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Item: BSL - Napoleon 1813
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1813 - 3 PAGE NAPOLEON
SIGNED LETTER (LS) WITH HEAVY LOSSES FROM THE ABORTIVE RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN OF 1812 AND UNREST IN HIS EASTERN VASSAL STATES - NAPOLEON SCOLDS THE DUKE DE FELTRE, HIS MINISTER OF WAR, AND ORDERS HIM TO BEEF UP MANY NAMED ARMY UNITS WHICH ARE INADEQUATELY MANNED AND PROVISIONED
THIS
DOCUMENT IS COVERED BY OUR WRITTEN, SIGNED AND SEALED |
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Historical Note
Napoleon signed letter to
Henri-Jacques-Guillaume Clarke
With great specificity Napoleon addresses the
shortage of battle
3 page
Document – Signed and Dated:
Napoléon - March 31, 1813 (English translation)
[signed] Napoléon
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French Transcription
Monsieur le Duc de Feltre, je désire que vous m’envoyiez un rapport
particulier sur les 4 régiments tirer de l’artillerie de marine. – Je
vois dans votre livret n°1 joint à votre travail du 30 mars, que ces 4
régiments n’y sont pas bien portés. Il paraît que le bureau du mouvement
n’avait pas ce mois a l’anse demon décrit du 24 janvier. – Le 1er
régiment formé à Brest a dû être composé du 8 bataillons. – Le 2e formé
à Toulon a dû être composé de 10 bataillons. – Le 3e formé à Cherbourg a
dû être composé de 4 bataillons – le 4e qui a été formé à Anvers a dû
être composé du 4 bataillons. – ce qui fait un total de 26 bataillons
lesquels à 840 h[omme] par bataillon doivent faire 21,840 hommes. Sur ce
nombre il en existe, d’après votre état, 19,700; mais sur ce 19,700 il
devrait y en avoir à l’armée 16,800, et par votre état il paraît qu’il
n’y en a que 10,200, ce qui fait un déficit de 6,600. J’espère que le
bureau du mouvement n’a pas des états bien en règle. Il résulterait
aussi de votre état qu’il serait reste aux – dépôts beaucoup trop
demandé. – Faites moi le rapport que je vous demande sur un régiment et
proposez moi de faire partir des dépôts tout ce qui est nécessaire pour
compléter à 16,000 les 20 bataillons qui sont au 2e corps d’observation
du Rhin; mais ne me proposez de faire partir que des hommes de la
conscription de 1813, ou des 4 armées, encore comprenez dans ce travail
aucun homme de la conscription de 1814, qui n’est pas encore habillée et
qui a besoin de quelques moments de repos à son arrivée aux dépôts. Sur
ça je prie dieu qu’il vous ait en sa sainte garde. – Paris le 31 mars
1813. |
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Biographical Notes |
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Napoleon
Henri-Jacques-Guillaume Clarke, Duke of Feltre
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Document Specifications: The document consists of a single sheet measuring 14.75" x 9" (370mm x 230mm) which is folded once (bifolium) along the short axis to form 4 pages. There is handwriting on three pages and the date and Napoleon's autograph signature appear on the third page. The fourth page is blank. The document is in exquisite condition being of cream wove paper bearing a gorgeous watermark of a Plumed Chevalier over a shield with two clasped hands and the royal Orb. There are no nicks, stains, tears or foxing. This is a beautiful Napoleon signed document to his Minister of War as the Eagle Emperor seeks to reload his army following the decimation of the Russian Campaign and the pending face off against the Sixth Coalition. |
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Offered by Berryhill & Sturgeon, Ltd. |
Following
Napoleon's disastrous Russian Campaign, culminating in the decimating
retreat from Moscow, Napoleon's Grand Army of The French suffered
greatly; the Army had begun as over 650,000 frontline troops, but in the
end fewer than 40,000 crossed the Berezina River in November of 1812 to
escape. This led to a lull in fighting over the winter of 1812–13 whilst
both the Russians and the French recovered from their massive losses. A
small Russian army harassed the French in Poland and eventually 30,000
French troops there withdrew to the German states to rejoin the
expanding force there - numbering 130,000 with the reinforcements from
