town, and the army were thrown into a turmoil to organise a grand
reception for the great Emperor who, after having so generously
restored to liberty the Saxon troops captured at Jena, had loaded
their sovereign with honours! I was received with enthusiasm; I
was lodged in the chateau in a fine apartment, where I was
magnificently cared for, and the king's aides-de-camp showed me
round all the interesting sights of the palace and the town.
Eventually the Emperor arrived, and in accordance with the
protocol, which I already knew, I hurried to hand over the
portfolios to M. Meneval, and to ask for the Emperor's further
orders. These I found agreeable, for I was instructed to carry
some fresh portfolios to Paris, and the Emperor gave me a letter
which I was to deliver personally to the Empress Josephine. The
marshal of the palace, M. Duroc, gave me eight thousand francs to
cover the expense of the journey from Tilsit to Dresden and from
Dresden to Paris. I took to the road in high spirits: I had just
taken part in three fine campaigns, during which I had been
promoted to captain, and had been noticed by the Emperor; we were
about to enjoy the delights of peace, which would allow me to
spend a long time with my mother; I was fully recovered; I had
never had so much money; everything conspired to make me happy,
and I was very happy.
I arrived at Frankfurt-on-main, where a lieutenant colonel of the
Imperial Guard named M. de L... was in command. The Emperor had
given me a letter for this officer, from whom he wanted, I think,
some confidential information, for M. de L... was in touch with
M. Savary, who ran the secret police. This colonel invited me to
dine with him, after which he conducted me back to my coach; but
as I got in I noticed a fair sized package which was not part of
my despatches. I was about to call for my batman to get an
explanation for this, when Colonel de L... stopped me, and told
me, in an undertone, that the package contained some dresses in
Berlin knitwear and other materials banned in France, and was
destined for the Empress Josephine, who would be much obliged to
me for bringing them to her! I recalled only too well the cruel
anxieties I had suffered as a result of the false report which I
had been persuaded to give the Emperor regarding the numerical
strength of the "Chasseurs a Cheval" at Austerlitz, to consent to
be engaged once more in some underhand business: so I flatly
refused. To be sure I would have liked to please the Empress, but
I was aware of the inflexible severity with which Napoleon
treated those found guilty of smuggling, and after facing so many
dangers, and shedding so much of my blood in battle, I had no
wish to sacrifice whatever merit I had gained in the eyes of the
Emperor by transgressing his laws in order to draw a smile of
thanks from the Empress. To overcome my objections Colonel de
L... pointed out that the package had several wrappings, of which
the outermost, addressed to the minister for war, bore the seal
of the 7th Light Infantry and the designation "Record of
accounts." He was sure that the customs would not dare open such
a package, the outer covering of which I could remove when I
reached Paris and deliver the stuff to the Empress without being
compromised; but in spite of all this fine reasoning, I
absolutely refused to take part in this transaction and ordered
the postilion to set off. When we arrived at the post-house, half
way between Frankfurt and Mainz, I took my batman to task for
having taken into the coach this extra package; he replied that
during dinner time, M. de L... himself had put these packages
into the coach: he had supposed that they contained more
despatches, and had not thought that he could refuse to accept
them from the hands of the commanding officer in person. "Did you
say packages?" I cried, "were there then several? He took away
only one." And now, rummaging amongst the Emperor's portfolios, I
found a second package of contraband which the colonel had put
into my trunk without my knowledge. I was taken aback by this
trickery and was tempted to throw the dresses onto the highway.
However I did not dare, and I continued my journey, determined
that if the contraband was seized I would explain how it had been
put into my coach, and by whom the stamp of the 7th Light
Infantry had been put on the wrapping; for I had no wish to face
the anger of Napoleon; but as this defence would have compromised
the Empress,I decided that I would use it only as a last resort,
and that I would make every effort to avoid my coach being
examined. A stroke of luck and a little subterfuge got me out of
this dilemma.
I arrived, very worried, at the bridge over the Rhine at Mainz,
which separates Germany from France, and my anxiety was increased
by the sight of the great collection of customs officers and
soldiers in unifor, who were waiting round this frontier. When my
carriage was stopped, in the usual manner, two men arrived
simultaneously at the door; one was a customs officer, to carry
out a search, and the other was an aide-de-camp to Marshal
Kellerman, who was in command of the station, and who wanted to
know if the Emperor was on his way. This is my chance! I thought
to myself, and pretending not to notice the customs officer, I
replied to the aide-de-camp, "The Emperor is coming behind me."
