#austria 1809

[josefavomjaaga]

Elie Baudus about Bessières at Wagram and Znaim

Translated from Études sur Napoléon, Tome I

According to Napoleon's own admission, this action [the battle of Wagram] had not had the advantageous results he had promised; this can be judged by the words he addressed to Marshal Bessières when the latter had recovered from the severe contusion he had received. After saying to him: “Bessières, the bullet that hit you made my guard cry; thank it; it must be very dear to you”, the emperor added: “Your wound cost me twenty thousand prisoners that we would have taken if you had remained at the head of my cavalry; it lacked a leader. Without this unfortunate cannon shot, the Austrian monarchy would have been finished.”

And in a footnote the author adds, with regards to Gourgaud’s book about Ségur’s book:

Since we are talking about this period of the Austrian campaign, in 1809, we will point out an error that undoubtedly confused memories caused Monsieur Gourgaud to make in his refutation of Monsieur de Ségur's work on the Russian campaign. He says: ‘In front of Znaim, at the moment when the Prince of Lichtenstein came to propose an armistice, Marshal Bessières insisted to Napoleon that he should give battle. No,’ replied the Emperor, ’enough blood has been spilt. And he signed the armistice’. GOURGAUD, p. 55. - Marshal Bessières could not have uttered the words attributed to him by General Gourgaud, because the consequences of his wound kept him in bed in Vienna at the time when he made him talk like this at Znaïm. If it had been advantageous to give battle, the Marshal would not have had to bear the frightening responsibility for such advice; Napoleon would not have hesitated; he would even have been guilty of acting otherwise, of allowing himself to be held back by a feeling of humanity that was all the more false because it would have rendered useless all the blood already spilt, a feeling, moreover, that was very alien to him when it came to his own interests.

[josefavomjaaga]

(Yes! A post about paintings that does not mention Soult … ooops.)

One impression I have got so far on reading up more on the medical service is that Dominique Larrey was an excellent self-promoter. (And no, that does not much endear him to me. But that's me.) In particular, he seems to have been very aware of the importance of (official, propagandistic) art in Napoleon’s Empire, and was keen on figuring in it. He was close friends with painter Anne-Louis Girodet, who after Larrey’s return from Egypt did a portrait of him:

After the battle of Eylau in 1807, when it became clear that the court would commission a painting of the battle, Larrey wrote to Girodet, who he believed would receive that job, in order to tell him that he wanted to be in that painting "in his function of chirurgien-inspecteur général". And just to be on the safe side, he added:

The advantage of being painted by you, my friend, will increase the satisfaction of my heart if I am fortunate enough to occupy a small corner of your canvas. If, against my expectations, you do not wish to treat this subject, please ask Monsieur Gros to grant me this satisfaction. It is a truth that he will place in his painting if he finds it worthy of being there.

Gros in the end did receive the commission – and added the guy to the painting who had actually been in charge of the surgeons during that campaign: Percy.

And then there’s the matter of Lannes’ death. Larrey on June 14 1809 writes a long letter to his wife (after, as he says, having been struck by deep melancholy ever since Lannes had died), and it ends with – yet another idea for how he could figure in a painting:

I wish someone had the idea of painting the moving scene in which the Emperor embraced his worthy friend carried on a stretcher, shortly after having undergone my operation. This is where I could appear with honour, if such a painting were ever done.

While trying to tell myself that a military surgeon who saw people dying every day must have felt very differently about the matter, I still can’t help but find this remark tasteless to the extreme. If he had said something about wanting to be remembered next to his friend or something, I would understand. But no. He wants to be in an official painting with Napoleon, and Lannes’ death is just a nice opportunity for that.

There is even a second letter regarding this matter. When Denon (on Larrey’s suggestion?) really commissioned a painting, the surgeon Ribes in Paris demanded some more details on the event. Larrey complied with this demand on 18 July 1809, adding:

At the request of M. Denon, military painter, who wants to depict the death of Lannes, Larrey sends this information to his friend, but expresses the formal wish that he not be named [as being involved in the matter]; he nevertheless takes the opportunity to ask to appear in this painting.

