War Drama of the Eagles

The eagle of Napoleon was a potent symbol of military might, men fought and died to possess the "cou-cou" that his regiments carried into battle. It represented the fidelity of a regiment to the cause of the French Empire, and more particularly the attachment of the brave warriors who fought beneath it to the greatest general of the age. To lose an eagle was to lose the honour of the regiment, a stain that could not be removed apart from rare cases of exceptional service. Edward Fraser chronicle