The first steps to greatness
The blood tide that swept away the Bourbons in the terror of the French revolution also heralded the Revolutionary Wars in which Republican France not only sought to spread its doctrine through Europe, but also had to initially contend with French Royalist forces who fought to re-establish the old regime. In 1793, the coastal town of Toulon in Southern France lay under siege. Its defenders were French monarchists supported by Spanish, Sardinian and British forces. Outside the defences, among the guns of his beloved artillery, was a 24 year old major in the...

The first steps to greatness
The blood tide that swept away the Bourbons in the terror of the French revolution also heralded the Revolutionary Wars in which Republican France not only sought to spread its doctrine through Europe, but also had to initially contend with French Royalist forces who fought to re-establish the old regime. In 1793, the coastal town of Toulon in Southern France lay under siege. Its defenders were French monarchists supported by Spanish, Sardinian and British forces. Outside the defences, among the guns of his beloved artillery, was a 24 year old major in the...