The Life of a General in Napoleon's Light Cavalry: The Memoirs of Jean-Nicolas Curély

This is the first English translation of the memoirs of Jean-Nicolas Curély. Born in 1774, son of a laborer, Curély rose through the ranks to become a General in Napoleon's Light Cavalry.

Although Curély did not fight in many of the most famous battles of the First Republic and the Napoleonic Wars, this reflects the role of the light cavalry; scouting ahead of the army, conducting reconnaissance to the flanks and launching raids. He did, however, take part in all Napoleon’s great campaigns, including Austerlitz, Heilsberg, Essling, Raab, Wagram, Beresina, Wachau, Leipzig, Craonne and Laon, and served as an aide de camp to many of the French army’s most famous light cavalry generals.