This was no lie, he was indeed following me, but at an interval
of two days...which I did not think it necessary to add.
My words were heard by all around me and threw them into a state
of frenzied activity. The aide-de-camp went off across the bridge
at the gallop, at risk of tumbling into the Rhine in his haste to
warn Marshal Kellerman. The guard took up their arms. The customs
men and their superiors tried to arrange themselves in the most
military manner possible in order to look good in front of the
Emperor and, as my carriage got in their way, they told the
postilion to clear off....So there I was! Freed from their
clutches!
I went on to the posting-house and quickly changed horses; but
while this was being done, a violent storm broke over Mainz and
the rain began to fall in torrents. It was five o'clock in the
afternoon, dinner time; but on the news of the approaching
arrival of the Emperor, the general alarm was beaten throughout
the town; on which signal the marshal, generals, prefect, mayor,
civil and military authorities, all threw down their napkins, and
hastily donning their best clothes, they went in the pouring rain
through the streams of water running in the streets to take up
their posts; while I, who was the cause of all this commotion,
was laughing my head off as I made off at full speed drawn by
three good post-horses.
In view of the fact that the Empress was willing to disobey her
august spouse by wearing clothes made of prohibited material, and
that a colonel was willing to slip contraband into my coach
without my knowledge, the trick which I had played seemed to me
to be excusable. In any case, since it was June, the soaking
which I had caused these Mainz officials to undergo would do no
harm except to their clothes. When I was far from Mainz, I could
still hear the sound of drums, and I learned afterwards that they
had stayed up all night. The Emperor arrived two days later, but
as he had had an accident to his coach, the good citizens of
Mainz blamed that for the delay of which their fine clothes were
the victims. I was heading swiftly and happily towards Paris,
when a most disagreeable accident interrupted my progress, and
turned my happiness to annoyance. You will understand that when a
sovereign travels, it would be impossible to supply a change of
horses for the numerous carriages which precede and follow him,
if the staging posts were not reinforced by horses, known as "de
tournee", brought from posts established on other routes. Now, as
I was leaving Dombasle, a little town this side of Verdun, a
confounded postilion "de tournee" who had arrived the night
before, not having noticed a steep hill which one encounters
after leaving the staging post, lost control of his horses during
the descent and overturned my carriage, breaking the springs and
the bodywork. To make matters worse, it was a Sunday and all the
population had gone to a fete in a neighbouring village, so that
I could not find a workman. Those that I found the next day were
so unskillful that I had to spend two mortal days in this
miserable place.
I was about to set out again when an outrider having announced
the arrival of the Emperor, I took the liberty of stopping his
coach to tell him of the accident which I had suffered. He
laughed, took back the letter for the Empress which he had given
me, and went on his way. I followed him to St. Cloud, from where,
after giving the portfolios to the cabinet secretary, I went to
my mother's home in Paris.
I took up once more my position as aide-de-camp to Marshal
Augereau, a very easy task, as it consisted of going every month
to spend one or two weeks at La Houssaye, where daily life was
always so amusing. Thus rolled by the end of the summer and the
autumn; during which time the Emperor's policies were leading
towards fresh events and storms whose terrible commotions would
nearly swallow me up; me, a very small personage, who, in his
carefree youth, thought of nothing but enjoying life, after
having seen death at such close quarters.
It has been rightly said that the Emperor was never so great and
powerful as in 1807, when, after defeating the Austrians, the
Russians and the Prussians, he had concluded a peace so
favourable to France and to himself. But scarcely had Napoleon
ended his war against the northern powers, when his evil genius
drove him to undertake one even more terrible, in the south of
Europe, in the Iberian peninsula.
End of Volume 1, The Memoirs of General the Baron de Marbot.
Translated by Oliver C. Colt
The Memoirs of General the Baron de Marbot. Translated by
Oliver C. Colt
Contents of Volume 2.
Chap. 1. My marriage. Farewell to Massena.
Chap. 2. Biography of Massena.
Chap. 3. 1812. Appointed to 23rd Chasseurs. The intrigues of
Count Czernicheff.
