Mémoires du sergent Bourgogne

A young man from a modest cloth‑trading family, Adrien Bourgogne, joins the elite Vélites of the Imperial Guard at the age of twenty, driven by the era’s single dream of military glory. His memoirs open with vivid accounts of the rigorous training at Saint‑Germain‑en‑Laye, where he learned not only drill but also reading, arithmetic and drawing—skills that would later sharpen his keen eye for detail. When the 1806 campaign begins, he is quickly thrust into the march toward Poland, rising to the rank of caporal and witnessing the early clashes of the empire’s expansion.

Bourgogne’s narrative shines in the gritty, frontline moments of battles such as Essling, where he is wounded twice, and the grueling campaigns across Austria, Spain and Portugal. His observations capture the everyday life of soldiers—the cramped transports, the camaraderie, and the stark realities of war—offering a rare, ground‑level perspective on Napoleon’s army. Listeners will find his honest, unvarnished recollections a compelling window into the human side of historic warfare.