OUTPOSTS OF LIGHT CAVALRY

"The author of this book had been one of the most brilliant cavalry officers of the Empire. A pupil of Lasalle, Montbrun, Colbert and Pajol, he seemed destined for the highest military honours when the disaster of Waterloo struck the Grande Armée. After fifteen years of absence, Lieutenant-Colonel de Brack returned to take his place at the head of our squadrons. The colonel wished to prepare his officers and troopers for the coming campaign. The work was conceived and written in haste, as if the regiment had already received orders to cross the frontier, for, it must be said, this book was intended solely for the squadrons under de Brack's command. Written with a vast and ready intelligence, this almost improvised book was a small masterpiece. Ingenious and profound at once, the author, disdaining prejudice, shows himself so original that certain passages, without ceasing to be true, carry a fragrance of poetry that charms the military reader. De Brack never loses sight of the soldier's morale; he speaks of honour, courage and devotion, and his words make the heart quiver. The style has a cavalier bearing that befits such a subject." (Preface).

This richly illustrated work features reproductions by Keith Rocco, Édouard Detaille, Ernest Meissonier, JOB, and Alphonse de Neuville.

Format: 21.5 x 27.5 cm - 336 pages