Marengo: The Myth of Napoleon's Horse Book

Marengo was the name given to Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte's fabled war-horse, whose skeleton can still be seen in London in the National Army Museum. One entry for the exhibit claimed "Marengo was a light grey Barb, 14 hands in height, and was procured by Napoleon in Egypt after the Battle of Aboukir in 1799. The horse was ridden by him at the battle of Marengo, and named after the victory. It is believed subsequently to have carried his master at Austerlitz in 1805, at Jena in 1806, at Wagram in 1809, in the Russian campaign of 1812 and at Waterloo in 1815". As author Jill Hamilton points out, "since 1823, both dead and alive, Marengo has been a star exhibit in England". As a result she decided to write Marengo: The Myth of Napoleon's Horse, an "attempt to relate Marengo to Napoleon's life and battles". The result is a curiously hybrid book, part equestrian study of Marengo, part potted biography of the Emperor Napoleon.Hamilton charts Napoleon's rise to power from his humble Corsican beginnings, to his dramatic defeat at Waterloo in 1815, and subsequent death and exile on St Helena in 1821. Along the way Hamilton claims "Napoleon rode horses not only as machines of war but also for recreation, exploiting them for their power, as well as for showmanship". However, for large sections of the book Marengo disappears altogether, as Hamilton combs the archives in vain for the elusive horse and verification that this was in fact the mount "ridden by the Emperor at the head of the most terrifying fighting force in Europe". Marengo is full of entertaining vignettes on the life, loves and foibles of Napoleon, but those looking for a detailed equestrian biography of the Emperor's horse might be disappointed. --Jerry BrottonRead More