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Graeme Callister @graemecallister.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

It looks great - thanks so much for all your hard work in getting it to print!

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Graeme Callister @graemecallister.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

And still available with £5 off from the publisher! www.helion.co.uk/military-his...

helion.co.uk

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Graeme Callister @graemecallister.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Wonderful start to the weekend - author copies have arrived! The book is the story of those who made Napoleon's campaigns possible - the 2 million or so conscripts who marched in his regiments, and the system that brought them into the French army. Helion have done a great job putting it together!

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Graeme Callister @graemecallister.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Thank you - very kind of you! I hope it's interesting!

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Graeme Callister @graemecallister.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

It explores how men eventually left service, and how using conscripts ultimately affected the French army. It finally looks at some of the resistance & enforcement methods to which the state ultimately resorted. It is, I hope, the human story of Napoleon's army. www.helion.co.uk/military-his...

helion.co.uk

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Graeme Callister @graemecallister.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

It takes the reader on a journey through the origins of Napoleonic conscription, to the administrators putting it into practice, the young men gathering for selection, then their dispatch to the army, their arrival and training, & army life on and off campaign. 2/3

Image of contents page with the following chapters listed:
Acknowledgements
Glossary of Terms
List of Abbreviations
1 Introduction: Towards a Conscript Army
2 The System of Conscription in Napoleon’s Empire
3 Legal Exception, Exemption and Replacement
4 From Civilians to Conscripts: Designation and Departure
5 From Conscript to Soldier: Arrival, Depot, Training
6 The Military Experience of Conscripts I: Regiment, Culture and Army Life
7 The Military Experience of Conscripts II: Campaign, Campfire and Battlefield
8 Death, Desertion, Discharge: Leaving Napoleon’s Army
9 Conscripts and the French Army
10 Avoidance and Evasion: Resistance to Conscription
11 Imposing Conscription: Policing and Enforcement
12 Conclusion
Bibliography
Index

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Graeme Callister @graemecallister.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Exciting news! 🎉 "Napoleon's Conscripts" is available TODAY to order from Helion - & for the next week, it comes with a £5 discount! The book tells the story of conscription in Napoleon's army - the system, the law, and most crucially how ordinary men navigated through it all. 1/3

Book cover showing some French conscripts of the Napoleonic era, the title "Napoleon's Conscripts: Conscription and the French Army, 1798-1815" and author name Graeme Callister

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Graeme Callister @graemecallister.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

A man who lived through the Restoration, Glorious Revolution, Anglo-Scottish Union, Hanoverian succession & Jacobite uprisings, in a period when patronage & social reputation were vital, would probably have dealt quite well with saying the right things, showing prudence, and asking for funding money

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Graeme Callister @graemecallister.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Congrats! The title sounds fascinating!

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Graeme Callister @graemecallister.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Ever wondered how Napoleon used conscription law to push his social agenda in France? Some thoughts in my latest article 'Every Frenchman is a Soldier: Conscription & Social Distinction in Napoleonic France' in Atenea, the Journal of the Spanish Association of Military History Link in reply

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Dr Zack White @zwhitehistory.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Law Race and Empire 1750-1850 Conference 17-18 July 2026 University of Southampton A great opportunity to hear new research on the way in which legal, military, empire and race history in the age of revolution. Online and in person ticket options: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/law-race-e...

eventbrite.co.uk

Law, Race & Empire Conference, 1750-1850

An academic conference examining the ways in which law, race and empire interacted in the 18th and 19th century

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Graeme Callister @graemecallister.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Essentially, yes - spreading his forces in the face of the enemy was a genuine mistake, and he was lucky to be able to recover from it. He also got pretty lucky that the Austrians bungled the pursuit to San Giuliano and their attack on the reformed French lines - but he did well to exploit that.

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Graeme Callister @graemecallister.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

He got caught in the lie, perhaps. Having lauded it so much, he couldn't later say 'actually, it was rubbish'.

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Graeme Callister @graemecallister.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Battle of the Raisin? I always enjoy currant scholarship. (I'll get my coat)

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Graeme Callister @graemecallister.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Oddly enough, I have. Plus several other accounts, primary and secondary. As with any battle, there is plenty of contradiction - even before Napoleon's deliberate rewriting. If you want to construct a narrative, you more or less have to pick and choose the sources that seem most credible.

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Dr Matthew Taylor, author of "Black Redcoats" @blackredcoats.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

A magic day at Apsley House talking #Waterloo thank you to all who came to listen & thank you to our amazing presenters @zwhitehistory.bsky.social @graemecallister.bsky.social @lureynol.bsky.social & Michael Rayner for bringing their knowledge! #History #Napoleonic

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Graeme Callister @graemecallister.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

Brilliant day! Thanks for organising!

