Commandant Coignart is a fictional character modeled on typical officers of his time.
Napoleon’s Military Training
My fictitious character Jean Coignart attended the same military schools as Napoleon: the Royal Military School at Brienne-le-Chateau and the Ecolé Militaire.
Opening scene
Napoleon halts alongside the River Spree, just prior to beginning the Battle of Bautzen on May 20th and 21st, 1813.
The Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars began in 1792 when The First Coalition, the Kingdoms of Austria, Sardinia, Naples, Prussia, Spain and Britain, attacked France after its revolution in 1792. The wars ended with Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo in 1815, but a temporary peace reigned, as Jean says, in 1801.
The Russian Campaign
The Russian Campaign. So much has been written on this campaign, that the best way for you to get more detail is to Google it and then examine the specific details you need.