André Masséna was one of the greatest French commanders of the Revolutionary Era, but Napoleon found him difficult to work with: "he has military talents to which we may well doff our hats; we must forget his foibles; every man has some."

In our most recent bonus episode, we covered some of the most unusual soldiers of the Napoleonic Wars: the ski troops of the Norwegian Jaeger Corps. Join us on Patreon if you want to learn more www.patreon.com/posts/dispat...

After seeing the actor François-Joseph Talma play Julius Caesar on the stage, Napoleon corrected him: "Emperors aren't like that. You use your arms too much: men in power are more restrained in their movements; they know that a gesture is an order, a look is death."

On this day in 1769, a son was born to two minor Corsican nobles, Carlo and Letizia Buonaparte, at their family home in Ajaccio. They gave him a traditional family name: Napoleone.

On this day in 1806, British forces in Buenos Aires surrendered to a force of mostly locally-raised militia under Santiago de Liniers -- a shocking victory that would prove to be an important early milestone on Argentina's road to independence.

On this day in 1792, French revolutionaries carried out the "second revolution," storming the Tuileries Palace and massacring the guards. Napoleon himself witnessed these events, and would later call it the worst battlefield he had ever seen.

On this day in 1796, Napoleon led the Army of Italy to victory over the Austrians at the Battle of Castiglione. Despite being outnumbered by the enemy, with the fortress of Mantua unconquered in his rear, Bonaparte was able to pounce on an isolated Austrian column.

On this day in 1798, a British fleet under Horatio Nelson shattered the French Mediterranean fleet at the Battle of the Nile, one of the most spectacular naval victories of the age. Nelson's triumph left Napoleon and the Army of the Orient stranded in Egypt.

229 years ago today, one of the most singular and controversial figures of modern political history, Maximilien Robespierre, was executed in Paris, just a day after his arrest.

On this day in 1794, the legislature of revolutionary France turned against the country's de-facto ruler: Maximilien Robespierre. He and his key allies were arrested by the National Guard. What historians call the "Thermidorian Reaction" was in full swing.

On this day in 1799, Napoleon and the Army of the Orient won one of the most devastating victories of the Egyptian Campaign, annihilating an Ottoman army at the Battle of Abukir.

On this day in 1783, the great liberator of Spanish America, Simón Bolívar, was born in Caracas, Venezuela. He spent many of his formative years in France. His fascination, then disillusionment with Napoleon would have a profound impact on his political beliefs.