Ruth Estermann
Author of Beresina – Luzerner Soldaten im Russlandfeldzug Napoleons 1812
Works by Ruth Estermann
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- female
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- Switzerland
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Instead, the focus lies in documenting that many of the so called "volunteers" were shanghaied. Having witnessed the poor sort of the soldiers dispatched to Spain and Italy, few respectable men saw their fortune in joining Napoleon's troops. My favorite reason of volunteering is "impregnation". Apparently impregnating a maid required the culpable man to pay a fine/compensation for the act, money poor people didn't have - joining the army (and thus receiving the signing bonus) provided the necessary compensation to the maid and removed such undesirable elements from society. Further "volunteers" were collected from groups of travelers who drank too much liquor and thus tricked into signing up. Like the British army in the Peninsular War, the Swiss in Russia were the scum of the earth (often led by the professional soldiers of the local nobility).… (more)