“I remembered a common saying at home, ‘A campaign is always made out to be worse than it was…’” (Walter 88). Jakob Walter was a German mason drafted into Napoleon’s army as a foot soldier. In his diary, found years after it was written in 1932, Walter gave a unique perspective of France’s efforts to expand its empire through three campaigns invading Russian territory. The account of Jakob Walter shows the invasion of Russia from a soldier’s mindset rather than an officer, which gives historians a different view point than many historical texts from that time. Walter continually expressed his indifference about the campaign and about his belief that the army was in many cases, leaderless. He came to realize that the saying from home was completely false—that he would never want his family to know about his true conditions because of his complete apathy towards the famine and decimation, his indifference about Napoleon’s goals, and the disgust for Napoleon as a leader. Throughout the diary, Walter mentions other men’s sufferings and how the hunger and cold caused men to act in demoralized ways. He said, “I could look with indifference at the people falling by the hundreds, although the impact upon the ice bashed their heads. I could look at their rising and falling again, their dull moaning and whining, and the wringing and clenching of their hands…. Nevertheless, I had no pity” (Walter 88). Walter mentions sick people being crushed to death in wagons because, “the impulse to help one another was still quite dulled” (Walter 105). Another example of the apathy is when Walter talked about men being so cold that they are unable to pull up their pants again after using the restroom and, “when they had sat down because of weakness or necessity, their clothing had been brutally torn from then and, where there could not defend themselves, they froze to death naked” (Walter 90). Walter was disgusted by the many times he displayed an unfortunate acceptance for these cruel conditions because of their famine and desperation (Walter 66). Walter never mentions Napoleon’s goals out of concern to fulfill those goals, he mentions invading several Russian towns because that is simply his duty and because he wants to get home. He talks about his goal to go home: “‘My friends how you would love to help me, and how you would long to see me again, but will it be possible?’ That is what I was dreaming about all day long” (Walter 96). He saw this as his fate, not with any goal in mind. He said, “we resumed our journey toward whatever fate had in store for us” (Walter 73). Walter’s reason for fighting was simply to return home, “If even a few should get to German soil, it is possible that I with God’s help might also reach there” (Walter 62). Walter felt essentially leaderless. He showed this opinion wholly when Napoleon and Walter’s paths crossed near the Beresina River:
Napoleon ordered his pack horses to be unharnessed and where he ate. He watched his army pass by in the most wretched condition. What he may have felt in his heart is impossible to surmise. His outward appearance seemed indifferent and unconcerned over the wretchedness of his soldiers; only ambition and lost honor may have made themselves felt in his heart (Walter 81).
The entire army shouted at Napoleon and obviously showed their disdain for him; however, Napoleon, “listened to them unmoved” (Walter 81). This was the one time Walter really showed his feelings towards Napoleon throughout the diary. He obviously did not believe in Napoleon as a leader or respect his decisions. Walter shows that he understands Napoleon’s short term plans throughout the novel but never mentions Napoleon’s grand scheme to actually conquer Russia. This showed his indifference to Napoleon’s objective. Walter’s unique perspective on the Napoleonic campaign showed the never-ending sufferings of Napoleon’s army trapped in the midst of a Russian winter with uncontrollable famine and illness. The diary explained Walter’s disdain for Napoleon because of his ineffective leadership, incapability to show pity on his army, and the effects this had on the demoralization of the troops. Walter’s account shows from a common soldier’s point of view that each soldier was not concerned with invading Russia, the conquests, or even if they won or lost. Each soldier was worried about fighting solely in order to make it back home.