets; bayonets; pikes; and swords that were so important in battle; while accounts from those who were there show how they were employed in attack and defense. Many misconceptions are clarified--including why the soldiers had such high regard for the bayonet when it inflicted few casualties. This perceptive study shows why the winning is in the details--and the proper management of all those arms.
#2942214 in Books Ingramcontent 2015-02-24Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.00 x .60 x 5.10l; .0 #File Name: 0300212682424 pagesRadiant Truths Essential Dispatches Reports Confessions and Other Essays on American Belief
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Yes; you can buy truth…Radiant Truths.By PeregrinatorI loved this book. Reading Radiant Truths was like crashing a literary party in a time machine and getting to eavesdrop on conversations between magnificently mustachioed Mark Twain and Sixties rock and culture critic Ellen Willis about their recent trips to the Holy Land. Henry David Thoreau tells of howling from a mountaintop; far from the calm shores of Walden; while Whitman recounts sitting by the bedside of a dying soldier. In one room is Amy Wilentz; grappling with religion and politics in Haiti; and in another Anne Fadiman is describing how the pigs were slaughtered at a Hmong exorcism in a California apartment. Even as Francine Prose breaks into tears on the last pages; I didn’t want it to end.Like much of Jeff Sharlet’s work; religion and belief buzz as an undercurrent through the anthology; but; also true to Sharlet; the bedrock comes from the story-telling revealed by the best of literary journalism. As the editor; he’s curated a collection that represents American authors in full immersion; thick in the search for understanding and comprehension; even if they know “the impossibility of perfect representation of reality; visible and otherwise.†The book is a celebration of the messy wrestling with truth and experience. Who steps into the “swamp of belief†and why?The book is also a radiant object itself; golden and bound with stitches; a pleasure to hold. And VIDA (Women in the Literary Arts) would heartily approve; with Radiant Truth’s roster full of fabulous writers; many of whom just happen to be women. Whether you follow the commandment that you simply “know there is a God†or “believe that all this God stuff [is] a lot of bushwa;†Radiant Truths will resonate. Highly recommended.9 of 9 people found the following review helpful. The much-needed canon of an unnoticed genreBy Nathan SchneiderThe idea of "religion writing" has mainly been associated with either a sort of cringe-inducing; unreflective piety or scholarly prose that oversells objectivity through unrelenting dryness. All along; however; some of the finest U.S. writers have been engaging with the true complexity; trouble; and intensity of the lived religion around them. For the first time; thanks to Radiant Truths; this tradition has a canon. Here we encounter a taste of how writers often considered safely secular — from Mark Twain to Francine Prose — grappled with the manifestations of belief around them. For any reader; this is a stunning introduction to a side of literary history normally left out of the story. For the classroom; this is a natural accompaniment to standard textbooks on U.S. religion or literary journalism; and it could even form the basis of a new kind of course. Radiant Truths puts on display not merely a new and necessary way of reading familiar writers but an invitation to what Sharlet calls the "cacophony choir" of modern religious experience.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Not Your Typical Religion WritingBy B. Wilensky-Lanford"Anthology" would be an understatement: RADIANT TRUTHS is a firecracker of impassioned literary journalism set off into the often-overcast; dreary skies of what we call "religion writing." It begins with a manifesto of sorts from editor Jeff Sharlet on why nonfiction is the perfect genre to attempt to illuminate the complexities of religion. And then follows an adventurous path from Walt Whitman's writings on the Civil War to Francine Prose contemplating the Occupy Wall Street movement. Via Thoreau; Zora Neale Hurston; Norman Mailer; Anne Fadiman; Ellen Willis; Amy Wilentz; Meridel Le Sueur and more; this collection coheres into what Sharlet calls a "cacophony choir;" testifying to the ongoing energy of American belief. Join in!
