2 - Military Values: Heroism and Masculinity

Summary

A military songbook that was published in Paris during the Napoleonic Wars bore the title Le chansonnier de la Grande Armée, ou choix de chansons militaires, dédié aux braves (c’est-à-dire à tous les soldats français). One of its songs was ‘Le bon soldat’, which began by insisting that Napoleon’s troops were good soldiers. It then listed their positive attributes. According to the lyrics, ‘the good soldier’ was a patriot who was devoted to ‘his prince, his country’ and was willing to risk his life ‘for his patrie’. He was a loyal comrade, a tough, chivalrous and heroic warrior who yearned for glory and whose talents also extended beyond the battlefield. The final verses of ‘Le bon soldat’ proclaimed that the good soldier was a passionate seducer of women who would eventually become a responsible husband and father after he returned victorious.¹