Le Bâton disparu

[ltwilliammowett]

1812 Hot Chocolate

There is nothing like a cup of hot chocolate on a cold day and that also applied to Sailor aboard a ship. This recipe comes from an 1814 book called “The Artist’s Companion, and Manufacturer’s Guide, Consisting of the Most Valuable Secrets in Arts and Trades.” It is similar to what is called “Mexican Hot Chocolate” today. While officers may have had access to the somewhat exotic ingredients needed for this recipe, sailors probably made do with sugar and water. Mrs. Child, in The American Frugal Housewife (1833), suggests that nutmeg improves the taste of chocolate, and since this was a common spice, seamen could have grated it into their cups.

A receipt for making chocolate:

Ingredients: Cocoa Sugar in cubes (lump sugar) Water or milk

Optional: Vanilla Cinnamon Nutmeg Mexican Pepper Cloves

Tools: Stove Pot Spoon Wax paper

1. In a copper pan, mix a little powdered royal cube sugar with a little orange water. When the sugar has turned into a syrup, add the cocoa, vanilla, cinnamon, Mexican pepper and cloves. cloves, all of which are previously crushed to an intangible powder. into an intangible powder. Stir everything well while it is boiling; and when you have pour the paste onto a very smooth and polished table polished table [use wax paper to let the paste cool], so that you can so that you can roll it and give it a shape that you like.

2. To prepare it with either milk or water, in which, when boiling hot, you first dissolve it, then, with a box-mill, with a long handle, you mill it to froth in the pot in which it is making, and pour it afterwards in cups to drink.”

Serves 1 cup of liquid (water or milk) to 1 person. Sugar, cocoa and spices to taste.

Not only is raw cocoa actually very healthy and contains a considerable amount of caffeine, it also lifts the spirits and was therefore popular among the various navies as a pick-me-up, even though it was very expensive at the time. But in this respect, no one let themselves down and allowed their sailors this kind of luxury. 

[lebatondisparu]

Davout wasn't a sailor, but the time fits so who knows, he might have used this kind of recipe to brew himself hot cocoa. Technically he might have had someone do it for him, but from what I think about him after reading the biography ... dunno, he seems the kind to do it himself to make sure it was 100% the way he liked it. Unless he had an extremly trusted assistant ...

[lebatondisparu]

does anyone know if there are more new scenes with Davout in the Director's Cut?

[aarnejuice]

Long time no see. I'm studying because the test is approaching😔

However before I knew it, this man was drawn in my notebook... Give me back the time

[aarnejuice]

Yes...yes......finally, I found it...😭😭😭

both the first volume and second volume are ready!!!!!!

[lebatondisparu]

ah yes, those congratulations!!

[aarnejuice]

my favorite Bessieres!

i love his outdated hair and cool uniform

from LA LANCIERE POLONAISE MARIA (岸田 恋)

[lebatondisparu]

is that from the same artist who drew "War and Peace" with the magnificent Davout? Is it online anywhere? Or just single pages here and there?

[syuminiki-deactivated20201111]

Aleksandr I “хороший!! ”

Napoleon ”comment allez-vous?”

war and peace (1985) manga by Ren Kishida

[valinaraii]

OK, I declare this one post of the month in the Napoleonic part of Tumblr.

[joachimmurat-archive-deactivate]

Oh…oh my god.

[yoyo-inspace]

Davout is clearly scarred for life.

[lebatondisparu]

if anyone knows where one can read this online, it would be greatly appreciated! The odd thing to want to read a War and Peace manga from the last millenium for the Davout drawings. Alas, such is my brain, such is my fate ...

[cadmusfly]

Let's Judge The Signatures Of Dead Frenchmen - Marshals of the Empire Edition

plus some bonuses at the bottom

This is a shitpost I've just wanted to do ever since I noticed Masséna's signature.

I know signatures are not meant to be legible, god knows mine isn't, but look at it, it's all the same letter!

I'm lazy so I'm only going to judge the ones on wikimedia and a few extra from letters, sorry to Marmont and others who did not get their signatures scanned and then made transparent for osme reason who is going to forge a dead frenchman's signature

Of course Bessières has a nice one:

Berthier is also pretty nice:

Loopy! Wait as has been pointed out to me, that could be an Alex. Did anyone ever call him Alex or Al

I love Lannes' because he circles his name!

