Life and Death of a French Soldier in the American War of Independence 1778-1781 by Bertrand Jost

Life and Death of a French Soldier in the American War of Independence 1778-1781 eBook : JOST, BERTRAND: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle StoreThrough extensive research, the author reconstructed the story of a young French foot soldier from his enlistment in the King’s army in 1778 to his death in November 1781, shortly after the battle of Yorktown. The story of Hans Stiegel serves as a thread to paint a broader picture of the American War of Independence through the eyes of the lower French ranks and helps answer some of the fundamental questions behind the reality of this war. Why did these men enlist? How were they treated by their aristocratic officers? What was military life like in the barracks of France, in the colonies and while on expedition in America? What was it like to cross the Atlantic on an overcrowded transport? Upon arrival, what did these uneducated men think of the Americans they encountered: soldiers, civilians and slaves? What did they think of America itself and what was…