1805.
My functions at Hamburg--The King of Sweden at Stralsund--
My bulletin describing the situation of the Russian armies--Duroc's
recall from Berlin--General Dumouriez--Recruiting of the English in
Hanover--The daughter of M. de Marbeof and Napoleon--Treachery of
the King of Naples--The Sun of Austerlitz--Prince Dolgiorouki
Rapp's account of the battle of Austerlitz--Gerard's picture--
Eugene's marriage.
I must now relate how, in conformity with my instructions, I was employed
in Hamburg in aiding the success of the French army. I had sent an agent
to observe the Russian troops, which were advancing by forced marches to
the banks of the Elbe. This agent transmitted to me from Gadbusch an
account of the routes taken by the different columns. It was then
supposed that they would march upon Holland by the way of Bremen and
Oldenburg. On the receipt of thus intelligence the Electorate of Hanover
was evacuated by the French, and General Barbou, who had commanded there
concentrated his forces in Hamelin.
On the 2d of November 1805 the King of Sweden arrived at Stralsund. I
immediately intimated to our Government that this circumstance would
probably give a new turn to the operations of the combined army, for
hitherto the uncertainty of its movements and the successive counter-
orders afforded no possibility of ascertaining any determined plan. The
intention seemed to be, that all the Swedo-Russian troops should cross
the Elbe at the same point; viz., Lauenburg, six miles from Hamburg.
There was not on the 5th of November a single Russian on the southern
bank of the Elbe.
The first column of the grand Russian army passed through Warsaw on the
1st of November, and on the 2d the Grand-Duke Constantine was expected
with the Guards. This column, which amounted to 6000 men, was the first
that passed through Prussian Poland.
At this time we momentarily expected to see the Hanoverian army landed on
the banks of the Weser or the Elbe, augmented by some thousands of
English. Their design apparently was either to attack Holland, or to
attempt some operation on the rear of our Grand Army.
The French Government was very anxious to receive accurate accounts of
the march of the Swedo-Russian troops through Hanover, and of the Russian
army through Poland. My agents at Warsaw and Stralsund, who were
exceedingly active and intelligent, enabled me to send off a bulletin
describing the state of Hanover, the movements of the Russians and
Swedes, together with information of the arrival of English troops in the
Elbe, and a statement of the force of the combined army in Hanover, which
consisted of 15,000 Russians, 8000 Swedes, and 12,000 English; making in
all 35,000 men.
It was probably on account of this bulletin that Napoleon expressed to
Duroc his satisfaction with my services. The Emperor on recalling Duroc
from Berlin did not manifest the least apprehension respecting Prussia.
Duroc wrote to me the following letter on the occasion of his recall:
MY DEAR BOURRIENNE--The Emperor having thought my services necessary
to the army has recalled me. I yesterday had a farewell audience of
the King and Queen, who treated me very graciously. His Majesty
presented me with his portrait set in diamonds. The Emperor
Alexander will probably depart to morrow, and the Archduke Anthony
vary speedily. We cannot but hope that their presence here will
facilitate a good understanding.
(Signed) DUROC.
Whenever foreign armies were opposing France the hopes of the emigrants
revived. They falsely imagined that the powers coalesced against
Napoleon were labouring in their cause; and many of them entered the
Russian and Austrian armies. Of this number was General Dumouriez.
I received information that he had landed at Stade on the 21st of
November; but whither he intended to proceed was not known. A man named
St. Martin, whose wife lived with Dumouriez, and who had accompanied the
general from England to Stade, came to Hamburg, where he observed great
precautions for concealment, and bought two carriages, which were
immediately forwarded to Stade. St, Martin himself immediately proceeded
to the latter place. I was blamed for not having arrested this man; but
he had a commission attesting that he was in the English service, and, as
I have before mentioned; a foreign commission was a safeguard; and the
only one which could not be violated in Hamburg.
In December 1805 the English recruiting in Hanover was kept up without
interruption, and attended with extraordinary success. Sometimes a
hundred men were raised in a day. The misery prevailing in Germany,
which had been ravaged by the war, the hatred against the French, and the
high bounty that was offered enabled the English to procure as many men
as they wished.
The King of Sweden, meditating on the stir he should make in Hanover,
took with him a camp printing-press to publish the bulletins of the grand
Swedish army.--The first of these bulletins announced to Europe that his
Swedish Majesty was about to leave Stralsund; and that his army would
take up its position partly between Nelsen and Haarburg, and partly
between Domitz and the frontiers of Hamburg.