A fancy guy like Murat's gotta have a fancy one, right?

Nice but not as loopy as Berthier's, honestly not the fanciest here

Davout has a nice legible one

Let's look at Soult's-

Woah, he's taking up a bit of space there! Where are you going with that t, champ?

Augereau is nice and straight I'm in awe as someone physicalyl incapable of writing in a straight line even on lined paper

Mortier is also really nice!

but also Ed Mortier. He called himself Ed. Do you think his friends also called him Ed or perhaps Eddie

MacDonald is Massena tier

can you guess who this next one is

hint: not french

Lefebvre's goin for the loop:

Jourdan is all classical:

Cant find Bernadotte pre-kinging but dude why is your kingograph so large who transcribed it like this

@phatburd linked me St Cyr's and

Very nice!

Victor lets see

I think I see a V in there. And a treble clef.

Oudinot:

I can kinda make it out!

But anyway I've been saving the best for last.

I have no words for this artistic masterpiece by Marshal Michel Ney.

Is that an umlaut or an emoticon? What are the two lines doing - error of transcription or part of the actual signature? Why do the loops just keep on going????

Is he just self conscious of how short his name is?????

Bonus!

Eugène de Beauharnais how's your-

he just didnt know when to stop.

Junot:

circle! pretty circle! napoleon did say he has pretty handwriting

Duroc:

Man he turned that c into an underline

This was fun! Next I'll rate all their coat of arms of something

[aarnejuice]

Happy birthday davout!!🥳🎉🎊

i know you are cute shiny pretty Marshal

[ravewing]

davout doodles,,

[lebatondisparu]

latest book order that arrived and that I joking refer to as birthday present to myself (it's not, I just happened to buy it around that time ...) reading is slow because I only read during commute as I have other books (read: books too large to take on commute) to read at home. things I liked so far/fond interesting: - Davout lost his father early and was brought up by his mother and grandmother - he struggled with the discipline at school because he wasn't really brought up that way and had enjoyed a lot of freedom - bad at languages, good at math - the whole thing of him constantly being out of the military, on forced leave or even in prison* - one of those times were he was home and his mother got arrested but he was allowed to accompany her because the journey was a strain on her, him figuring out what the charges were and realising she might be sentenced to death if certain proof was found, then sneaking out of the hotel to go to their home, find and destroy the evidence and then return to the hotel so no one knew what he had done ... his mom wasn't convicted due to lack of evidence ... *ouff* - Davout just keeps standing up for his believes even if he gets into trouble - young Davout fighting ... because I dunno maybe it's the cliché of the glasses-wearing nerd and his later work as administrator etc. but the thought of him fighting-fighting and not just 'in battle' at the back where he orders troops around ... *does anyone have more info on his time in prison? Did he write about it?

[lebatondisparu]

- I do feel bad about Davout during the Egyptian campaign and either being sick (dysentery) or ordered to do administrative task. I know he also fought (and sometimes just threw himself into battle it seems), but probably not as much as he could have. - maybe Gallagher is biased or maybe I am but I love that it sounds like when Napoleon ordered Davout to organise getting horses for cavalry Davout went ahead and acquired the best horses you could find in that region ... like, of course he did. Davout be davout-ing XD - Madame Junot describing Davout "It originated in the personal slovenliness of Davoust, who by the way was at that time the most dirty and ill-dressed man imaginable" It still seems to be at odds with him being so rigorous about stuff ... - alas, a few pages later they talk about him and Aimée and despite being younger, beautiful and rich she accepted him where she rejected another ... all I can think of is Aimée going "this is it, this is my blorbo from the Army"

