The Project Gutenberg eBook ofNapoleon's MarshalsThis ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online atwww.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.Title: Napoleon's MarshalsAuthor: R. P. Dunn-PattisonRelease date: November 23, 2010 [eBook #34400]Language: EnglishCredits: Produced by Steven Gibbs, Moti Ben-Ari and the OnlineDistributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NAPOLEON'S MARSHALS ***
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online atwww.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.
Title: Napoleon's MarshalsAuthor: R. P. Dunn-PattisonRelease date: November 23, 2010 [eBook #34400]Language: EnglishCredits: Produced by Steven Gibbs, Moti Ben-Ari and the OnlineDistributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Title: Napoleon's Marshals
Author: R. P. Dunn-Pattison
Author: R. P. Dunn-Pattison
Release date: November 23, 2010 [eBook #34400]
Language: English
Credits: Produced by Steven Gibbs, Moti Ben-Ari and the OnlineDistributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NAPOLEON'S MARSHALS ***
MARSHAL NEY COVERING THE RETREAT FROM THE PAINTING BY YVON AT VERSAILLESMARSHAL NEY COVERING THE RETREATFROM THE PAINTING BY YVON AT VERSAILLES
BYR. P. DUNN-PATTISON, M.A.LATE LIEUTENANT ARGYLL AND SUTHERLAND HIGHLANDERS, ANDSOMETIME LECTURER AT MAGDALEN COLLEGE, OXFORDWITH TWENTY ILLUSTRATIONSMETHUEN & CO.36 ESSEX STREET W.C.LONDON
First Published in 1909
PAGEINTRODUCTIONixSYNOPSIS OF THE MARSHALSxviiiI.LOUIS ALEXANDRE BERTHIER, MARSHAL, PRINCE OFWAGRAM, SOVEREIGN PRINCE OF NEUCHÂTEL ANDVALANGIN1II.JOACHIM MURAT, MARSHAL, KING OF NAPLES23III.ANDRÉ MASSÉNA, MARSHAL, DUKE OF RIVOLI, PRINCEOF ESSLING49IV.JEAN BAPTISTE JULES BERNADOTTE, MARSHAL, PRINCEOF PONTE CORVO, KING OF SWEDEN72V.JEAN DE DIEU NICOLAS SOULT, MARSHAL, DUKE OFDALMATIA93VI.JEAN LANNES, MARSHAL, DUKE OF MONTEBELLO117VII.MICHEL NEY, MARSHAL, DUKE OF ELCHINGEN, PRINCEOF MOSKOWA141VIII.LOUIS NICOLAS DAVOUT, MARSHAL, DUKE OF AUERSTÄDT,PRINCE OF ECKMÜHL162IX.JACQUES ÉTIENNE JOSEPH ALEXANDRE MACDONALD,MARSHAL, DUKE OF TARENTUM183X.AUGUSTE FRÉDÉRIC LOUIS VIESSE DE MARMONT,MARSHAL, DUKE OF RAGUSA200XI.LOUIS GABRIEL SUCHET, MARSHAL, DUKE OF ALBUFERA219XII.LAURENT GOUVION ST. CYR, MARSHAL231XIII.BON ADRIEN JEANNOT DE MONCEY, MARSHAL, DUKEOF CONEGLIANO245XIV.JEAN BAPTISTE JOURDAN, MARSHAL251XV.CHARLES PIERRE FRANÇOIS AUGEREAU, MARSHAL, DUKEOF CASTIGLIONE259XVI.GUILLAUME MARIE ANNE BRUNE, MARSHAL268XVII.ADOLPHE ÉDOUARD CASIMIR JOSEPH MORTIER, MARSHAL,DUKE OF TREVISO278XVIII.JEAN BAPTISTE BESSIÈRES, MARSHAL, DUKE OF ISTRIA286XIX.CLAUDE VICTOR PERRIN, MARSHAL, DUKE OF BELLUNO296XX.EMMANUEL DE GROUCHY, MARSHAL305XXI.FRANÇOIS CHRISTOPHE KELLERMANN, MARSHAL, DUKEOF VALMY316XXII.FRANÇOIS JOSEPH LEFÈBVRE, MARSHAL, DUKE OFDANTZIG322XXIII.NICOLAS CHARLES OUDINOT, MARSHAL, DUKE OFREGGIO333XXIV.DOMINIQUE CATHERINE DE PÉRIGNON, MARSHAL344XXV.JEAN MATHIEU PHILIBERT SERURIER, MARSHAL349XXVI.PRINCE JOSEPH PONIATOWSKI, MARSHAL354
MARSHAL NEY COVERING THE RETREATFrontispiece(From the painting by Yvon at Versailles. Photo Neurdein)FACING PAGEALEXANDRE BERTHIER, PRINCE OF WAGRAM4(From an engraving after the painting by Pajoufils)JOACHIM MURAT, AFTERWARDS KING OF NAPLES24(From the painting by Gérard at Versailles. Photo Neurdein)ANDRÉ MASSÉNA, PRINCE OF ESSLING51JEAN BAPTISTE BERNADOTTE, KING OF SWEDEN74(From an engraving after the painting by Hilaire le Dru)JEAN DE DIEU SOULT, DUKE OF DALMATIA96(From a lithograph by Delpech after the painting by Rouillard)JEAN LANNES, DUKE OF MONTEBELLO120(From an engraving by Amédée Maulet)MICHEL NEY, PRINCE OF MOSKOWA142(From an engraving after the painting by F. Gérard)LOUIS NICOLAS DAVOUT, PRINCE OF ECKMÜHL167(From an engraving after the painting by Gautherot)JACQUES ÉTIENNE MACDONALD, DUKE OF TARENTUM184(From a lithograph by Delpech)AUGUSTE DE MARMONT, DUKE OF RAGUSA202(From an engraving after the painting by Muneret)LOUIS GABRIEL SUCHET, DUKE OF ALBUFERA220(From an engraving by Pollet)GOUVION ST. CYR, COUNT233(From an engraving after the painting by J. Guerin)JEAN BAPTISTE JOURDAN252(After a drawing by Ambroise Tardieu)CHARLES PIERRE AUGEREAU, DUKE OF CASTIGLIONE260(From an engraving by Ruotte)BRUNE268(From an engraving after the painting by F. J. Harriet)ADOLPHE ÉDOUARD MORTIER, DUKE OF TREVISO280(From an engraving after the painting by Larivière)EMMANUEL DE GROUCHY, MARQUIS306(From an engraving after the painting by Rouillard)FRANÇOIS CHRISTOPHE KELLERMANN, DUKE OF VALMY318(From an engraving after the painting by Ansiaux)NICOLAS CHARLES OUDINOT, DUKE OF REGGIO332(From an engraving after the painting by Robert le Fevre)