Among the anecdotes of Napoleon connected with this campaign I find in my
notes the following, which was related to me by Rapp. Some days before
his entrance into Vienna Napoleon, who was riding on horseback along the
road, dressed in his usual uniform of the chasseurs of the Guard, met an
open carriage, in which were seated a lady and a priest. The lady was in
tears, and Napoleon could not refrain from stopping to ask her what was
the cause of her distress. "Sir," she replied, for she did not know the
Emperor, "I have been pillaged at my estate, two leagues from hence, by a
party of soldiers, who have murdered my gardener. I am going to seek
your Emperor, who knows my family, to whom he was once under great
obligations."--"What is your name?" inquired Napoleon.--"De Bunny,"
replied the lady. "I am the daughter of M de Marbeuf, formerly Governor
of Corsica."--" Madame," exclaimed Napoleon, "I am the Emperor. I am
delighted to have the opportunity of serving you."--"You cannot
conceive," continued Rapp, "the attention which the Emperor showed Madame
de Bunny. He consoled her, pitied her, almost apologised for the
misfortune she had sustained. 'Will you have the goodness, Madame,' said
he, 'to go and wait for me at my head-quarters? I will join you
speedily; every member of M. de Marbeuf's family has a claim on my
respect.' The Emperor immediately gave her a picquet of chasseurs of his
guard to escort her. He saw her again during the day, when he loaded her
with attentions, and liberally indemnified her for the losses she had
sustained."
For some time previous to the battle of Austerlitz the different corps of
the army intersected every part of Germany and Italy, all tending towards
Vienna as a central point. At the beginning of November the corps
commanded by Marshal Bernadotte arrived at Saltzburg at the moment when
the Emperor had advanced his headquarters to Braunau, where there were
numerous magazines of artillery and a vast quantity of provisions of
every kind. The junction of the corps commanded by Bernadotte in Hanover
with the Grand Army was a point of such high importance that Bonaparte
had directed the Marshal to come up with him as speedily as possible, and
to take the shortest road. This order obliged Bernadotte to pass through
the territory of the two Margravates.
At that time we were at peace with Naples. In September the Emperor had
concluded with Ferdinand IV. a treaty of neutrality. This treaty enabled
Carra St. Cyr, who occupied Naples, to evacuate that city and to join
Massena in Upper Italy; both reached the Grand Army on the 28th of
November. But no sooner had the troops commanded by Carra St. Cyr
quitted the Neapolitan territory than the King of Naples, influenced by
his Ministers, and above all by Queen Caroline, broke the treaty of
neutrality, ordered hostile preparations against France, opened his ports
to the enemies of the Emperor, and received into his States 12,000
Russians and 8000 English. It was on the receipt of this news that
Bonaparte, in one of his most violent bulletins, styled the Queen of
Naples a second Fredegonda. The victory of Austerlitz having given
powerful support to his threats, the fall of Naples was decided, and
shortly after his brother Joseph was seated on the Neapolitan throne.
At length came the grand day when, to use Napoleon's expression, the Sun
of Austerlitz rose. All our forces were concentrated on one point, at
about 40 leagues beyond Vienna. There remained nothing but the wreck of
the Austrian army, the corps of Prince Charles being by scientific
manoeuvres kept at a distance from the line of operations; but the
Russians alone were superior to us in numbers, and their army was almost
entirely composed of fresh troops. The most extraordinary illusion
prevailed in the enemy's camp. The north of Europe has its Gascons as
well as the south of France, and the junior portion of the Russian army
at this period assumed an absurd braggadocio tone. On the very eve of
the battle the Emperor Alexander sent one of his aides de camp, Prince
Dolgorouki, as a flag of truce to Napoleon. The Prince could not repress
his self-sufficiency even in the presence of the Emperor, and Rapp
informed me that on dismissing him the Emperor said, "If you were on 'the
heights of Montmartre,' I would answer such impertinence only by cannon-
balls." This observation was very remarkable, inasmuch as subsequent
events rendered it a prophecy.
As to the battle itself, I can describe it almost as well as if I had
witnessed it, for some time after I had the pleasure of seeing my friend
Rapp, who was sent an a mission to Prussia. He gave me the following
account:
"When we arrived at Austerlitz the Russians were not aware of the
scientific plans which the Emperor had laid for drawing them upon
the ground he had marked out; and seeing our advanced guards fall
back before theirs they already considered themselves conquerors.
They supposed that their Guard alone would secure an easy triumph.
But the action commenced, and they experienced an energetic
resistance on all points. At one o'clock the victory was yet
uncertain, for they fought admirably. They wished to make a last
effort by directing close masses against our centre. Their Imperial
Guard deployed; their artillery, cavalry, and infantry marched upon
a bridge which they attacked, and this movement, which was concealed
by the rising and falling of the ground, was not observed by
Napoleon. I was at that moment near the Emperor, awaiting his
orders. We heard a well-maintained firing of musketry. The
Russians were repulsing one of our brigades. The Emperor ordered me
to take some of the Mamelukes, two squadrons of chasseurs, and one
of grenadiers of the Guard, and to go and reconnoitre the state of
things. I set off at full gallop, and soon discovered the disaster.
