Americans under Napoleon

**Gustav21** · August 07, 2009, 09:45 PM

I reading this wonderful book of mine titled La Grande Armee by Georges Blond, and happened to be looking at the appendixes. One interesting part mentioned the numbers of foreign generals to serve under Napoleon, and to my astonishment it says that two men from the USA gained rank of general. Being an American i thought this was really cool, and was just wondering if anyone knew anything about this or any other Americans who fought in the Napoleonic Wars.

**Comrade the Colonel** · August 07, 2009, 10:16 PM

thats interesting, i never knew that.

**Stavroforos** · August 08, 2009, 12:23 AM

I would really love to know more about Americans standing up for liberty in France during this time period as well.

**6th Vigil** · August 08, 2009, 08:18 AM

My God this must be why le Grande Armee won so much!!!!

**Orko** · August 08, 2009, 09:28 AM

Very interesting. I always thought that the only non-French high-ranked commanders in the Grand Armee were Polish or German or Italian.

**Goatsie** · August 11, 2009, 05:50 AM

Originally Posted by Stavroforos

I would really love to know more about Americans standing up for liberty in France during this time period as well.

Liberty? Maybe at first.. but Napoleon was a tyrant.

Originally Posted by Gustav21

True that! Would have been pretty interesting to see how we would have fared with a bigger contribution to the wars in Europe. I'm thinking a company of long riflemen, courtesy of James Madison, would have knocked back those vaunted greenjackets a peg.

Tbh americans would have been slaughtered on a european battlefield.....

**Stavroforos** · August 15, 2009, 09:19 AM

Originally Posted by Goatsie

Liberty? Maybe at first.. but Napoleon was a tyrant.

Not in comparison to the tyrants he was ousting.

**Markas** · August 08, 2009, 09:35 AM

Well I be less surprised if they were borderers that spoke french but were technically US citizens than if they were, say, Bostonians. As Johnny-five would say- NEED MORE INPUT.

**Gustav21** · August 08, 2009, 09:54 PM

I really wish I did have more info about it, I really think it's interesting as well. I'll do my best to find something about it and tell yall.

**Sphere** · August 08, 2009, 11:19 PM

Well, in the US we have this thing called the war of 1812 (Do the Germans call it the war of 1939?), where we essentially sided with Napoleon. Being so far away from the conflict meant our fates were not exactly intertwined, but still there was a defacto alliance. Therefor having American officers in the Grande Army is more a surprise of actually having competent American officers serving as generals (a rarity at the time), rather than having Americans side with Napoleon.

**Farnan** · August 08, 2009, 11:24 PM

Its called the War of 1812 because we couldn't agree on a name for it...

**Ó Cathasaigh** · August 08, 2009, 11:44 PM

We should have called it the War of failed offensives, it suites both Armies perfectly.

**Stavroforos** · August 09, 2009, 03:32 AM

Or the War of Pointless Bickering.

**M D** · August 09, 2009, 03:59 AM

i think you'll find that americans served under Napoleon because of Lousiana, before he sold it to America.

**Markas** · August 09, 2009, 06:54 AM

That makes sense.

**M D** · August 09, 2009, 09:18 AM

The Americans obviously knew the country better, then once it was sold, some stayed with the Grand Armee...

**Londinium** · August 09, 2009, 01:50 PM

There was quite a few Americans that fought on the British side aswell, mainly UEL but others aswell. The Sharpe series depicts a Virginian in the British army in one episode, although he's probably not a historical figure.

**M D** · August 09, 2009, 02:44 PM

I believe they are the ones from the King's American Rifles (Right Name?) They were mainly loyalists who's families moved to England to stay with the motherland.