The Road to St. Helena: Napoleon after Waterloo (review)

The highlights of Napoleon's incredible career are well-known to military historians. However, little has been written about the critical period from his defeat at Waterloo to his departure for exile on St. Helena. This book discusses the short period of time in the summer of 1815 when Napoleon's fate hung in the balance as both the Allies (Austria, Prussia, Great Britain, and Royalist France) and Napoleon jousted over what to do with the Emperor and his French Empire.

After Waterloo, Napoleon could have re-grouped his army, brought in fresh troops, and continued the fight to the gates of Paris, hoping for another spectacular victory that would salvage his reputation and save something of his Empire. The Allies wanted him gone. Some, such as the Prussians, wanted him dead. The Austrians were somewhat ambivalent because Napoleon was the son-in-law of Emperor Francis II through his marriage to his daughter Marie Louise, and the British did not want to make a martyr of him. In the end, the British refused Napoleon's request to go into exile in rural England and sent him off to a lonely exile on the remote island of St. Helena in the South Atlantic – never to return alive.

Markham evokes all the intrigues that surrounded Napoleon as he spent his last days in Paris at the Elysée Palace and Josephine's old home, Malmaison. During this time Napoleon debated his options. However, slowly the Allied armies closed in on Paris as his former ministers Fouché and Tallyrand sold him out at the Congress of Vienna. Urged to flee to America by his family members, Napoleon showed uncharacteristic indecision. Finally, he fled to Rochefort and gave himself up to the British in the hopes that he would be sent to England for his exile.

Markham lays out the scenario of Napoleon's final days in France with a crisp narrative style that combines some elements of suspense and "what ifs" as Napoleon's fate is decided. He flavors his story with contemporary accounts of government and public opinion translated from French newspapers of the time to illustrate the political situation in France. Also cited are first-hand accounts by people who were close to Napoleon that help describe his health and mind set as he decided his fate.

The story is not without personal touches as Napoleon interacts with his adopted daughter Hortense (Josephine's daughter), his mother, and his famous mistresses Madame George and Marie Walewska, who probably really loved him. Author Markham spent time at Rochefort and the nearby Ile d'Aix researching where Napoleon last stood on French soil and boarded the British ship HMS Bellerophon for the start of his lonely exile. All of this adds historical realism to Napoleon's story. Napoleon's reaction to trying to eat a typical English breakfast on board the British ship is a good example of the type of detail included in the story.

For Napoleonic enthusiasts this is a must-read account of a little known period of Napoleon's life. This is a short book packed full of essential details that can be read quickly. Napoleon and the end of his times make a very satisfying read.