The Russian cavalry had penetrated our squares, and was sabring our
men. I perceived in the distance some masses of cavalry and
infantry; which formed the reserve of the Russians. At that moment
the enemy advanced to meet us, bringing with him four pieces of
artillery, and ranged himself in order of battle. I had the brave
Morland on my left, and General D'Allemagne on my right. 'Forward,
my lads!' exclaimed I to my troop. 'See how your brothers and
friends are being cut to pieces. Avenge them! avenge our flag!
Forward !' These few words roused my men. We advanced as swiftly as
our horses could carry us upon the artillery, which was taken. The
enemy's cavalry, which awaited us firmly, was repulsed by the same
shock, and fled in disorder, galloping as we did over the wrecks of
our squares. The Russians rallied but a squadron of horse
grenadiers came up to reinforce me, and thus enabled me to hold
ground against the reserves of the Russian Guard. We charged again,
and this charge was terrible. The brave Morland was killed by my,
side. It was downright butchery. We were opposed man to man, and
were so mingled together that the infantry of neither one nor the
other side could venture to fire for fear of killing its own men.
At length the intrepidity of our troops overcame every obstacle, and
the Russians fled in disorder, in sight of the two Emperors of
Russia and Austria, who had stationed themselves on a height in
order to witness the battle. They saw a desperate one," said Rapp,
"and I trust they were satisfied. For my part, my dear friend, I
never spent so glorious a day. What a reception the Emperor gave me
when I returned to inform him that we had won the battle! My sword
was broken, and a wound which I received on my head was bleeding
copiously, so that I was covered with blood! He made me a General
of Division. The Russians did not return to the charge; we had
taken all their cannon and baggage, and Prince Repnin was among the
prisoners."
Thus it was that Rapp related to me this famous battle of which he was
the hero, as Kellerman had been the hero of Marengo. What now remains of
Austerlitz? The recollection, the glory, and the magnificent picture of
Gerard, the idea of which was suggested to the Emperor by the sight of
Rapp with the blood streaming from his wound.
I cannot forbear relating here a few particulars which I learned from
Rapp respecting his mission after the cure of his wound; and the marriage
of Prince Eugene to the Princess Augusta of Bavaria. The friendship
which Rapp cherished for me was of the most sincere kind. During my
disgrace he did not even conceal it from Napoleon; and whoever knows
anything of the Emperor's Court will acknowledge that that was a greater
mark of courage than the carrying of a redoubt or making the most
brilliant charge of cavalry. Rapp possessed courage of every kind, an
excellent heart, and a downright frankness, which for a time brought him
into disgrace with Napoleon. The only thing for which Rapp could be
reproached was his extreme prejudice against the nobility, which I am
convinced was the sole reason why he was not created a Duke. The Emperor
made him a Count because he wished that all his aides de camp should have
titles.
"He had been a fortnight at Schoenbrunn," said Rapp to me, "and I had
not yet resumed my duties, when the Emperor sent for me. He asked
me whether I was able to travel, and on my replying in the
affirmative, he said, 'Go then, and give an account of the battle of
Austerlitz to Marmont, and vex him for not having been at it.' I set
off, and in conformity with the instructions I had received from the
Emperor I proceeded to Gratz, where I found Marmont, who was indeed
deeply mortified at not having had a share in the great battle.
I told him, as the Emperor had directed me, that the negotiations
were commenced, but that nothing was yet concluded, and that
therefore, at all events, he must hold himself in readiness. I
ascertained the situation of his army in Styria, and the amount of
the enemy's force before him: The Emperor wished him to send a
number of spies into Hungary, and to transmit to him a detailed
report from their communications. I next proceeded to Laybach,
where I found Massena at the head of the eighth corps, and I
informed him that the Emperor wished him to march in all haste upon
Vienna, in case he should hear of the rupture of the negotiations.
I continued the itinerary marked out for me until I reached Venice,
and thence till I met the troops of Carra St. Cyr, who had received
orders to march back upon Naples as soon as the Emperor heard of the
treachery of the King of Naples and the landing of the English and
Russians. Having fulfilled these different missions I proceeded to
Klagenfurth, where I saw Marshal Ney, and I afterwards rejoined the
Emperor at Munich. There I had the pleasure of finding our friends
assembled, and among them Josephine, still as affable and amiable as
ever. How delighted I was when, an my arrival, I learned that the
Emperor had adopted Eugene. I was present at his marriage with the
Princess Augusta of Bavaria. As to me, you know I am not very fond
of fetes, and the Emperor might have dispensed with my performing
the duties of Chamberlain; Eugene had no idea of what was going on
when the Emperor sent to desire his presence at Munich with all
possible speed. He, too, remains unchanged; he is still our old
comrade. At first he was not much pleased with the idea of a
political marriage; but when he saw his bride he was quite
enchanted; and no wonder, for I assure you she is a very charming
woman."