It is a melancholy but instructive fact to remember that, in the opinion of him whom nature had adorned with the greatest intellect that the world has yet seen, selfishness and self-interest lie at the root of all human action. "For," as Napoleon said, "in ambition is to be found the chief motive force of humanity, and a man puts forth his best powers in proportion to his hopes of advancement." It was on this cynical hypothesis therefore, with a complete disregard of those higher aspirations of self-sacrifice and self-control which raise man above the mere brute, that the Corsican adventurer waded through seas of blood to the throne of France, and then attempted, by the destruction of a million human beings, to bind on his brow the imperial crown of Western Europe. In spite of loud-sounding phrases and constitutional sleight-of-hand, none knew better than Napoleon that by the sword alone he had won his empire and by the sword alone he could keep it. Keen student of history, it was not in vain that again and again he had read and re-read the works of Cæsar, and pondered on the achievements of Charlemagne and the career of Cromwell. The problem he had to solve was, how to conceal from his lieutenants that his dynasty rested purely on their swords, to bind their honours so closely to his own fortune that they should ever be loyal; so to distribute his favours that his servants shouldnever become so great as to threaten his own position. It was with this object in view that at the time he seized for himself the imperial crown he re-established the old rôle of Marshal of France, frankly confessing to Roederer that his reason for showering rewards on his lieutenants was to assure to himself his own dignity, since they could not object to it when they found themselves the recipients of such lofty titles. But, with the cunning of the serpent, while he gave with one hand he took away with the other. He fixed the number of Marshals at sixteen on the active list and added four others for those too old for active service. Hence he had it in his power to reward twenty hungry aspirants, while he robbed the individuals of their glory, since each Marshal shared his dignity with nineteen others. Plainly also he told them that, lofty though their rank might appear to others, to him they were still mere servants, created by him and dependent for their position on him alone. "Recollect," he said, "that you are soldiers only when with the army. The title of Marshal is merely a civil distinction which gives you the honourable rank at my court which is your due, but it carries with it no authority. On the battlefield you are generals, at court you are nobles, belonging to the State by the civil position I created for you when I bestowed your titles on you." It was on May 19, 1804, that theGazetteappeared with the first creation of Marshals. There were fourteen on the active list and four honorary Marshals in the Senate. Two bâtons were withheld as a reward for future service. The original fourteen were Berthier, Murat, Moncey, Jourdan, Masséna, Augereau, Bernadotte, Soult, Brune, Lannes, Mortier, Ney, Davout and Bessières; while on the retired list were Kellermann, Lefèbvre, Pérignon, and Serurier. The list caused much surprise and dissatisfaction. On the onehand there were those like Masséna who received their congratulations with a grunt and "Yes, one of fourteen." On the other hand were those like Macdonald, Marmont, Victor, and many another, who thought they ought to have been included. An examination of the names soon explains how the choice was made. Except Jourdan, who was too great a soldier to be passed over, all those who could not forget their Republican principles were excluded. Masséna received his bâton as the greatest soldier of France. Berthier, Murat, and Lannes had won theirs by their talents, as much as by their personal devotion. Soult, Ney, Davout, and Mortier were Napoleon's choice from among the coming men, who in the camps of the Army of the Ocean were fast justifying their selection. Bessières was included because he would never win it at any later date, but his doglike devotion made him a priceless subordinate. Augereau and Bernadotte received their bâtons to keep them quiet. The names of Moncey, Brune, Kellermann, Pérignon, and Serurier were intimately connected with glorious feats of the republican armies, and so, though only fortunate mediocrities, they were included in the first creation, while Lefèbvre, the republican of republicans, now under the glamour of Napoleon's power, was placed on the list as a stalking-horse of the extreme members of his party. At the time of the