The Illustrious Dead: The Terrifying Story of How Typhus Killed Napoleon's Greatest Army

ISBN: 0307394050

Author: Talty, Stephan

Condition: New

A masterful dual narrative of Napoleon Bonaparte and a tiny microbe that pits the height of human ambition and achievement against the supremacy of nature, from the New York Times bestselling author of Empire of Blue WaterGripping . . . Talty brings international politics and science together in a compelling story of personal hubris and humbling defeat.-Jack Weatherford, author of the New York Times bestseller Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern WorldIn the spring of 1812, Napoleon Bonaparte was at the height of his powers. Forty-five million called him emperor, and he commanded a nation that was the richest, most cultured, and advanced on earth. No army could stand against his impeccably trained, brilliantly led forces, and his continued sweep across Europe seemed inevitable.Early that year, bolstered by his successes, Napoleon turned his attentions toward Moscow, helming the largest invasion in human history. Surely, Tsar Alexanders outnumbered troops would crumble against this mighty force. But another powerful and ancient enemy awaited Napoleons men in the Russian steppes. Virulent and swift, this microscopic foe would bring the emperors progress to a halt. Even as the Russians retreated before him in disarray, Napoleon found his army disappearing, his frantic doctors powerless to explain what had struck down a hundred thousand soldiers.The Illustrious Dead delves deep into the origins of the pathogen that finally ended the mighty emperors dreams of world conquest and exposes this war plagues hidden role throughout history. A tale of two unstoppable forces meeting on the road to Moscow in an epic clash of killer microbe and peerless army, The Illustrious Dead is a historical whodunit in which a million lives hang in the balance.