A Brief History
On October 5, 1795, the man that would be the subject of more books than any other human being in history (except Jesus Christ), Napoleon Bonaparte, made his entrance on the French political stage and into prominence when he put down a rebellion against the National Convention in Paris with what he called “a whiff of grapeshot.”
Digging Deeper
Napoleon, a general in the French Army without a command, had been recruited by Paul Barras, one of the leaders of the Revolutionary government (Executive leader of the Directory from 1795-`799). The rebels numbered about 20,000 and posed a real danger to the revolutionary process. Napoleon and other generals managed to seize the cannons that were in the hands of the rebels and turn those cannons against the rebels, and with “a whiff of grapeshot” repulsed the Royalist rebels assault, thus emphasizing the change in power, therefore successfully ending the rebellion, finally marking a milestone in history often recognized as the end of the French Revolution.
Napoleon’s skill at capturing the 40 cannon in question and using them successfully against the rebels brought him instant notoriety and fame which he rode to eventually becoming First Consul and then Emperor of the French, one of the most famous people in history. Napoleon, now a hero, was promoted and given command of the Army in Italy where he earned new glories. The actions on 4-5 October earned Napoleon Bonaparte the nick name, General Vendemiaire, a title of glory he wore with pride. (Note: The French Republican calendar month of Vendemiaiare is equivalent of October, although the days of the month do not line up with our modern account.)
Question for students (and subscribers): Does Napoleon Bonaparte deserve the incredible amount of attention history and writers have shown him? What other Great Man (or Woman) is more deserving of such attention? Share your thoughts with us the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Conner, Susan P. The Age of Napoleon (Greenwood Guides to Historic Events 1500-1900). Greenwood, 2004.
Markham, J. David. Napoleon For Dummies. For Dummies, 2005.
Zarzeczny, Matthew D. Meteors That Enlighten the Earth: Napoleon and the Cult of Great Men. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2013.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="14727 https://www.historyandheadlines.com/?p=14727">16 Comments
I believe he does earn some credit for being a good leader no matter what he did or if you agree with the political side he was a strong leader for France.
Incredible that Napoleon seized 40 rebel cannons and continued to use them against the rebels, I do believe he deserves the attention that writers give him because he played a huge part in the French Army.
I cannot believe Napoleon was capable of seizing the cannons and turning them against the rebels. I really enjoyed learning about him in class.
Man it would suck to be on the receiving end of those cannons, especially if they were firing grapeshot (basically a big shotgun)
This article just goes to show you how much control he had, and why people look up to this guy like villains anime villains.
Well now it makes sense why everyone looked up to Napoleon Bonaparte, he held a lot of power and had the ability to destroy what he wanted. I would have looked up to him too, scared at the same time.
It surprises me that there are more books about him rather than Hitler!
Napoleon and other generals managed to seize the cannons that were in the hands of the rebels and then turned those cannons against the rebels.
Not many Generals would be able to capture their enemy’s guns and turn them against them.
Napoleon was incredible at leading forces. The fact that he actually fought with his men showed that he was brave and respected his troops. I think he deserves the attention he gets.
I don’t understand Napoleon’s tactics, why seize cannons? He didn’t have his own?
I rarely hear about leaders fighting with their troops.
This is one crazy way to end a revolution.
“Napoleon’s skill at capturing the 40 cannon in question and using them successfully against the rebels brought him instant notoriety and fame which he rode to eventually becoming First Consul and then Emperor of the French, one of the most famous people in history. ”
Its funny how an event like this is where he got his fame. and i didnt know he wrote a lot of books. This article was very interesting!!!
Never knew Napoleon is one of the most wrote about men, after Jesus Christ.
I do think Napoleon deserves all the attention in history like he has, he was the first emperor and the first consul of the French and that alone is a great accomplishment no other man has done. I didn’t realize he had so many books, almost as many as Jesus, that’s crazy.