Chap. 4. War becomes inevitable. Warnings given to Napoleon. The
Imperial court at Dresden. Faulty composition of army.
Chap. 5. Review by the Emperor. The army at the Nieman. Notes on
historians of the 1812 campaign. Bernadotte's attitude. The
Poles.
Chap. 6. Crossing of Nieman. Entry into Wilna. I meet the enemy.
The 23rd at Wilkomir. Problems in Lithuania. The advance.
Chap. 7. The Russian army split. Bagration escapes from Jerome.
Fruitless attack on Dvinaberg. I defeat two of Wittgenstein's
units. We leave the Grande Armee. Composition of 2nd Corps.
Chap. 8. Jakobovo and Kliastitsoui. I am wounded.
Chap. 9. The marsh at Sebej. Retreat. The ford at Sivotschina.
Death of Koulnieff. A last farewell.
Chap. 10. Fresh withdrawal by Oudinot. Marches and
countermarches. Retreat to Polotsk. General St. Cyr. Oudinot is
wounded. St. Cyr takes over.
Chap. 11. Surprise attack on the enemy. Various incidents. We
settle in Polotsk.
Chap. 12. The advance of the Grande Armee. Capture of Smolensk.
The battle for Moscow.
Chap. 13. Bad news from Spain. Rostopschine. The fire of Moscow.
Revival of the Russian army. Koutousoff's treachery.
Chap. 14. Decision to retreat. Napoleon forced to change route. I
become a Colonel. Bravery of Ney as rearguard.
Chap. 15. Situation of 2nd Corps. Bavarian demoralisation.
Mission to Count Lubenski.
Chap. 16. The Austrians defect. The defence of Polotsk.
Wittgenstein captured but escapes. The Bavarians leave us. We
join Marshal Victor.
Chap. 17. Oudinet returns and separates from Victor. Grave
situation of the army. Loss and recapture of Borisoff. The bridge
over the Beresina burnt. We collect much booty from Borisoff.
Chap. 18. Corbineau rejoins 2nd Corps. The enemy are deceived.
Chap. 19. Loss of Partouneaux's division. The catastrophe at the
Beresina. 2nd Corps forms the rearguard. I am wounded again.
Chap. 20.Intense cold. Thieving in the army. Arrival at Wilna.
Using sledges. Arrival at Kovno. Crossing the Vistula.
Chap. 21. Causes of our disaster.
Chap. 22. Worrying general situation. Incompetent administration.
Question the retention of fortresses. The state of France. I go
to the depot at Mons.
Chap. 23. New hostilities on the Elbe. Battles of Lutzen and
Bautzen. An armistice. I rejoin the regiment. The state of the
army. Napoleon should negotiate.
Chap. 24. The armistice broken. Treachery of Jomeni. A painful
check.
Chap. 25. The battle of Dresden. Vandamme at Kulm.
Chap. 26. Oudinot and Macdonald both suffer defeat. The plateau
of Jau‰r. We recross the Katzbach.
Chap. 27. Forces concentrate at Dresden. The Baskirs.
Chap. 28. The battle of Leipzig.
Chap. 29. Vain attempt at armistice. Battle of 18th October.
Bernadotte fights against us. Indecisive result of fighting.
Chap. 30. A critical situation. Lack of preparation for a
retreat. The allies enter Leipzig. Premature destruction of the
bridge over the Elster.
Chap. 31. I gather the remnants of our army at the Elster. The
retreat to the Saale. Erfurt. The army reached Hanau.
Chap. 32. The battle of Hanau. The retreat continues.
Chap. 33. The last events of 1813. Dresden surrendered. Disasters
in Spain. The situation in Italy and the Tyrol.
Chap. 34. I am nominated commandant of the department of
Jemmapes. A difficult position. Our troops are recalled to Paris.
Chap. 35. Napoleon's last stand. Resistance becomes impossible.
Inadequate measures taken to defend Paris. Belated return of the
Emperor to the capital. Paris should have been held. Underhand
plotting against Napoleon.
Volume 2.
Chap. 1.
My brother and the rest of Massena's aides-de-camp made haste to
leave Spain and come to join us in Paris, where I remained all
summer and the following autumn. I went each month to spend some
days at the Chateau de Bonneuil, the home of M. and Mme.