[lebatondisparu]

apologies, I hopelessly neglected to update this as I read along. Thought about giving my thoughts after finishing it at least and then got distracted. So, now, finally sitting down to add to it. - the descriptions of the battles don't mean much to me, but I must assume Davout really is a bamf on the field - unless other people are being dumb, there's confusions of orders, they're not following the orders etcetc. - yes, I could feel myself becoming more and more Davout apologist as things went on, but to be fair I read the biography in the first place because he piqued my interest. - I do have to give him props - or the biographer for making it appear so - that Davout with his self-imposed rules and all made the decisions that were the best to him at a given time. Which also meant changing his recommendations if the situation changed. And that to many isn't easy. People prefer to stick to decisions. - have to say though, I can't see him trying to become the new ruler of Poland. Like ... I dunno, from the vibes I get from him, he doesn't seem to be the type who would have wanted it. - similarly I can't see him having even one affair or whatever they had accused him off in Poland. But maybe that just my own idealism. Somehow his first wife having had an affair and Davout's adherence to rules and his own moral code just seem to not allow for this. - he stuck to his coe so much, even if it had negative consequences e.g. he could have easily made his financial situation easier if he looted more, but no, he still refused it. (So his Aimée had no reason to be ashamed for his action) - I wish the biography had more of the little stories and bits that make people be people. There were some mentions of and references to things his daughter had written later on, but I wish they had been more elaborated on. Reading about these here, when people translate entire sections from french, is part of what made me fall for him so easily. There were many great military commanders, but I like him for his rules and the stories that make him human despite it all ... the hot cocoa set, helping someone who was technically to small get into a certain group, the birds, him liking his wife so much, etcetc. - I felt really sorry for him for being left behind in a way in Paris to be Minster of War because Napoleon needed a good administrator there when he also was needed on the battlefield ... alas ... so yeah, it was certainly an interesting read, but kind of incomplete on the personal annecdotes-side

[snowv88]

Gallaher does a phenomenal job in illustrating Davout's life with what information he could find. We were lucky that Adélaïde, his daughter, compiled all his correspondence for posterity. A lot of the Davout anecdotes come from her, or at least, come from her hunting and searching for her father's old ADCs (who would be in their 80s-90s at the time she was researching) who would tell her stories about their army days.

The reason Gallaher doesn't use a lot of Adélaïde's anecdotes (as opposed to her letters, those were in her father's hand) was because she published her works with an agenda in mind. Davout's reputation, in the decades after his death was incredibly bad, because of his activities in Hamburg from 1813-1814. Adélaïde admits it herself, having not known her father grew up idolising him. Gallaher also said that Adélaïde was overly praiseful of her father and would therefore only look at her work in perspective.

Plus, Gallaher was writing a military biography so he was more focused on Davout the soldier, Davout the general, Davout the administrator. Not Davout the family man. Adélaïde's writings show Davout the family man, which is why I like to read the letters hahaha.

As for Davout's time in prison, there might be something in the military correspondence but I'm not there yet unfortunately.

[lebatondisparu]

ah yes, thanks for putting it in perspective if there are more informations when you get to the time in prison, please let us know!

[joachimnapoleon]

My soul is oppressed with sorrow, I have just lost one of my children. This event is tearing my heart apart. Take care of the health of yours. The loss of a child hurts so much!

—Excerpt from a letter from Joseph Fouché to Joachim Murat, 5 July 1805. An accompanying footnote reads: “They (Fouché and his wife) had lost in the dark hours of their lives, from 1794 to 1796, three young children and mourned them.”

Source: Lettres et Documents Pour Servir à l’Histoire de Joachim Murat, Vol 3.

[cedyat]

The part about men not seeming effusive about the loss of a child reminded me of a letter I once read from Prince Wilhelm of Prussia to his wife Marianne. They had just lost one of their twin sons and wrote (quite emotionally) about their feelings several letters long. At one point he writes to her in while in the campaign of 1813:

"[...] Do you remember how I used to say, that I could not understand how I got so lucky as to have twin sons, something I never would have dreamed of? It actually only was a dream which instead of lasting one night lasted a little more than one year. I shouldn't instill so many sad pictures in your mind, but since Anton's [his wife's brother] departure there is now nobody here who could understand me concerning this topic. One must have or had had children to be able to assess their loss properly. Most other people view little children like a toy, sometimes even like a small monkey or a small cat. Therefore, it is better to entirely seal one's pain within yourself, so that it won't be desecrated. People around here have often told me, that this loss must be very hard on you. They didn't talk about me at all, as if they wanted to say that something like this would be trivial to a man. The love to a child, the attachment of a child to their parents, their individual character, the hope and concern one has for them since birth - all that are things, which most people don't comprehend."

