Diary of a Napoleonic Foot Soldier
Looking back into history it is hard to understand exactly how the people of the time had felt. One can never fully understand the hardships of life in the past, and in order to attempt to understand we depend highly on written sources, textbooks, diaries and memoirs. Jakob Walter's Diary of a Napoleonic Foot Soldier in one such source. In his diary, which reads more like a memoir, Walter shares his experiences of his life in Napoleon's Grand Army during the campaigns of 1806, 1809 then 1812. Unlike most diaries written by people of the past, Walter's diary is most definitely meant to be shared with those of the present and future. Through all of Walter's account with his French "comrades" and the locals of the lands they were moving through he describes what he was feeling and thinking. While this is the point of keeping a diary, his honesty and pure uncaring towards Napoleon's campaigns proves that his loyalty was obviously not to Napoleon or his campaigns. Walter's purpose in writing this diary may have started out as his way to keep in touch with his family and friends he was forced to leave at home in Germany, but evolved into a way to share the hell that he was living in. In the begi
He shows no fear to his allies even though they treat him poorly. There is a hate towards them, but because Walter was obviously intelligent enough to see that he would be harmed if he showed this hatred boldly, he kept it inside. The man had every right to not like the French; they had torn him from his life! Forcing him to serve in the Grand Army, a privilege he was obviously unhappy about, and he has every reason to be. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jakob Walter was a humble man before he was drafted into the Grand Army. From his diary one can tell that he cared deeply for his loved ones he left at home. Throughout the entire diary he constantly expresses his desire to return home. Walter was a survivor; he never let go, even when his "comrades" were stealing his food and belongings and he was forced to go off and fend for himself. The diary shares with us what life was like being a conscript for a foreign army. There is a sense of resentment towards the French from Walter; he was being forced to fight for a cause he did not care about under a man who took over his homelands. During the course of the diary Walter expresses his lack of interest in the military campaigns he is being forced to participate in. Walter misses his family and friends and his home. There was no reason for him to be fighting for Napoleon in the Grand Army. His loyalties were not to Napoleon. He did not care if France had glory or not. These things were the furthest from his mind. All Walter wanted was to return home to his family and continue his life. At the beginning of the novel all his thoughts seem to be focused on returning home. As the novel progresses Walter begins to share his other thoughts, the hardships he was enduring, the simple thoughts that kept him going. It is because of this change from lukewarm to heart clinching emotion one can begin to feel that Walter may have intended for his diary to be read by others. storical events he eye witnessed. Instead it opens a different door to a different point of view, the point of view from a man who was not interested in the glory of Napoleon but his desire to return to his home. Life was particularly hard for Walter. During this time infantry soldiers were not l
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Approximate Word count = 1530
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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