Q&A With Terry Crowdy

Incomparable and Incomparable: a Collection of Essays focuses on the 9th Light Infantry. Why did you choose this, of all Napoleon's units, to write a history on?

Napoleon’s Grand Army is one of the most famous armies of any period of history. Although there have been numerous books on the army as a whole, or about Napoleon's Imperial Guard, no author had followed a single ‘regular’ regiment through the wars. I chose the 9th Light because they were one of the most celebrated infantry regiments in Napoleon’s army and because there was a wealth of surviving documentation in the archives and enough oral history to get to know individuals within the regiment. You do get to see the war though the eyes of one particular group of men and that makes the book quite unique, in my opinion.

In researching the Incomparable books, you encountered many entertaining historical characters from grizzled veterans to young gallant officers. Are there any stories or personalities that really grabbed you?

I was lucky to have a good selection of memoirs by men who served in the Ninth, so the book is full of colourful anecdotes like the entire regiment getting drunk in Spain in 1808 and being unable to march the following morning. When you send so long researching a project like this you do build up an attachment to some characters. Among the most colourful was Pierre Gros, an old sergeant who worked his way up to the rank of captain and who had two sons in the regiment. More than any other person, Pierre Gros showed how much the regiment was a family and how the senior officers looked out for one another. The person I spent longest researching is Mathieu Labassée, the commander of the Ninth at Marengo in 1800. He had a wild youth, going to sea at the age of eleven and serving as a corsair. I also became really attached to the two officers who hid the regiment’s flags when Napoleon was exiled in 1814, but I should probably not give too much of that story away …

Incomparable focuses on the 9th Light Infantry. Why did you choose this, of all Napoleon's units, to write a history on?

Napoleon’s Grand Army is one of the most famous armies of any period of history. Although there have been numerous books on the army as a whole, or about Napoleon's Imperial Guard, no author had followed a single ‘regular’ regiment through the wars. I chose the 9th Light because they were one of the most celebrated infantry regiments in Napoleon’s army and because there was a wealth of surviving documentation in the archives and enough oral history to get to know individuals within the regiment. You do get to see the war though the eyes of one particular group of men and that makes the book quite unique, in my opinion.

The period between the French Revolution and the fall of Napoleon was one of great change. What do you think was the greatest innovation in warfare in these years?

Some people might get excited by things like Napoleon developing the army corps system, but I am principally interested in the social aspects of military history. I think France’s introduction of universal, massed conscription in 1798 really had a great and lasting impression on the social composition of armies. Although the richest could often buy their way out of service, the armies began to draw on a broader cross section of society, not just career soldiers and mercenaries.

At Osprey, we're passionate devotees of many periods of military history. Why do you find the Napoleonic era so captivating?

I have a broad interest in history, but there is something about the Napoleonic era which just appeals to me - a certain swagger you just have to admire. In large part my interest is down to the personalities which defined the era. Bonapartist or not, most people would agree Napoleon’s career is astounding. The man was a genius, but also a tragic figure: very much like Alexander the Great in many respects. I also really admire Wellington – a brilliant eye for ground, for restraint and timing. Both of them were artists in a way, relying heavily on personal intuition and centralising decision making around their persons. After the Napoleonic era, warfare really starts to become scientific, industrialised, drab, anonymous and ultimately impersonal.

We've put you in the office time machine and conscripted you into the service of l'Empereur (sorry about that). Where would you put yourself on the battlefield? As a wily skirmisher? A battle-scarred veteran Regular? Overseeing the carnage, wearing a bicorn hat...?

I’d like the independence afforded to skirmishers, the ability to duck and get out of the way of incoming volleys, but I doubt I’d last five minutes with all that running around. I think I could entertain the idea of leading a charge of heavy cavalry – it would be terrifying – suicidal perhaps - but utterly exhilarating at the same time. Can you imagine the sound of six thousand sabres being drawn from their scabbards and the rumble of hooves?

And finally, what are your plans for the future?

I’ve been promising to write the full story of the battle of Marengo for some time. As Napoleon’s first battle of head of state it really is a pivotal moment in his career. Although I dedicate a whole chapter of Incomparable to the 9th's role in the battle, there is so much more to tell. I’d also like to write a technical book really explaining the detail of how the French army fought, marched and ate. Go back to the original regulations and technical manuals and start from the beginning. Of course, I have another pet topic which is ‘secret war’ – intelligence or special operations, spies and the like. I believe Osprey are releasing a paperback edition of my book Deceiving Hitler next spring. This book details the various committees and personalities involved in the British deception and double cross agencies in the Second World War. I spoke at a conference in Warsaw on the subject a few years ago and I would be keen to do something with a Polish connection. I am currently scoping a biography of Roman Czerniawsky, a Polish airman who led a resistance network in France but was captured, sent to Britain to spy for the Nazis but then became one of the most important of the Allied D-Day double agents – Codename BRUTUS.

Thank you Terry! Now, where would you place yourself on a Napoleonic battlefield? Head Pastry Chef for the Emperor sounds very attractive...

Biography

Terry Crowdy is the author of a number of books on the French armed forces during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. His latest book Incomparable tells the story of Napoleon’s 9th Light Infantry Regiment, and he is the author of a number of Osprey books. He has presented a number of papers on military intelligence and Napoleonic subjects at venues such as the International Spy Conference (Raleigh, NC) the International Spy Museum (Washington, DC), the Museum of Military History (Vienna) and as guest of the Polish Office for War Veterans in Warsaw.

Born in Hackney, London in 1970, Terry Crowdy now lives in Kent and works as a safety adviser for the charity Historic Royal Palaces, taking a lead role at some of Britain’s best loved historic buildings, including the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace and Kensington Palace.