St.Hilaire to Soult, 1807
A brief snippet from a book that lists (somewhat hodgepodge) different reports and correpondence relating to the French occupation of Prussia in 1807 to 1809, “Berichte aus der Berliner Franzosenzeit 1807 - 1809″: When Victor was named gouverneur of Berlin and surroundings mid-1807, general St.Hilaire, who before famously had commanded the first division of Soult’s army corps and had been one of the generals to take Pratzen heights at Austerlitz, was transferred to Berlin in order to command the troops under Victor. So he had to leave his old post and his old corps.
St. Hilaire had commanded the First Division of the Fourth Corps under Marshal Soult. When he was recalled to Berlin, he wrote to Soult from Finkenstein on 29 August 1807 expressing his hope of retaining the marshal's affection: " cet espoir adoucit le regret de me voir separé de ma famille militaire, sans savoir, si je suis destiné à la rejoindre. "
Paris War Archives. Autograph document.
The French passage says: “this hope softens the regret of seeing myself separated from my military family, without knowing if I am destined to return to it.“
That term “military family” I found very touching. There are more examples of such letters, not only from Soult’s corps. This one just surprised me.
