Marengo, Austerlitz, Jena, Eylau, Friedland, Spain, Wagram, the retreat from Russia, Leipzig and Waterloo; Coignet fought in most of the major battles of the Napoleonic Wars. Despite being an illiterate peasant of short stature he was quickly noticed by his generals and within his first four years he was selected for the Grenadiers of the Old Guard, a force affectionally named the Grumblers by Napoleon. Rising through the ranks to his eventual position of Captain, Coignet provides a fascinating depiction of life not as a General but as an ordinary soldier in the French army. He uncovers life in the garrison and on the march and demonstrates the truth in Napoleon’s maxim: “An army marches on its stomach.” Coignet explains the details of his various campaigns from his moments of heroism, such as when he received a musket of honor for single-handedly capturing an Austrian cannon at the Battle of Montebello, to the more mundane, yet still fascinating, details of the day-to-day life in the Guards and protecting Napoleon’s household. His memoirs are particularly opinionated and are enlivened by his pithy comments on the events that he witnessed. Captain Coignet: A Soldier of Napoleon's Imperial Guard from the Italian Campaign to Waterloo is essential reading for anyone interested in the Napoleonic Wars and the lives of the soldiers that fought in it. Jean-Roch Coignet was a French soldier who served the First French Empire from 1799 to 1815. He fought in sixteen campaigns and forty-eight battles, never having been wounded. His memoirs were first published under the title The Notebooks of Captain Coignet in 1890 and he died in 1865.

    For centuries the Scottish and English borders were known as the Debatable lands: wild, lawless, and the province of reivers, tight-knit robber families that roamed and pillaged the remote passes without fear...Fifteen-year-old Mintie Henderson has just seen her father murdered. With the Scottish King newly dead and an army of hired reivers on the march, justice is in short supply. Then she comes across Batty Coalhouse: one-armed and hard as nails. Together they will set out on a journey of revenge.But they are soon caught up in something bigger, a tale of Mary Queen of Scots and King Henry VIII. Stuck in the heart of a tempest, they know only one way to get out alive…Fight.

    Neither of those works, however, undertakes to give a detailed account of the great Anarchy that marked the conclusion of the eighteenth century, the dark time that came before the dawn of British power in the land of the Moghul.

    Who were these medieval monastic knights, whose exploits were the stuff of legend even in their own day? Were these elite crusaders corrupted by their conquests, which amassed them such power and wealth as to become the envy of kings? Indignant at the discrepancies between the fantasies, on which "writers on history of every kind and hue have indulged themselves without restraint", and the available evidence, Régine Pernoud draws a different portrait of these Christian warriors. From their origins as defenders of pilgrims to the Holy Land to their dramatic finish as heretics burned at the stake, Pernoud offers a concise but thorough account of the Templars' contribution to Christendom.

    A loyal wife. A new start. A Yuletide Second chance love in Medieval Scotland.Robert De Keith has spent the last eight years rotting in an English dungeon. But when he returns home to Dunnottar Castle, he soon realizes he doesn’t fit into his old life anymore.His wife, Elizabeth, has ruled the castle in his absence. However, the woman who greets him now seems a stranger. Time and events have altered them both. Even his young son wants nothing to do with him.As Yule approaches, Robert and Elizabeth struggle to salvage their marriage and overcome the bitterness and distrust that separates them. But is it too late?The Laird's Return is a stand-alone Highland Festive Novella about the power of enduring love set in the same world as "The Immortal Highland Centurions."

    And she is certain her day would have ended with another lecture. Had she not been taken hostage by a brutish but dangerously handsome Highlander, that is.Jude Anderson, Laird of Hanvale, is hellbent on getting his son back from the people who kidnapped him. However, he didn’t count one thing: the fear in the faerie-like eyes of the Englishwoman, or the feelings it would ignite in his heart.Yet, as happy as he feels with Cleopatra in his arms, Jude’s mind never strays from his ultimate goal: keeping his son safe. An undertaking that seems almost impossible when assassins move through the walls. Because it's an eye for an eye, a child lost for a lost child...