Just goes on to show how harmful gender roles are.

[lebatondisparu]

latest book order that arrived and that I joking refer to as birthday present to myself (it's not, I just happened to buy it around that time ...) reading is slow because I only read during commute as I have other books (read: books too large to take on commute) to read at home. things I liked so far/fond interesting: - Davout lost his father early and was brought up by his mother and grandmother - he struggled with the discipline at school because he wasn't really brought up that way and had enjoyed a lot of freedom - bad at languages, good at math - the whole thing of him constantly being out of the military, on forced leave or even in prison* - one of those times were he was home and his mother got arrested but he was allowed to accompany her because the journey was a strain on her, him figuring out what the charges were and realising she might be sentenced to death if certain proof was found, then sneaking out of the hotel to go to their home, find and destroy the evidence and then return to the hotel so no one knew what he had done ... his mom wasn't convicted due to lack of evidence ... *ouff* - Davout just keeps standing up for his believes even if he gets into trouble - young Davout fighting ... because I dunno maybe it's the cliché of the glasses-wearing nerd and his later work as administrator etc. but the thought of him fighting-fighting and not just 'in battle' at the back where he orders troops around ... *does anyone have more info on his time in prison? Did he write about it?

[lebatondisparu]

- I do feel bad about Davout during the Egyptian campaign and either being sick (dysentery) or ordered to do administrative task. I know he also fought (and sometimes just threw himself into battle it seems), but probably not as much as he could have. - maybe Gallagher is biased or maybe I am but I love that it sounds like when Napoleon ordered Davout to organise getting horses for cavalry Davout went ahead and acquired the best horses you could find in that region ... like, of course he did. Davout be davout-ing XD - Madame Junot describing Davout "It originated in the personal slovenliness of Davoust, who by the way was at that time the most dirty and ill-dressed man imaginable" It still seems to be at odds with him being so rigorous about stuff ... - alas, a few pages later they talk about him and Aimée and despite being younger, beautiful and rich she accepted him where she rejected another ... all I can think of is Aimée going "this is it, this is my blorbo from the Army"

[lebatondisparu]

apologies, I hopelessly neglected to update this as I read along. Thought about giving my thoughts after finishing it at least and then got distracted. So, now, finally sitting down to add to it. - the descriptions of the battles don't mean much to me, but I must assume Davout really is a bamf on the field - unless other people are being dumb, there's confusions of orders, they're not following the orders etcetc. - yes, I could feel myself becoming more and more Davout apologist as things went on, but to be fair I read the biography in the first place because he piqued my interest. - I do have to give him props - or the biographer for making it appear so - that Davout with his self-imposed rules and all made the decisions that were the best to him at a given time. Which also meant changing his recommendations if the situation changed. And that to many isn't easy. People prefer to stick to decisions. - have to say though, I can't see him trying to become the new ruler of Poland. Like ... I dunno, from the vibes I get from him, he doesn't seem to be the type who would have wanted it. - similarly I can't see him having even one affair or whatever they had accused him off in Poland. But maybe that just my own idealism. Somehow his first wife having had an affair and Davout's adherence to rules and his own moral code just seem to not allow for this. - he stuck to his coe so much, even if it had negative consequences e.g. he could have easily made his financial situation easier if he looted more, but no, he still refused it. (So his Aimée had no reason to be ashamed for his action) - I wish the biography had more of the little stories and bits that make people be people. There were some mentions of and references to things his daughter had written later on, but I wish they had been more elaborated on. Reading about these here, when people translate entire sections from french, is part of what made me fall for him so easily. There were many great military commanders, but I like him for his rules and the stories that make him human despite it all ... the hot cocoa set, helping someone who was technically to small get into a certain group, the birds, him liking his wife so much, etcetc. - I felt really sorry for him for being left behind in a way in Paris to be Minster of War because Napoleon needed a good administrator there when he also was needed on the battlefield ... alas ... so yeah, it was certainly an interesting read, but kind of incomplete on the personal annecdotes-side

[frozenflames]

A commission work by a Chinese artist and the references.

