"One of the great strengths of this biography is Charrier’s ability to provide more than a simple narrative of events. He cites largely from memoirs and correspondence, the former not always being reliable. What is refreshing is his ability to qualify his sources, and for the Napoleonic scholar one of the most valuable aspects of the biography is the tracing of historical debates over Davout’s actions and those of his detractors back to their nineteenth-century primary sources. The discussion of Auerstadt plays prominently in Charrier’s biography, and he spends far greater time and detail examining the context and character of this battle, analysing Davout’s decision-making process in the course of fighting. He relies heavily on Daniel Reichel, Davout et l’art de la guerre (Delachaux, 1975). Charrier takes great pains to trace the historiographical origins of the criticism of Marshal Bernadotte to those officers who served on Davout’s staff in 1806 and published their memoirs afterward. The secondary literature on the battle that appeared in the early twentieth century was largely drawn from those earlier recollections. By no means does Charrier exonerate Bernadotte for failing to march to Davout’s aid, but he does indicate that Bernadotte technically fulfilled his orders by arriving at the point specifically designated by Napoleon while ignoring the conditional order to support Davout if necessary."--H-France Review Vol. 6 (October 2006), No. 135 Pierre Charrier, Le Maréchal Davout. Millau: Foundation Napoléon, 2005. 831 pp. Maps. 34 € (pb); ISBN 2-84736-111-1. Review by Frederick C. Schneid, High Point University.