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Graeme Callister @graemecallister.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

If you're in London on 20 June, come along to Apsley House to hear historians talk all things Waterloo! Hear about the battle, the combatants, memory and commemoration - in the house of Waterloo's famous victor! All included in entry ticket - FREE to English Heritage members

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Graeme Callister @graemecallister.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

With the hardback sold out, 'Waterloo: the Attack of I Corps' is now out in paperback - just in time for the 211th anniversary of the Hundred Days! There are genuinely new insights here into the French army & the first major attack of the day at Waterloo. www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Waterloo-The...

pen-and-sword.co.uk

Waterloo: The Attack of I Corps

This book provides a detailed analysis of the attack of the Comte d’Erlon’s French I Corps, and the subsequent allied counterattack, at the Battle of…

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The History Syndicate Podcast @historysyndicate.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

Did you know there were four Egyptians serving in the French Line infantry of 1st Corps at Waterloo? @graemecallister.bsky.social expertly discussed this with us on the pod on today’s episode…

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Dr Will Butler @wbutlerhistory.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

My team are looking for a new team leader and Modern Britain (post-1782) specialist. Closes 22nd February and do get in touch if you have any questions www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DQJ050/t...

jobs.ac.uk

Team Leader Modern Britain at The National Archives

Start your UK & international job search for academic jobs, research jobs, science jobs and managerial jobs in leading universities and top...

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Graeme Callister @graemecallister.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

But I would agree with @bubblesvampire.bsky.social that they remained friends to the end - they fell out several times (including when Lannes got in a strop after Austerlitz) but reconciled easily enough. Napoleon possibly admired Lannes's supposed ruthlessness.

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Graeme Callister @graemecallister.bsky.social · 05/01/2026

Interesting! Enfants de troupe would also have remained in depot, so perhaps he was effectively apprenticed to the master-gaiterer? Have you come across any record of the father or his profession? Decent outcome for the family though, if both brothers left service alive.

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Graeme Callister @graemecallister.bsky.social · 28/12/2025

It was a depot role, often (but not always) for a soldier no longer up to the rigours of campaign.

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Graeme Callister @graemecallister.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

Exciting news - 'Waterloo: the Attack of I Corps' is now available as an e-book! Read all about the first major attack of the battle - and why it ultimately failed - from your favourite e-reader! Perfect to settle in and read in the long, cold nights in the run-up to Christmas

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Elisabeth Piller @elisabeth-piller.bsky.social · 30/10/2025

I m advertising a PhD position as part of our ERC project BLOCKADE. The PhD cand. should focus on myth/narratives of the hunger blockade in Germany, Austria in the era of the World Wars. 4 years of funding, wonderful team, amazing city (evidence attached)! Pls share! www.hsozkult.de/opportunity/...

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Graeme Callister @graemecallister.bsky.social · 30/10/2025

I very much look forward to reading this when it's out! Looks brilliant!

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Ruth Taylor, Enthusiast @13-taylor.bsky.social · 11/10/2025

What a spectacular day of Black history revealing, Waterloo historian nerding and Hyde Park tourist herding 😁 Big thank you to @graemecallister.bsky.social @blackredcoats.bsky.social Mike Rayner, the 44th East Essex and the lovely staff at Aspley House! #BlackHistory #Waterloo #Napoleonic

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Graeme Callister @graemecallister.bsky.social · 05/10/2025

Sabred in the forehead at Benavente in Spain (1808). Shot through the left leg by Spanish guerrillas (1810). Remarkably he survived all this - and came through Russia unscathed - to be promoted to maréchal-de-logis (sergeant) in February 1813. What happened to him next I don't yet know. End/

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Graeme Callister @graemecallister.bsky.social · 05/10/2025

His wounds: Hit by a shell blast in the hip at Aboukir in Egypt (1799). Sabred five times, in the left hand (x3), right hand and right thigh, at Marengo (1800). Shot and bayonetted in the right side at Austerlitz (1805). Hit in the chin by grapeshot at Eylau (1807) Cont... 3/

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Graeme Callister @graemecallister.bsky.social · 05/10/2025

Rougé was born in the small town of Riom in the centre of France in 1779. In 1794, at the age of 15, he volunteered for the 7e Hussars. Having fought through the Revolutionary Wars, he was appointed to the Consular Guard in 1800, then became a Chasseur of the Imperial Guard. 2/

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Graeme Callister @graemecallister.bsky.social · 05/10/2025

Napoleon is sometimes accused of not committing his Guard to battle soon enough - but the Guard cavalry saw frequent and bloody action. Meet Etienne Rougé of the Chasseurs of the Guard - wounded in just about every manner in battles across Europe and North Africa. 1/

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Graeme Callister @graemecallister.bsky.social · 13/09/2025

The 1814 sample is really small - only 47 men joined in 1814, so it's skewed. 5 became corporals, 1 fourrier, 2 sergeants and one sergeant major (probably, as you say, because the army needed NCOs in 1815). None gained commissions before the end of 1815.

