À tous les historiens estimés,
I am trying to identify possible hiking routes to follow the path taken by Napoleon from France into Italy, within Italy, and back. I am am aware that there were multiple campaigns, the one of greatest interest is the War of the Second Coalition.
My problem is, while I am able to find many sources talking in general terms with some big, curving arrows, I have not been very good at finding records detailed enough to make a hiking plan.
I realize that truly perfect records are not always available, but I would appreciate any guidance to the most accurate and detailed sources possible.
I am grateful for any places to start, but if you have a choice, some things are more doable than others.
Books and other printed material are preferred. I find reading the old handwritings very difficult.
English and German are easiest. I can read Russian too, although I am guessing that there will be more about the Italian Campaigns in the first two languages. It would be a lie to say that I read French, but if there really is nothing else, I can sort of muddle through and piece together the basics.
Things that I can read at home are easiest( but I am based in Berlin if you know of libraries or archives nearby that I could visit. I could go to France or somewhere else not too far away at some point for something important that I couldn’t get at home.
Thank you!
Probably one for the Short Answers thread, but you can start with the Itineraire general de Napoleon, with the proviso that the early years are mixed in with general events of the war ongoing at the same time in Germany and elsewhere.
For more detail, the ultimate source would be Napoleon's correspondence (this is volume I which covers the start of 1796, but Gallica has the entire set). This would have both the place and date he sent out letters and would give you his exact movements, but you'd be looking at literally hundreds of letters and the place names would be the French versions, even in Italy.