author
R. M. (Robert Matteson) Johnston
1867–1920
A historian with a gift for making great conflicts feel immediate, he wrote lively, accessible books on Napoleon, the French Revolution, and military leaders. His work helped shape early American military history as a serious field of study.
1 Audiobook
The French Revolution: A Short History
by R. M. (Robert Matteson) Johnston
About the author
Born in Paris in 1867, Robert Matteson Johnston was an American historian and writer best known for his books on Napoleon, the French Revolution, and military history. He was educated at Eton and Pembroke College, Cambridge, and later taught at Harvard University and Mount Holyoke College.
Johnston wrote for both general readers and serious students, combining clear storytelling with close historical study. Among the works associated with him are Napoleon, a Short Biography, The French Revolution: A Short History, Leading American Soldiers, and The Napoleonic Empire in Southern Italy and the Rise of the Secret Societies.
He was regarded as an important early scholar of military history in the United States. During World War I, he served as chief of the Historical Section of the General Staff in the field, and he died in 1920.