The references are from Japanese artist Kishida Koi’s (岸田恋) fantastic Napoleonic Manga War and Peace. She’s my goddess!

[lebatondisparu]

might I ask where you got those pages? Is there a place where one can read those two volumes online?

[lebatondisparu]

latest book order that arrived and that I joking refer to as birthday present to myself (it's not, I just happened to buy it around that time ...) reading is slow because I only read during commute as I have other books (read: books too large to take on commute) to read at home. things I liked so far/fond interesting: - Davout lost his father early and was brought up by his mother and grandmother - he struggled with the discipline at school because he wasn't really brought up that way and had enjoyed a lot of freedom - bad at languages, good at math - the whole thing of him constantly being out of the military, on forced leave or even in prison* - one of those times were he was home and his mother got arrested but he was allowed to accompany her because the journey was a strain on her, him figuring out what the charges were and realising she might be sentenced to death if certain proof was found, then sneaking out of the hotel to go to their home, find and destroy the evidence and then return to the hotel so no one knew what he had done ... his mom wasn't convicted due to lack of evidence ... *ouff* - Davout just keeps standing up for his believes even if he gets into trouble - young Davout fighting ... because I dunno maybe it's the cliché of the glasses-wearing nerd and his later work as administrator etc. but the thought of him fighting-fighting and not just 'in battle' at the back where he orders troops around ... *does anyone have more info on his time in prison? Did he write about it?

[lebatondisparu]

- I do feel bad about Davout during the Egyptian campaign and either being sick (dysentery) or ordered to do administrative task. I know he also fought (and sometimes just threw himself into battle it seems), but probably not as much as he could have. - maybe Gallagher is biased or maybe I am but I love that it sounds like when Napoleon ordered Davout to organise getting horses for cavalry Davout went ahead and acquired the best horses you could find in that region ... like, of course he did. Davout be davout-ing XD - Madame Junot describing Davout "It originated in the personal slovenliness of Davoust, who by the way was at that time the most dirty and ill-dressed man imaginable" It still seems to be at odds with him being so rigorous about stuff ... - alas, a few pages later they talk about him and Aimée and despite being younger, beautiful and rich she accepted him where she rejected another ... all I can think of is Aimée going "this is it, this is my blorbo from the Army"

[lebatondisparu]

latest book order that arrived and that I joking refer to as birthday present to myself (it's not, I just happened to buy it around that time ...) reading is slow because I only read during commute as I have other books (read: books too large to take on commute) to read at home. things I liked so far/fond interesting: - Davout lost his father early and was brought up by his mother and grandmother - he struggled with the discipline at school because he wasn't really brought up that way and had enjoyed a lot of freedom - bad at languages, good at math - the whole thing of him constantly being out of the military, on forced leave or even in prison* - one of those times were he was home and his mother got arrested but he was allowed to accompany her because the journey was a strain on her, him figuring out what the charges were and realising she might be sentenced to death if certain proof was found, then sneaking out of the hotel to go to their home, find and destroy the evidence and then return to the hotel so no one knew what he had done ... his mom wasn't convicted due to lack of evidence ... *ouff* - Davout just keeps standing up for his believes even if he gets into trouble - young Davout fighting ... because I dunno maybe it's the cliché of the glasses-wearing nerd and his later work as administrator etc. but the thought of him fighting-fighting and not just 'in battle' at the back where he orders troops around ... *does anyone have more info on his time in prison? Did he write about it?

[lebatondisparu]

did I miss this scene in the movie?! or was it cut (and it better be added in the longer cut then *shakes fist*)

[snowv88]

Davout’s Financial Problems

I was scrolling through tumblr looking at posts about Davout and I came across this interesting one which is a translation of a part of Countess Potocka’s memoirs on how Davout’s servants had to tend to the garden of his estate at Savigny-sur-Orge. The discussions that followed suggested that the Davouts (and perhaps the Marshals in general) had financial troubles.

Days later I was reading Davout’s biography by John G. Gallaher and when I started the chapter on his time in Poland in 1807, I found something rather interesting about his financials.