Poland. This force continued to expand, with Napoleon aiming for a force
of 400,000 French troops supported by a quarter of a million German
troops. Here are Napoleon's handsome and very specific orders to his
Minster of War, the Duke of Feltre, concerning the replenishment of
those troops. He is displeased that the numbers of available gens
d'armes (men at arms) is in reality less than what had been reported in
an earlier return and scolds the Minister with a warning:
"I hope that the movement office has its accounts in good order"
Knowing that his
biggest threat is now from the East, these orders are directed at
beefing up the 2nd Corps of the Rhine 
ready
troops and gives explicit instructions for a troop surge to bring the
1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th Regiments of the Marine Artillery back up to
battle readiness and troop strength immediately. He also shows his keen
awareness of the necessity for properly trained and equipped soldiers as
he forbids his Minister of War from impressing troops from the 1813 and
1814 recruitment quotas as these men were not yet trained and equipped.
He leaves it to his Minister of war to
"propose to me a solution from the
depots, anything that is necessary to complete to 16,000 the 20
battalions that are in the 2nd corps of the Rhine."
This must have been a difficult task as Clarke had already earned the
enmity of almost every other department in government as he had already
scoured and looted even disabled men and veterans in order to meet
Napoleon's insatiable demands for troops during the just concluded
Russian Campaign.
an from the 1814 enlistment who is not yet outfitted and who needs some
training time when arriving at the depots (shall be called). On this, I
pray to God that he has you under his holy watch. Paris March 31, 1813.
Napoleon
was here busy in the spring of 1813 trying
to rebuild his forces. After the ruinous losses of the Russian Campaign, Prussia was
emboldened to join the Sixth Coalition that now
included Russia, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Portugal. Napoleon
assumed command in Germany and soon inflicted a series of defeats on the
Allies culminating in the Battle of Dresden on 26-27 August 1813 causing
almost 100,000 casualties to the Coalition forces (the French sustaining
only around 30,000). Here is a detailed and extremely fine letter signed
by Napoleon in which he shows his masterful command of information,
tactics, battle formations, supplies, and troop morale. As he calls for
a troop surge to meet the threat in East while acknowledging that some
troops are not yet combat ready.
Napoléon
Bonaparte, born Napoleone di Buonaparte, was a general during the French
Revolution, subsequently the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier
Consul) of the French Republic from November 1799 to May 1804, and then
Emperor of the French (Empereur des Français) under the name Napoléon I
from May 1804 to April 1814. He was briefly restored as Emperor from 20
March to 22 June 1815. He was also King of Italy, Mediator of the Swiss
Confederation and Protector of the Confederation of the Rhine.
Considered by many to one of the great strategic military thinkers of
his age, his dominant influence in politics, war, law, art and society
was such a legacy so as to name the age itself after him - The
Napoleonic Era.
Henri-Jacques-Guillaume
Clarke, Count of Hunebourg, Duke of Feltre was a Marshal of France
and an incredibly accomplished French politician of Irish descent. He
entered the French army in 1782 and served in the early French
Revolutionary Wars in the Army of the Rhine. By 1793 he had been
promoted to Brigade General. In 1795 Clarke was briefly arrested, but,
after his release, he lived in Alsace until Lazare Carnot sent him to
Italy to serve as Napoléon Bonaparte's Chief topographical officer until
he was sent to Sardinia. He was then promoted to be the Chief of the
Topographical Bureau, State Councillor, and State Secretary for the Army
and Navy. During the war against Austria in 1805, Clarke was appointed
governor of Vienna and during the war against Prussia in 1806 he served
as governor of Erfurt and of Berlin.