Tag: Borodino
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The Military Life of Bruno d’Ast … (II)
Moscow, 20 September 1812. My dear father, you must have received my letter from Smolensk by now. I hope that it finds you in as good health as I am at the moment, despite the fatigue and hardship we had to endure before arriving in this city. I spoke to you in my last letter…
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A Belgian cavalryman in Moscow, 1812 …
A relative of our Belgian soldier here, Constant de Limon (officer in the 1st Regiment of Chasseurs à Cheval, General Bordessoule’s Brigade, part of Davout’s I Corps), forwarded the latter’s letter to a younger brother of our protagonist: Mister Delimon (sic, De Limon), place du Carrefour de Lodeau n° 4, in Paris. Ypres, 6 November…
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An Italian, the Grande Armée and the campaign of 1812 …
The Biblioteca Estense in Modena preserves the original copies of a substantial set of letters written by an unsung soldier of the Army of the Kingdom of Italy, Paolo Magelli, born at Pavullo in 1785. These were addressed to his elder brother Giustiniano. In contrast, the correspondence does not contain the letters written by Giustiniano…
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Eyewitness accounts of the campaign in Russia, 1812 (V) …
General Georg von Scheler (1770-1826, from Württemberg) wrote the following: Moscow, 8 and 9 October 1812. Everyone found shelter, albeit packed and cramped, in the suburb on the road to Kazan. The horses of the artillery, the two regiments of chevau-légers and the regiment of the King’s Chasseurs No. 4 were accommodated in stables or…
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Doctor Wilhelm Meier and Baden’s war efforts during the Russian campaign …
This excerpt represents one complete chapter of Meier’s recollections. Relations between France and the rest of Europe, with Russia in particular – Causes and preparations for war Through the Peace of Vienna of 1809 and its consequences, the family bond established with the Imperial House of Austria, Napoleon had reached the summit of his fortune…
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Eyewitness accounts of the campaign in Russia, 1812 (II) …
TO COUNT DE LAVALETTE, DIRECTOR GENERAL OF THE EMPIRE’S POSTAL SERVICES, IN PARIS. Moscow, 16 October 1812. My dear Count, I have the honour of informing you that the Intendant General has ordered me to bring down the postal service between France and Gumbinnen to one courier every two days, and the one between the…
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Cossacks at Borodino, an unpublished report by General Pajol …
In 1841, Marshal Soult, Minister of War, dispatched Staff Captain Ch. Pajol, son of the illustrious cavalry general of the First Empire, to the camp of Krasnoye Selo under the command of the Russian Emperor Nicholas himself, with a mission to travel through Russia, Poland, Prussia, Saxony and Germany. This mission was not merely of…
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Officer Boudousquie (18th Line) on the road to Russia, 1812 (IV) …
Mozhaysk, 9 September 1812. Your son, whom I had the opportunity and the pleasure of meeting, asked me to send you news of him, which will arrive more swiftly due to the ease with which I can send it to you via courier. The 7th was a terrible day. This is a good opportunity to…