Memoirs of a French Napoleonic officer (First edition.)

These lively memoirs date from the time of Barrès' entry into the Chasseurs Velites (skirmishers, or light infantry) of Napoleon's Imperial Guard in 1804.

Always modest in recounting his own exploits, Barrès was not only at the cannon's mouth, but also a participant at such spectacular events as the Coronation of the Emperor Napoleon in Paris and Rome, the torchlight procession on the eve of Austerlitz, the meeting of the two Emperors at Tilsit, and the magnificent military display in the Champ de Mars.

His duties involved mounting guard at Malmaison and the palace of Saint-Cloud and also allowed him many fascinating glimpses of the Emperor at reviews, presenting awards and receiving trophies.