The Davouts have been living at their estate in Savigny since purchasing it in 1802 and the upkeep was significantly draining their coffers. Davout’s wife Aimée loved the estate and Davout himself tried his best to help her with its management.

“You will find enclosed a draft for 15,000 francs,” he wrote his wife, “it is all that I was able to save…I hope that His Majesty, knowing your embarrassment, will remove this anguish.”

So it seems that the assertions that Davout was having financial troubles were not far off the mark. Countess Potocka’s observations do corroborate here and she also mention how the grounds were, in general, not very well kept despite the servants slogging in the gardens.

Interestingly, it also seems that acquiring the funds to maintain the estate was solely restricted to non-dubious means which, to me, probably suggests saving all that he could and spending as little as possible on himself.

“I prefer poverty to a fortune which I would have acquired by means that would make me blush,” he wrote during this troubled time. “Nothing will change me. My Aimée will never have to be embarrassed about her husband.”

So, we have a man who felt it was more important that his moral character is held in high regard rather than his social status. I feel that Davout would have rather liked to live in a smaller estate with a more homely feel than the one at Savigny but Aimée loved the estate so they had to power through it. In addition, I think that Napoleon had some expectations from his new nobility so owning a number of tasteful properties was encouraged, if not, a requirement.

Gallaher, John. “The Administrator.” In The Iron Marshal: A Biography of Louis N. Davout, 151-172. The United States of America: Southern Illinois University Press, 1976.

[josefavomjaaga]

Just to add to this:

In addition, I think that Napoleon had some expectations from his new nobility so owning a number of tasteful properties was encouraged, if not, a requirement. 

From what I have understood, it was indeed a requirement, quite literally. The nobility titles were usually tied to a “majorat”, a set of values (money and real estate) that had to be passed onto the heir together with the title. So if the new nobility wanted their kids to remain noble, they better find a way to finance those city residences and country estates!

While plenty of these estates were unprofitable in the first place, in addition their masters also barely ever had time to be there and look into affairs. So they usually had to be administered by the wives. Who, at the beginning of the empire, often were very young and had not be taught to concern themselves with this kind of task at all.

And as to marshals having financial problems, the number who had seems to have been far greater than those who had not. Bessières, Lannes, Murat, Soult (sic!) also all were in financial distress at some point, from what I’ve read. Marmont and Masséna seem to have been able to do rather well, and also Berthier due to Napoleon’s rich donations.

[maggiec70]

The requirement for the up-and-coming military aristocracy to purchase imposing maisons particulieres in Paris began under the Consulate. The lucky generals were on the hook for the townhouses and all the contents. That changed after Austerlitz, when the marshals, or at least the favored ones, got what amounted to pay raises, as well as the ability to augment their incomes by whatever means they liked short of conspicuous larceny and looting. When they were required to purchase suitable country estates as early as 1807, Napoleon began the practice of awarding the “dotations” or chunks of real estate in allied–more or less–territories from Poland to Italy to help out with the necessary ostentation. The only time Lannes had any financial issues was in 1801, when the famous overspending on the Consular Guard–he was ratted out by Bessie, as we all know–and ended up in Lisbon, which turned out to be not only a diplomatic success but a very lucrative post. Amazing how much money you can make when people pay you to STFU. He also made a lot of solid real estate investments from 1797 on n and around Lectoure, mostly good agricultural land and sizeable vineyards which he rented out to friends he could trust, and used the considerable profits for the house on the rue de Varennes and later on the chateau in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, formerly owned by the comte d'Artois. The only financial strain was minimal and arose from his tacky bourgeois wife’s over-fondness from trinkets and froufrou ornamentation. And I know this because of a curious little book published by a local historian from Lectoure who literally cataloged item by item and franc by franc everything Jean-Boy owned in any of his various properties–what each was, what each cost, and the endless streams of money coming in and from what sources and going out and for what. An amazing little work, to be sure. Even the famous Merino sheep made an appearance.

[snowv88]

The land awards make a lot of sense now! I have read in Davout’s biography that a lot of his real estate was in Poland which he was administrating since the Poland campaign in 1807.