author
comte Jean Rapp
1772–1821
A hard-fighting Napoleonic general and one of Napoleon Bonaparte’s most trusted aides, he was known for fearless service in battle and for later writing vivid memoirs of the era.
1 Audiobook
Memoirs of General Count Rapp, first aide-de-camp to Napoleon
by comte Jean Rapp
About the author
Born in Colmar in 1771, Jean Rapp rose from the French Revolutionary armies to become one of the best-known generals of the Napoleonic Wars. He served first under General Desaix and then as aide-de-camp to Napoleon Bonaparte, earning a reputation for personal bravery and blunt loyalty.
Rapp fought in many of the great campaigns of his time and was repeatedly wounded, a detail that helped build his image as one of the Empire’s toughest soldiers. He also served twice as governor of the Free City of Danzig and was made a count under Napoleon.
He died in 1821. Readers may also know him through his posthumously published memoirs, which offer a close-up view of Napoleon’s world from someone who stood very near the center of it.