Loraine Petre is widely recognised as the father of Napoleonic Wars
history writing. In this volume on the Emperor's last campaign in
Germany - the scene of so many of his previous triumphs - Petre pictures
Bonaparte at bay, with his Grande Armee decimated by the disastrous
retreat from Moscow. Napoleon was fighting off overwhelming odds in a
series of battles at Saale, Lutzen, Bautzen, Dresden, Dennewitz -
culminating at the great 'Battle of the Nations' at Leipzig when he
faced a massive defeat which propelled him along the road back to Paris
and abdication.