Desbrieres. During my absence the Desbrieres had been most
friendly towards my mother, and on my return the affection I had
felt for a long time for their daughter was increased, and I was
shortly permitted to ask for her hand in marriage. The marriage
was agreed, and I even had, for a time, the hope of being
promoted to colonel before this important ceremony took place.
It was the accepted thing for the Emperor to sign the marriage
contract of any of the colonels in the army, but he only very
rarely accorded this favour to officers of lower rank, and they
were required to inform the minister for war of the reasons which
led them to ask for this distinction. I based my request on what
the Emperor had said to me when I saw him on the eve of the
battle of Marengo. He had said to me, speaking of my father who
had died during the siege of Genoa, "If you behave yourself and
follow in his footsteps, I, myself, will be your father." I added
that since that day I had been wounded eight times, and was
conscious that I had always done my duty.
The minister, Clarke, a very stern character, who almost always
rejected requests of this sort, agreed that mine merited
consideration, and promised me that he would submit it to his
majesty. He kept his word, for a few days later I was ordered to
report to the Emperor at the chateau of Compiegne, and to bring
with me the notary who held the contract of marriage; this was
the good M. Mailand, with whom I set off in a post carriage.
When we arrived, the Emperor had gone hunting: not that he much
enjoyed the sport, but he thought that he should copy the former
kings of France. The signing was therefore put off until the next
day, which greatly upset M. Mailand who was awaited in Paris. But
what could one do?
On the following day we were presented to the Emperor, whom we
found in the apartment where, twenty years later, I have so often
served as aide-de-camp to princes of the House of Orleans. My
contract was signed in the salon where later was signed that of
the King of Belgium with Princess Louise, the daughter of King
Louis-Phillipe of France.
During these short interviews, Napoleon was always very affable.
He addressed some questions to the notary, asked me if my fiancee
was pretty, what was her dowry, etc. etc. On dismissing me he
said that he would like to see me in a good position, and that he
would soon reward me for my good services. For a moment I saw
myself as a colonel, and this hope was reinforced when, on
leaving the Imperial presence, I was accosted by General Mouton,
Comte de Lobau, who assured me confidentially that the Emperor
had put my name on a list of officers to whom he wished to give
the command of a regiment. My pleasure on hearing this was
increased by my knowledge that the Comte de Lobau, an
aide-de-camp to Napoleon, was responsible under the minister for
war, for military promotions. I returned to Paris full of joy and
hope! I was married on the 14th November following.
I was happy in the bosom of my family, and expected every day my
brevet as colonel, when I was told by the minister for war that I
was to be posted as Major to the 1st regiment of Mounted
Chasseurs, then in garrison in the depths of Germany. I was much
downcast at this news, for it seemed to me most hurtful that I
should be sent once more to serve as a simple squadron commander,
a rank in which I had been wounded three times and had campaigned
from Wagram to Portugal. I could not understand why I was being
treated like this, after what the Emperor and the Comte de Lobau
had said to me. It was the latter who gave me the key to this
puzzle.
Massena, on his entry into Portugal, had fourteen aides-de-camp,
of whom six were senior officers. Two of these, MM. Pelet and
Casabianca, were made colonels during the campaign; they were
senior to me and had amply fulfilled their duties. Their
promotion seemed to make mine the more certain since I now became
the most senior squadron commander on the staff. The man in the
fifth place was M. Barain, who was a captain when I joined the
staff. M. Barain had lost a hand at Wagram, and was promoted to
major, which was fair; however, the Emperor in advancing him to
this rank had designated him for work in the arsenals, work which
can easily be done with an arm missing. Massena had expected that
M. Barain would remove himself, but the latter insisted on going
with him to Portugal, although he could not carry out any mission
in such difficult country. No one thought therefore that he would
get any further promotion.
It so happened, however, that M. Barain was a nephew of M.
Francois de Nantes, the director of legal codification, who had
found numerous positions for members of Massena's family. M.
Francois de Nantes demanded in return that his nephew, Barain,
should be recommended for the rank of colonel. The marshal,
forced to choose between me and Barain, chose Barain. I learned
from the Comte de Lobau that the Emperor was reluctant to sign,
but that he eventually yielded to the insistence of the worthy
director who had come to add weight personally to the only
request he had yet made on the behalf of his family. So Barain
was promoted to colonel.
