Honestly, what my poor country has had to put up with over the years! Well, before I go off on one I had better explain. Recently a dear friend gave me a terrific history book entitled "La Grande Armée" by Georges Blond. Yes, I know, a history of Bonaparte's army and written by a Frenchman - quelle horreure! But Blonde is an excellent historian and he does not simply recline around the palaces and the General Headquarters, he takes you down to 'grognard' level to help you understand what life - and death - was like for the ordinary soldiers in Bonaparte's army.
Anyway, he starts quite properly with the French army forming up around the Boulogne area waiting their chance to cross the channel and finish off, once and for all time, 'les rosbifs'. At its height, Bonaparte had about 140,000 men waiting for the word to go, so Britain faced an almighty threat. But then, up rocks this damned Yankee, Robert Fulton, of whom I had never heard until I read this book. He actually designed and built the first working submarine - out of wood! And then the rascal invented torpedoes and mines to go with it. All of this he offered to the French who, thank God (He is obviously a Brit), they were too thick to accept. Then the get-rich-quick kid from 'over there' crossed the Channel and offered it to us Brits - and, yes, you're right, we were too thick to accept it as well!
I'm only on page 42 and I am utterly captivated by this book. Treat yourselves - but buy it via Kindle if you can because it weighs a ton!
Woah there.
The torpedo was an explosive on the end of a pole, not what you're thinking of. Rather dangerous to the user.
Second, the French actually did commission him
Third, the British counter plan was devilish fiendish: they paid him to come to England.
Posted by: TDK | Wednesday, 15 July 2015 at 13:41
I'm sure a literary man like yourself is au fait with the scribblings of Bernard Cornwell and his Sharpe books? Very well worth reading as informative about the Napoleonic wars, well written and fun, and of course Sharpe always wins.
Not quite on a par in terms of pure literary genius with Patrick O'Brian, to be hyper-critical, but excellent nonetheless.
Posted by: Cuffleyburgers | Wednesday, 15 July 2015 at 14:44
Sorry, TDK, if I skipped a few details but you must remember that most of my readers suffer with Attention Deficit Disorder so I have to keep my posts short and to the point. Actually, not many of them really have ADD, it's just that the buggers have difficulty reading!
Posted by: David Duff | Wednesday, 15 July 2015 at 17:30
Yes indeed, Cuffers, back in the day I read some of the Sharpe tales and enjoyed them.
Posted by: David Duff | Wednesday, 15 July 2015 at 17:32