France Very interesting handwritten notebook of the memoirs of a Second Empire soldier, Pierre Nicolas of the 6th Infantry Regiment, recounting the Italian campaign of 1859. He left Lyon on 1st May 1859 and went to Italy via Chambéry, Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne then Turin, Alexandria and as far as Tessin and Magenta "a strong battle" then Solférino "the strongest battle"... Account of the campaign. Contains an amusing "pochard's patent" for the accomplished drunkard: "(...) Forehead as high as a stile, eyes as sparkling as Champagne, face as puffy as a bottle's belly, nose like a tap, mouth like a funnel, (...)" with even a summary of the campaigns and wounds received in the "soulography campaign in the Grande Armée". And a speech by the Emperor Napoleon III on 12 July 1859: "Soldiers, you will soon be returning to France, where gratitude will greet you (...) be proud to be the beloved children of this France, which will always be the Great Nation as long as it has a heart to understand noble causes and men like you to defend them". Other speeches included those by Marshal Noël and other generals, and others by the Emperor. "Passing through Mondovi, Marengo, Lodi, Castiglione, Arcole, Rivoli, you walk another sacred road in the midst of these Glorious Memories." Leather cover (worn), H. 7 cm - W. 11.5 cm 82 pages