I have perhaps dwelt a little overmuch on this regrettable
affair, but to assess my disappointment it is necessary to think
back to the period in question and recall the important position
occupied by battalion commanders in the imperial army, which
resulted in several instances of colonels who refused promotion
to general and asked only to be left in command of their
regiments.
Massena sent me the following letter, the only reward for three
campaigns fought and three wounds recieved under his command.
Paris. 24th November. 1811
My dear Marbot, I send you the service order which I have
received on your behalf. I asked for promotion for you, as you
are aware, and I am doubly disappointed that you did not obtain
this and that I am also to lose you. I have been very satisfied
with your services; a satisfaction which you are entitled to
feel, regardless of any rewards which this may bring. Your record
will always do you credit in the eyes of those under whose orders
you may find yourself. Please believe, my dear Marbot, in my
appreciation, my regrets and my sincere good wishes for you.
Massena.
I had not expected to meet Massena again, but his wife wrote to
me saying that she wished to meet my wife, and inviting us both
to dinner. I had always had the highest regard for the conduct of
Madame Massena, particularly at Antibes, her home territory,
where I met her for the first time, on my return from Genoa. So I
accepted the invitation. Massena came up to me and once more
expressed his regrets, and suggested that he might ask for my
nomination as an officer of the Legion of Honour. I replied that
as he had been unable to do anything for me when I was on his
staff, and wounded before his eyes, I would not like to expose
him to any further embarrassment, and that I would now seek
advancement by my own efforts; then I lost myself in the crowd of
guests.
This was my last contact with Massena, though I continued to
visit his wife and his son, both of them my firm friends.
Chap. 2.
I shall now give you some details of Massena's career. Andre
Massena was born on the 6th of May 1758 at La Turbie, a village
in the little state of Monaco. His paternal grandfather was a
respected tanner who had three sons: Jules, the father of the
marshal, Augustin and Marcel. The first two of these went to
Nice, where they set up a soap-works. Marcel went to France where
he enlisted in the Royal-Italian regiment. When Jules died,
leaving very little money and five children, three of them,
amongst whom was the young Andre, were taken in charge by their
uncle Augustin, who having taught them no more than to read and
write, employed them in soap-making.
Andre, who was active and adventurous, could not adjust to the
monotonous and laborious work of the factory, and at the age of
thirteen he abandoned his uncle's home and embarked, secretly, as
a cabin-boy, in a merchant ship; accompanied by one of his
cousins named Bavastro, who became, during the wars of the
empire, the most celebrated corsaire of the Mediterranean. As for
Andre, having spent two years at sea and even made a voyage to
America, he rebelled against the hard life and harsh treatment
which were the lot of the seaman, and enlisted as a private
soldier in the Royal-Italian regiment, under the auspices of his
uncle Marcel, who had reached the rank of sergeant-major, and was
soon to be commissioned. This Marcel Massena, whom I met in 1800,
when he was commandant of the fortress at Antibes, was a serious
and capable man, highly thought of by his Colonel, M. Chauvet
d'Arlon. To help his nephew, he had him taught to speak and write
reasonable French, and, in spite of some escapades, had him
promoted to the rank of warrant-officer. He even held out some
hope of a commission in the mounted constabulary, but Andre,
tired of waiting, left at the end of his engagement.
Having gone back to civilian life, without any money, Andre
joined forces once more once more with his cousin Bavastro, and
taking advantage of the close proximity of the frontiers of
France, Piedmont, the State of Genoa, and the sea, they embarked
on smuggling on a grand scale, not only along the coast but
across the mountains, the various passes through which he got to
know extremely well; knowledge which he later found most useful
when he was in command of troops in this part of the country.
Hardened by the rough trade of smuggling, and compelled always to
keep one jump ahead of the customs officers, Massena acquired,
without being aware of it, an understanding of the principles of
warfare, as well as the vigilance and activity without which one
cannot become a good officer. Having by this means got together
some capital, he married a French woman, Mlle. Lamarre, the
daughter of an Antibes surgeon, and settled in this town, where
he had built up a small business in olive oil and dried Provencal
fruit, when the Revolution of 1789 broke out.