The Diary of a Napoleonic Foot Soldier ( IRB TOW#11)

       “Desperation, grueling, and apathy”---- Jakob Walter, a German soldier who served in the Napoleonic army from 1806 to 1813, had personally experienced the hellish meanings behind these words. Born in a Middle Class family, Walter was at first attracted to the glories of a seemingly undefeatable giant at his time, Napoleon. However, war, as he becomes gradually intimately familiar with, was far from what he expected, and his diary, the only known diary from a regular soldier in Napoleon’s army, reflected a gradual loss of innocence.

       Walter, of course, was little aware of the historical significance of his diary as he wrote it. The diary to him was more for his family and himself. His narration from the relatively light Prussia campaign to the all-out terrifying Russian disaster reflected more of him trying to lighten his heart than anything else. Yet, unintentionally, Walter’s diary also manifested itself as a compelling argument against warfare and brought revelation to the real war-time experience of a normal soldier.

       Walter seemed to be especially talented at using imageries and tone to convey his thoughts and mood. He started with playful imageries in describing his Prussia campaign, how “Soldier Hummel wanted to frighten people for fun, so he took his rifle, cocked the Hummel and shot; soldiers were running wild at the time”(Walter 4). From there, the imageries gradually became increasingly depressing, finally reaching the zenith during the Russian campaign when “the banks on both sides of the bridge were filled with dead piled three and four deep”(Walter 54). The deliberate use of increasingly despondent imageries perfectly described the increasing pressure he is feeling for his life. As for the contemporary readers, the imageries blatantly portrayed the inevitable process of losing innocence.

       Assisting the rich yet gruesome imageries in Walter’s diary is his change of tone. Walter’s tone portrayed his thoughts and character. His initial respect toward “Emperor Napoleon” when he “was given good quarter and food everywhere”(Walter 1) turned into bitterness and depression toward “Napoleon” when he “run away from the Russian enemy like gypsies” and constantly “expected the utmost famine”(Walter 39). From “Emperor” to just “Napoleon,” from “good” to “famine,” Walter is slowly collapsing due to the terrifying campaigns. His change of tone portrayed his escalating depression, and to the contemporary readers, portrayed the inhumanness of war.

       Rest well, Walter.