Napoleon’s Victories, Parquin of the Imperial Guard 1891. This handsome book is titled Napoleon’s Victories, From the Personal Memoirs of Capt. C. Parquin Of The Imperial Guard, 1803 - 1814, With Numerous Illustrations Specially Designed By F. De Myrbach, H. Dupray, J. A. Walker, L. Sergent, And Marius Roy, translated from the French and published in Chicago by the Werner Company in 1893, and a first edition with a gilt-decorated cover in the style of Gustave Dore. The book has “Napoleon’s Victories, Authentic Memoirs of Captain Parquin, 200 Illustrations” on the front cover, with a gilt eagle in a white banner and Napoleon’s gilt “N” in a laurel wreath on the front cover, decorated endpapers with the feel of silk moire, a colored frontis of Napoleon in the field (a typogravure), with a protective tissue guard, then the title page, a six-page Introduction, one page of the Chronology of Campaigns, followed by 301 pages of text and a blank leaf and a four-page Table of Illustrations at the end, for a total of 306 pages in all, and the top edge is gilt. There are 19 large colored plates, including the frontispiece and two double-paged colored plates, and numerous black-and-white illustrations, and the artwork by Myrbach is astounding - the plates are just dynamic. The book also has 1893 on the title page and copyright page, so the dates match, and there is just a single date and no other printings on the copyright page, which makes this is a first edition by Werner. (See A Pocket Guide to First Editions by Bill McBride.) Captain Denis Charles Parquin was a remarkable French cavalryman of the Napoleonic era and an officer of the Chasseurs a Cheval - the light cavalry regiment. There are memoirs of soldiers of Napoleon’s army, but few exist in English translation; those that have been translated have become famous and provide a valuable resource and first hand information about life as a cavalry officer. Parquin joined the 20th regiment of the horse chasseurs in 1806 and served with the regiment until 1813, rising in rank to lieutenant. He fought at Saalfeld, Jena, Eylau, Wagram, in the Iberian Peninsula at Ciudad Rodrigo and at Salamanca, receiving regimental promotions along the way. In 1813, Parquin agreed to take a reduction in rank to join the elite Chasseurs a Cheval of the Imperial Guard, where he became the emperor’s escort on the march and in the field. Napoleon personally awarded Parquin the cross of the Legion of Honour during a review in the same year. In the final battles of the First Empire, Parquin fought at Leipzig, Hanau, where he was wounded, and during the battle for France in 1814 that led to the emperor’s abdication and the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy. There is some evidence that Parquin took part in the Battle of Waterloo, probably as a cuirassier. He remained in the cavalry under the Bourbon regime, but was eventually ruined by his involvement in Bonapartist conspiracies - he was dismissed from the army for allegations that he was plotting against the restored monarchy, but the allegations were never really proven. No matter, he served as a “beau sabreur” - a gallant warrior - in the service of his beloved emperor. Cuirassiers were generally the senior branch of the mounted portion of an army, retaining their status as heavy cavalry - “big men on big horses” - equipped with a cuirass, sword, and pistols. The cuirass referred to the breastplate armour they wore, and their value as a heavy striking force during the Napoleonic Wars ensured that the French, Russian, and Prussian armies continued to use cuirassier regiments throughout the 19th century. The book is 4to. and measures 13 3/4 x 11 1/4 in. wide, the binding is tight, the pages and text are exceptionally clean, the colored and b & w illustrations are crisp and bright, and there is just one loose plate (page 167) with brown spots and a tear and corner crease, and that’s the only real blemish inside the book. On the outside, there is faded gilt on the covers and faded letters on the spine, wear on the crown and bumps on the heel and light rubbing at the tips, and overall a very attractive copy of this book with a wonderful history about the French cavalry during the Napoleonic wars - and the artwork will astound you. #176