I do not know if there ever was an "official" painting done in the end. Part of me hopes no.

[josefavomjaaga]

Auguste of Bavaria, vice-queen of Italy, and her two daughters, usually referred to as “mes petits choux” or “mes deux anges” by their father, Eugénie (7 months, sitting on Mama’s arm) and Joséphine (3, clearly not interested in the geography of Hungary that her mother is trying to teach her). Painting by Andrea Appiani

***

During the Austrian campaign of 1809, Eugène for the first time was separated from wife and children for a longer period of time. Perfect husband that he was (in Auguste’s eyes at least), he wrote to her at every occasion. Some excerpts:

July 18:

Good morning, my dear Auguste. My first thought, as every day, is for you and my beautiful children. [...] I know that the emperor was kind enough to announce the armistice to you through one of his squires; I only learned of it thirty-six hours later, and during this time I was fighting on the March, so that the last cannon shots were for me.

July 19:

[…] Last night, Tuesday, I was thinking about our little games and regretting them very much. I hear that in Eisenstadt I will be very well off; they say there is a superb park with plenty of game; I will hunt every morning, work afterwards and think of my little family all day.

July 22:

Here I am back from my journey, my dear Auguste, and I hasten to give you my news, which is very good. [...] I saw Louis [Ludwig, Auguste's brother] this morning; he has improved a great deal since I last saw him; we lunched together at the Emperor's; I hope we shall see each other often during the few days I shall be here; you can well imagine who we talked about. You have been the constant subject of our talks, as you are always the subject of my thoughts. The news of Eugenie's two teeth has given me great pleasure, and everything leads us to believe that she will also be able to get all her teeth. [...] Farewell, my dearest Auguste, I hope that we will no longer be absent for as long as we have been. I kiss you and my two little sweeties and love you with all my heart. Your faithful husband and friend.

Of course, whenever a writer all of a sudden calls himself “your faithful husband”, I wonder why he feels the need to do that ... but that’s just me.

July 26

I am sending you Bataille with this letter, my good and dearest Auguste. Your name day is coming up, and I hope it will arrive just in time. I am sending you a trifle from Vienna, which I thought was pretty; I wish it to seem so to you. I will not make any new declarations of tenderness and attachment to you for the 3rd of August: these feelings are the same, and will be for all days and all times. I am sending toys to my little angels; I hope that Joséphine will pay you her little compliment and I am sorry I am not there to teach it to her. I see Louis every day; I am even having dinner with him today; this morning I gave him your letter and urged him to answer you by Bataille; he promised me to do so.

July 28

Louis leaves today to visit our last battlefields; he will also go to Austerlitz and Raab. I dined yesterday with Duroc and Bessières; it had been five years since we had been able to reunite this trio. We then wanted to walk in frock-coats on the rampart, but as soon as we arrived a great crowd followed us, because we were recognised; I had already been there the two days before and I had enjoyed the greatest incognito, […]

I guess having such a nondescript face does have its advantages. But as soon as you’re out with Bessières and his hairdo from the last century, no way people won’t recognize you.

August 2

[…] They say that the plenipotentiaries will meet tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, and we don't know any more than that, but what I do know is that I love you with all my heart.

August 3

Today, August 3rd, is your name day, my dearest Auguste, and I think with regret that I am not with you to talk to you about my feelings. How happy everything near you is at this moment! [...] I slept last night at Schœnbrunn, because the theatre play finished late, and this morning I went hunting with the Prince of Neufchatel. We returned for the parade and to lunch with the Emperor. I returned a few hours ago from Schœnbrunn, and I bathed, as it is very hot. Aubert has just told me that your foot is still hurting; why didn't you tell me about it? If you need Aubert, please let me know, I will send him to you immediately. Farewell, my dear Auguste, I like to think that in the midst of the pleasures of your name day, my regrets will have been thought of a little.