    While he remains hopeful that at least there’s the chance for some heroics,  the reality is very different. Kemp’s war is instead a terrifying odyssey through the panic and confusion of his first battle, the brutal realities of siege warfare, and eventually to the field of Crécy, where he faces the armoured might of the French nobility. But as an elite longbowman, when it comes to winning or losing, he could have a vital – though dangerous – part to play.This stunning adventure brings the medieval world vividly to life, and is ideal for fans of Bernard Cornwell, Matthew Harffy and Giles Kristian. Arrows of Albion series Kemp: The Road to Crécy Kemp: Passage at Arms

    Author and historian Albert Buchanan recreates the engagements of the Pacific and Atlantic combat theaters with near clinical detail, from the Pearl Harbor Attack to the Japanese surrender aboard the USS Missouri. Interwoven within these aerial combat narratives is background information on technological innovations, production methods, training programs, and the important players involved. This new edition of The Navy's Air War: A Mission Completed includes annotations and photographs from World War 2. *Annotations. *Images.

    

    From working with a double agent who betrays his friendship and exposes a top secret cross border operation, Terry McIntosh wrestles with his own doubts and fears while protecting the rights of others to live free. He was chosen from the ranks of long range reconnaissance training to serve with Special Forces Detachment A-team 414 in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam 1968-1969. The border camp conducted clandestine operations to observe and engage a growing Viet Cong armed force 15 miles across the line. The top secret mission is exposed after team members are accused of executing the double agent. It is believed that Terry McIntosh is the youngest soldier to serve with the Green Berets on an "A" team and earn the coveted Combat Badge. This is his story about the transition from boy to man in the jungles of Vietnam where he met himself for the first time with a sense of shame and honor.

    She is the girl with the blue tattoo.The story behind the distinctive tattoo is the stuff of legends. Some believed it was placed on her face during her captivity, following the brutal murders of her family members and the kidnapping of her and her sister. Others believe it was placed on her after her return.Rumors swelled. Her tattoo became a symbol of Native barbarianism and the triumph of American goodness, but like many stories of that era, the truth is far more complicated.This short book details the murders, her captivity, the aftermath, and her baffling return to her captors. Unravel the mystery of the woman who would become famous for all the wrong reasons and discover what her life story says about cultural identity, the power of resiliency, and what happens when fact and fiction bend and twist to muddy the waters.Read on to find out the truth!

    The troubadours sing of its mystical loveliness and tell tales of love and honour woven around the constant battles between Christendom and Islam. For Honfroy, a young squire in the service of the Knights Templar, the reality is less poetic and far grimmer. The Kingdom of Jerusalem tenaciously holds onto the ribbon of land between the River Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea. Saladin, the Sultan of Egypt and Syria, has united his warring factions. He is now determined to wipe the stain of the first crusade from the honour of Islam and regain the Holy City of Jerusalem. When Saladin’s army invades, Honfroy is catapulted into a world of treachery and deceit, where his life is in danger from both Moslem and Christian alike. From the blood-stained sands of the Holy Land to the intrigue of the court in Jerusalem, Honfroy grapples with his meteoric rise in fortune. His friendship with the new king, Baudoin, comes increasingly under threat from the political wiles of his mentor, Odo the Templar Grand Master, and the king’s mother, Agnes of Courtenay. Honfroy is enchanted by the beautiful but older Agnes. Not even the power of the Grand Master, however, can protect him when their secret liaison comes to the attention of the king. Banished from the court, Honfroy’s courage and skills are honed on the kingdom’s frontiers until the day when Odo summons his apprentice once more. Set against the turbulent background of the crusades, the Templar’s Apprentice is a gripping and enthralling tale of courage, friendship, love and treachery, reaching its blistering climax at the battle of Marj Ayyun.

    Discover the events that have shaped your Clan and hear about the people who form part of your Scottish ancestry.

    William Duke of Normandy is to be crowned King of England on Christmas day 1066; and he expects presents. For reasons beyond reason the monastery of De'Ath's Dingle is invited to the ceremony and the only ones who can be let out on their own are Brother Hermitage and Wat the Weaver. But it will be a rush to get there. With only 7 days to travel over 100 miles, the pair must cross a frozen and largely lawless country if they are to make it to Westminster alive. And then there's the problem of Wat's attitude towards gifts in principle. He doesn't mind a reasonable exchange but simply giving sounds like a very poor deal. Perhaps the days of the journey will give Brother Hermitage the opportunity to breath the spirit of the season into his weaving friend. Or perhaps not. Recent reviews for Howard of Warwick continue a theme: 5* "Very funny" 5* "Another demented tale" 5* "Briiiiiliant as always."

    Read all about these fantastic facts--and dozens of others--in this fun-to-read book.Did you know that some pioneers took a "shortcut" to Oregon that took them perilously close to Antarctica? Or that ferryboat operators on the Oregon Trail could earn nearly $2,000 per day? Or that many pioneers found ice in the middle of the blazing hot desert? It's all true! An entertaining read for young people or anyone interested in the great western journey.