From Boulogne to the aftermath of Austerlitz, 1805 …

Two soldier accounts describing the events during and after the 1805 campaign …

Letter of soldier B. Mondey, 11th Dragoon Regiment, dispatched to Boulogne sur Mer, to his brother and sister, on board the gunboat n° 324 in the harbour of Boulogne, dated 4 Germinal Year 13 (25 March 1805).

Letter with military postal marking in red ink ‘ … BOULOGNE SUR MER’, addressed ‘to Monsieur Combette, son of M(a)d(ame) de Fer at Lons le Saunier, at Lons le Saunier’ (we can discern the town of Lons le Saunier partly covered by a black ink stain on the paper).

Spelling revised for better reading.

On board the gunboat n° 324 in the harbour of Boulogne, 4 Germinal Year 13.

Dear brother and sister,

You may be surprised to find me in this city, that is to say, on a gunboat and not in the town. For a long time I have been expecting to carry out this task. I arrived in the port on the 25th of Ventôse and I am convinced that I will only be here for three months. You must realise that one does not enjoy all the pleasures of life here, on the contrary, it is very uncomfortable.

I am looking forward to the end of these three months with great anticipation. Since my arrival, I have already been on the open sea for 24 hours, which is called a patrol trip. You travel on barges, which are very small vessels. Every day at high tide, about 500 men embark on this type of vessel, which spend two or three hours at sea. It is hardly possible for us to go any further, as the English are there and form a formidable line to oppose the invasion. It often happens that we launch a few cannon shots at each other, but without causing much effect or damage. They no longer dare to approach the town to bombard it as they used to, as there are formidable forts defending it.

I vomited, without being seriously ill, as the sea was very calm and I did not feel very restless in my barge. One is only really ill when the sea is very turbulent and when you stay there for a few days.

Books and all the other goods are exorbitantly expensive. The town of Boulogne, which is nothing but a hovel, became brilliant; most of its inhabitants made immense and swift fortunes. A land army, however numerous it may be, however much it may spend, will never compare to a naval force. From the mere sailor to the captain, they are paid a third more than other soldiers. The encampments here are numerous and all the troops have a lot of expenses.

I wrote to you from Amiens, dear brother, about eight or nine months ago; I am sure you received my letter and I have not had the pleasure of receiving an answer. I do not know what the cause of your silence is; it has caused me considerable grief, and I hope to be much happier about this one. Please tell me if I am still indebted to you for past terms. Tell me where I stand. There is one approaching; I think my beloved brother will acquit it, and you will inform me of it if you please.

I have nothing more interesting to share with you up to now. There is no more talk of descending on England here than at Lons-le-Saunier, there is no ship of the line here.

I wish you and my dear sister perfect health as well as for all my little nephews and nieces.

My respects to Monsieur Combette, father.

A thousand kind words from me to my uncle and Aunt Chambard, (and Mr.) Vaudry. I extend the same to Monsieur Saran, (…) Prost and Gérard. I wish them a perfect …

Signed, your brother Mondey (Br er) (Bernard?).

My address is : to Mr. (Br er), 11th Regiment of Dragoons, dispatched to Boulogne sur Mer.

There is a large number of workmen here who are still repairing and constructing vessels, such as barges, flatboats and gunboats, although the harbour is already crowded with them.

***

Letter with postal marking in red ’67 SAVERNE’, addressed ‘to Monsieur Lavernede, landowner at Malbos (sic) via Les Vans, at Vans, Dep(artmen)t of the Ardèche’.

Lavernède is probably an officer in the 3rd Infantry Regiment. He describes his arrival at Strasbourg, his impression of the town and the desolation amongst the locals. It is a letter full of emotion.

Saverne, 28 Frimaire (Year 14 – 19 December 1805).

I arrived on the 25th at Strasbourg where I had been leading a detachment of conscripts. The depot of the 3rd (Infantry Regiment) to which we were leading them not being there, we were obliged to proceed as far as Saverne where we were fortunate enough to find it a day later. We would have been obliged to lead the conscripts to the Black Forest, fifty leagues beyond the Rhine.

We stayed one day in Strasbourg where I had some time to visit the surroundings of this beautiful city. I began with the cathedral, which is one of the most beautiful examples of architecture that the trade has been able to produce; the one in Paris is not nearly as beautiful. Then I went to the church of St. Peter, which contains the magnificent tomb of the Maréchal de Saxe, and I visited the imperial palace occupied by the Empress. The inhabitants of this city have formed a guard of honour which is superbly dressed and offers the most wonderful sight.

In this city we encountered the first victims from the House of Austria. Five thousand men were captured, and humanity wailed to see these poor unfortunates suffer. All that misery, and the cruellest of nakedness was revealed. Among them were several women who provoked the pity of all sensitive hearts. It is necessary to consider that the Emperor of Germany takes very little care of his troops for them to be so miserable at the start of the campaign, especially having been captured through capitulation, and consequently stripped of everything.

The rumour is circulating in Strasbourg that the French had made their entry in Vienna on the 25th and that the Emperor was to establish his headquarters there on the 28th to stay there for a short time; from there he was to travel to Munich where all the emperors were to meet to negotiate peace. God grant it to us, for war is a great scourge and brings many victims with it, and they assured me that the Imperial Guard had been quite battered.

I am very much afraid that my poor brother’s life is in danger, in spite of the strong recommendations I sent him to write to me; he has done nothing since Strasbourg, from where I passed him the money you sent me. If you have received any word from him, I beg you to send it to me by post to Paris, in order to relieve me of the anxiety I feel about him.

(…) your … brother, Lavernède.

Our officer then requests 100 francs to order a uniform for himself. At the end of the letter, he provides the address to write to : ‘Caserne Lavémaria (sic), rue des Barréz, St Paul at Paris’.

Source : Online letter and document catalogue, website Bertrand Malvaux.