All quoted from A. DuCasse, “Memoires et correspondance ... du Prince Eugène”, Volume 6

***

As for the painting above, Auguste sent it to Eugène on his 28th birthday (September 3) which other than that apparently had gone pretty much unnoticed, even by himself. He writes to her the other day:

September 4

I thank you a thousand times, my dearest Auguste, I have seen Annoni yesterday. I came back here at eight o'clock in the evening tired from the heat of the day and the hours I had been out, not thinking at all that I was already twenty-eight, and as soon as I got down to my lodgings, Annoni was announced to me. You can't imagine how happy I was when he gave me your letter and your charming present; the idea is charming, the portraits are very similar, especially the one of Joséphine; in short, it's all admirable. I shall always carry this pretty picture with me everywhere, it will remind me, each time I look at it, of the happiness I enjoy with my little family. I am going to mount my horse shortly, the Emperor has asked me to pass some more reviews. I am sending Annoni to Vienna, where I shall be late this evening, and I shall keep him for a few days so that I can talk about you at my leisure.

Adieu, my good friend, I have no time to express to you how deeply touched I am by your attention, and how happy you make me. Farewell, my dear Auguste, you deserve and possess all the tenderness of your faithful husband and friend.

[snowv88]

Macdonald Remembers Becoming a Marshal

Macdonald has the distinction of being the only Marshal to earn his baton on the battlefield.

It was after the Battle of Wagram, where Macdonald played a prominent role alongside Marshals Masséna, Davout and Oudinot. The fighting had gradually died down and everyone was winding down when Macdonald noticed his horse had a bullet lodged in its neck. He dismounted and sent the horse to be patched up. Macdonald himself went to a nearby house and promptly fell asleep on some straw as not only was he tired from the day's battle, he was suffering from a kick that his horse gave him the day before...ouch 😣 (On a side note, Macdonald mentions how that happened and remarked that had he been closer, he would have had his leg broken).

However, Macdonald wasn't asleep for long as he was woken up by cheers of 'Long live the Emperor'. He asked for his horse but it wasn't nearby and since he couldn't walk to get his horse, he had to borrow one. He met Napoleon in the middle of his camp.

I saw the Emperor surrounded by my troops, whom he was congratulating. He approached me, and embracing me cordially, said:

Let us be friends henceforward.’

‘Yes,’ I answered, ‘till death.’

And I have kept my word, not only up to the time of his abdication, but even beyond it.

Really? I can't tell. I guess by being loyal to Napoleon when he really needed it and appreciating his military judgement even when you argue and disagree so much counts as friendship to Macdonald.

He added:

‘You have behaved valiantly, and have rendered me the greatest services, as, indeed, throughout the entire campaign. On the battlefield of your glory, where I owe you so large a part of yesterday’s success, I make you a MARSHAL OF FRANCE’ (he used this expression instead of ‘of the Empire’), ‘You have long deserved it.’ (Macdonald was the only Marshal created on a field of battle. Michaud, Biographic Universelle.)

The brackets were made by the translator.

After this, Macdonald requests that the rewards be distributed among his corps, staring with his divisional generals. Napoleon agrees and shortly takes his leave.

Then Macdonald is surrounded by his colleagues, shaking his hand, hugging him and congratulating him on his elevation to marshal. Eugène on his part is ecstatic, sending an ADC to congratulate Macdonald and to invite him for a celebratory breakfast lol. When they met, Macdonald thanked Eugène for always putting in a good word to Napoleon saying,

‘The good accounts that you have given of me have procured me this honour,’ I said to him. ‘I shall never forget it.’

To which Eugene replied,

‘It is you, and you alone', he replied, 'who have gained your bâton.’

The funny thing is that the first time Napoleon was to meet Macdonald in person, Eugène had assured Macdonald that the Emperor would be warm towards him, owning to the many nice things he said about him. However, Napoleon only greeted Macdonald with a simple nod and Eugène was like "Huh, why?! Is he displeased with us?" 😂

But in any case, Macdonald celebrates with Eugène but after breakfast they head back to work because they are still at war after all. And so, that's how Marshal Macdonald remembers his elevation to marshal.

Macdonald, Jacques. Recollections of Marshal Macdonald, Duke of Tarentum: The Napoleonic Wars as Experienced by a Renowned French Military Commander (both volumes in one).