Military career of Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon's early career is well covered.[3][4] The most thorough coverage of his campaigns is by David G. Chandler.[5]

1769

August 15 – Born Nabulione di Buonaparte in Ajaccio, Corsica

1778

December 15 – Leaves Corsica for mainland France

1779

January 1 – Enters a religious school at Autun

May 15 – Enters cadet school at Brienne-le-Château

1784

October 30 – Enters the École Militaire in Paris

1785

September 1 – Graduates from the École Militaire and is commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant of Artillery

October 30 – Reports to first posting with the La Fère Artillery Regiment at Valence-sur-Rhône

1786

September 1 – Goes to Corsica on long furlough until June 1788

1788

June – Rejoins his regiment at Auxonne, attached to the School of Artillery

1789

September 15 – Goes on second leave to Corsica, becomes involved in revolutionary activities and attempts to gain favour with Pasquale Paoli

1791

February 10 – Returns from Corsica to regimental duty at Auxonne

April 1 – Promoted to 1st Lieutenant

September 1 – Third furlough to Corsica

1792

February 6 – Promoted to Captain (antedated)

April 1 – Elected Lieutenant Colonel of the 2nd Battalion, Corsican Volunteers. Is implicated in a riot in Ajaccio

May 28 – Returns to Paris, instead of rejoining his regiment

September 15 – Escorts his sister, Elisa, back to Corsica

1793

February 22–25 – Commands artillery during an abortive French landing on Maddalena Island, Sardinia

March 3 – Breaks with Paoli, blaming the failed landing on him

June 13 – Arrives with his family in Toulon, having been banished from Corsica by Paoli

August 27 – Toulon handed over to the British by Royalists

September 16 – Given command of the artillery besieging Toulon

October 18 – Promoted to Major

December 17–19 – Leads the successful recapture of Toulon from the British and Royalists

December 22 – Promoted to Brigadier General.

For comprehensive coverage, see Chandler (1973).[6] For an overall view of the military history of the era see Trevor N. Dupuy and R. Ernest Dupuy, The Encyclopedia of Military History (2nd ed., 1970) pp. 730–770.

• Bell, David A. The First Total War: Napoleon's Europe and the Birth of Warfare as We Know It (2008) excerpt and text search
• Bruce, Robert B. et al. Fighting Techniques of the Napoleonic Age 1792–1815: Equipment, Combat Skills, and Tactics (2008) excerpt and text search
• Chandler, David G. The Campaigns of Napoleon (1973) 1172 pp; a detailed guide to all major battles excerpt and text search
• Crowdy, Terry. Napoleon's Infantry Handbook (2015)
• Delderfield, R.F. //Imperial Sunset: The Fall of Napoleon, 1813-14 (2014)
• Dupuy, Trevor N. and Dupuy, R. Ernest. The Encyclopedia of Military History (2nd ed. 1970) pp 730–770
• Dwyer, Philip. Napoleon: The Path to Power (2008) excerpt vol 1; Citizen Emperor: Napoleon in Power (2013) excerpt and text search v 2; most recent scholarly biography
• Elting, John R. Swords Around a Throne: Napoleon's Grand Armee (1988)
• Esdaile, Charles. Napoleon's Wars: An International History 1803-1815 (2008), 621pp
• Gates, David. The Napoleonic Wars 1803-1815 (NY: Random House, 2011)
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• Harvey, Robert (2013). The War of Wars. Constable & Robinson. p. 328., well-written popular survey of these wars
• Haythornthwaite, Philip J. Napoleon's Military Machine (1995) excerpt and text search
• Hazen, Charles Downer. The French Revolution and Napoleon (1917) online free
• Kagan, Frederick W. The End of the Old Order: Napoleon and Europe, 1801-1805 (2007)
• McLynn, Frank. Napoleon: A Biography (1997)
• Nafziger, George F. The End of Empire: Napoleon's 1814 Campaign (2014)
• Parker, Harold T. "Why Did Napoleon Invade Russia? A Study in Motivation and the Interrelations of Personality and Social Structure," Journal of Military History (1990) 54#2 pp 131–46 in JSTOR.
• Pope, Stephen (1999). The Cassel Dictionary of the Napoleonic Wars. Cassel. ISBN 0-304-35229-2.
• Rapport, Mike. The Napoleonic Wars: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford UP, 2013)
• Riley, Jonathon P. Napoleon as a General (Hambledon Press, 2007)
• Roberts, Andrew. Napoleon: A Life (2014) Major new biography by a leading British historian; 926 pp
• Rothenberg, Gunther E. (1988). "The Origins, Causes, and Extension of the Wars of the French Revolution and Napoleon". Journal of Interdisciplinary History. 18 (4): 771–793. JSTOR 204824. JSTOR 204824
• Rothenberg, E. Gunther. The Art of Warfare in the Age of Napoleon (1977)
• Schneid, Frederick C. (2011). The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Mainz: Institute of European History.
• Schneid, Frederick C. Napoleon's Conquest of Europe: The War of the Third Coalition (2005) excerpt and text search
• Shoffner, Thomas A. Napoleon's Cavalry: A Key Element to Decisive Victory (2014)
• Smith, Digby George. The Greenhill Napoleonic Wars Data Book: Actions and Losses in Personnel, Colours, Standards and Artillery (1998)