Tag: General Bertrand
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Guard Grenadier Philippe Ballut at Lützen and Bautzen, 1813 …
In the evening, with the 2nd Grenadier Regiment occupying the ground on a plateau, the soldiers sighted the town of Lützen, with its round bell tower and a tall belfry tower dominating the large tile roofed buildings. The French cavalry had already entered the town to capture a few stragglers. It was known that Blücher…
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A perspective from the French Imperial household on the battle of Bautzen, 1813 …
The following extract is drawn from the excellent recollections of treasurer Guillaume Peyrusse (1776-1860) … 20 May (1813). – The entire (Imperial) headquarters was on its feet very early. One staff officer succeeded another. The corps of the dukes of Reggio (Oudinot), Taranto (Macdonald), Ragusa (Marmont) and General Bertrand made their arrangements to cross the…
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Colonel Raymond Guiraud’s war journal (IV) …
8 April 1809. After a two-day rest at Bayonne, I left for Paris and prepared to join the (Imperial) Guard in Germany … We travelled in peasant carts which were drawn fairly smoothly by requisition horses … We often encountered long columns of Austrian prisoners, who were merrily making their way to France. This was…
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Colonel Raymond Guiraud’s war journal (II) …
… On 21 May, the assault (on Danzig) was to take place. The enormous palisades of the bastion moat had resisted the effects of the gunpowder. The guns that raked them only tore them apart, and they had to be knocked down by digging up the earth beside them. A wide passage was opened, but…
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An officer reporting for duty in 1815 …
Christ was an aging captain from Alsace, retired from military service. The letter he sent to General Bertrand, written in a naïve style and with a multitude of spelling mistakes which we have thoughtfully removed, well represents the enthusiasm and joy felt by a great number of soldiers when they learned of Napoleon’s return from…
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Engineer Officer Paulin’s experiences in December 1806 …
Jules-Antoine Paulin took part in all the campaigns of the Napoleonic period from 1806 to 1815 (except for Russia). The author served as an orderly of Marshal Augereau and as aide-de-camp to General Bertrand. Consequently, he took part in the siege of Gaeta (February 1806) before leaving Italy for Berlin to join VII Corps commanded…
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A report on the capture of Regensburg, 1809 …
Addressed to General Count Bertrand, aide-de-camp of the Emperor, commander in chief of the engineers. At Ratisbon, April 24, 1809. My General, The Emperor having sent me yesterday, towards one o’clock, to survey the place, in order to take a decision on the means of its capture, I discovered that there was, outside of a…