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Graeme Callister @graemecallister.bsky.social · 13/09/2025

There was also a difference between conscripts and volunteers. Only 113 men volunteered for the 33e in the period 1803-14, so it's a small sample, but 30.1% of volunteers achieved some rank, with 6.2% being commissioned. 56.6% of volunteers remained private soldiers throughout their career. End/

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Graeme Callister @graemecallister.bsky.social · 13/09/2025

...cont 1810 - 7.6% 1811 - 1.2% 1812 - 7.4% 1813 - 7.2% 1814 - 19.1% The really low number of promotions in 1811 is simply because the conscripts of that year took huge casualties in Russia before they could be promoted. 4/

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Graeme Callister @graemecallister.bsky.social · 13/09/2025

But it really differed by year. Of Rev War soldiers who served after 1803, 40.4% were promoted (9.3% became officers). Total promotions in other years: 1799 - 28.7% 1800 - 29.4% 1801 - 31.1% 1802 - 19.4% 1803 - 10.4% 1804 - 8.7% 1805 - 9.1% 1806 - 10.6% 1807 - 9.1% 1808 - 10.1% 1809 - 8.8% cont 3/

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Graeme Callister @graemecallister.bsky.social · 13/09/2025

In total, 88.4% of men were never promoted and 1.1% went into specialist roles without rank (e.g. drummer, wagoner). 4.7% ended careers as corporals; 0.5% fourrier 2.6% sergeant 0.5% sergeant major 0.2% adjutant sous officier 1.1% commissioned officer 0.4% promoted at some point then demoted. 2/

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Graeme Callister @graemecallister.bsky.social · 13/09/2025

What were the chances of promotion in Napoleon's army? From tracing the career history of every man who served in the 33e Ligne and didn't transfer to another unit (13,494 soldiers), it looks like 10.5% were promoted at some point. Some stats...1/

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Graeme Callister @graemecallister.bsky.social · 05/09/2025

He threatened it on several occasions: The 60e Ligne, after a riot in Toulon in 1811. For the crew of a ship who abandoned their posts in 1811. For deserters from the army in Dec 1813 & again in Feb 1814. In 1814 at least the army Provost Marshal, Gen Radet, seems to have declined to carry it out

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Graeme Callister @graemecallister.bsky.social · 05/09/2025

From around 1811, Napoleon wanted to introduce the Roman punishment of 'decimation' in his military. Groups he wished to punish - mutinous regiments, gangs of deserters etc. - would draw lots, & one in ten would be executed. It isn't clear whether it was ever actually carried out.

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Graeme Callister @graemecallister.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

I agree with you entirely - when French troops burned and plundered in Tyrol or Spain they claimed it was in response to their comrades being killed. But the violence in response to minor unrest in north Italy, Germany and the Netherlands shows how fear and force was important to the regime.

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Graeme Callister @graemecallister.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

Yes, and there were plenty of other incidents (shooting of civilians in Amsterdam and Rotterdam by conscript escorts during riots in 1811, for example). What interests me here is Napoleon's habitual use of extreme violence and summary execution. ('De Adelaar en Het Lam' is excellent, by the way)

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Graeme Callister @graemecallister.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

And one in the Netherlands in 1813: "Burn the first village within reach with the Orange cockade, and announce that the first individual that you find with this cockade will be shot"

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Graeme Callister @graemecallister.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

These are not isolated incidents or even responses to particularly serious uprisings. Such violence can generally be interpreted as showing the strength of a regime's armed force and the weakness of its authority.

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Graeme Callister @graemecallister.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

Hesse-Cassel 1807: "Hersfeld seems guilty. Send a column of 4,000 men to pillage the town from top to bottom for insulting 60 of my soldiers... Vacha is guilty...it must give up 4 principal authors of revolt or be burned. Eschwege...must give up guilty or be burned" 2/

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Graeme Callister @graemecallister.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

How far did Napoleon rule through fear? His response to disorder was often extreme violence 1806 Italy: "My intention is that the village that rose up...should be burned. The priest...should be shot. 3-400 guilty should be sent to the galleys...Waves of blood are needed to assure calm in Italy." 1/

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