first creation, of the great soldiers of the Republic, Moreau was branded as a traitor; Hoche, Marceau, Kléber, Desaix, and Pichegru were dead; Carnot, the organiser of victory, was a voluntary exile; while staunch blades like Leclerc, Richepanse, Lecourbe, Macdonald, Victor, St. Cyr, and Suchet were all more or less in disgrace. By the end of the Empire, death and the necessity of rewarding merit added to the list of Marshals until in all twenty-six bâtons were granted by the Emperor.In 1808 Victor was restored to favour and received his bâton. After Wagram, Macdonald, Oudinot, and Marmont received the prize, while the Spanish War brought it to Suchet, and the Russian campaign to St. Cyr. In 1813 the Polish prince, Poniatowski, was sent his truncheon on the field of Leipzig, while last of all, in 1815, Grouchy was promoted to one of the vacancies caused by the refusal of many of the Marshals to cast off their allegiance to the Bourbons.
It was a popular saying in the Napoleonic army that every private soldier carried in his knapsack a Marshal's bâton, and the early history of many of these Marshals bears out this saying. But while the Revolution carried away all the barriers and opened the highest ranks to talent, be it never so humble in its origin, the history of the Marshals proves that heaven-born soldiers are scarce, and that the art of war, save in the case of one out of a million, can only be acquired by years of patient work in a subordinate position. Of the generals of the revolutionary armies only four, Moreau, Mortier, Suchet, and Brune, had no previous military training, and of these four, Moreau and Suchet alone had claim to greatness. The rough unlettered generals of the early years of the war soon proved that they could never rise above the science of the drill-sergeant. Once discipline and organisation were restored there was no room for a general like the gallant Macard, who, when about to charge, used to call out, "Look here, I am going to dress like a beast," and thereon divest himself of everything save his leather breeches and boots, and then, like some great hairy baboon, with strange oaths and yells lead his horsemen against the enemy. A higher type was required than this Macard, who could not understand that because an officer could sketch mountainshe could not necessarily measure a man for a pair of boots.
Of the twenty-six Marshals, nine had held commissions ranging from lieutenant-general to lieutenant in the old royal army, one was a Polish Prince, an ex-Austrian officer, while one had passed the artillery college but had refused to accept a commission; eleven had commenced life as privates in the old service, and of these, nine had risen to the rank of sergeant; and four had had no previous military training. It must also be remembered that the standard of the non-commissioned rank in the royal army just before the Revolution was extremely high. The reforms of St. Germain and the popularity of the American War had enticed into the ranks a high class of recruits, with the result that the authorities were able to impose tests, and no private could rise to the rank of corporal, or from corporal to sergeant, without passing an examination. Further, since the officers of the ancient régime left the entire organisation, discipline, and control in the hands of the non-commissioned officers, and seldom, if ever, visited their companies either in barracks or on the parade ground, the non-commissioned officers, in everything save actual title, were really extremely well-trained officers. It was this class which really saved France when the old officers emigrated and the incapable politicians in Paris did their best to ruin the army. Hence it was that, without prejudice to the service, a sergeant might one day be found quietly obeying the orders of his company officer, and the next day with the rank of lieutenant-colonel commanding his battalion.
The art of war can only be truly learned in the field, and the officers of the French army had such an experience as had never fallen to the lot of any other nation since the days of the Thirty Years' War. With continuous fightingwinter and summer, on every frontier, military knowledge was easily gained by those who had the ability to acquire it, and the young generals of brigade, with but three years' service in commissioned rank, had gone through experiences which seldom fall to the lot of officers with thirty years' service. The cycle of war seemed unending. From the day on which, in 1792, France hurled her declaration of war on Austria, till the surrender of Paris, in 1814, with the exception of the year of peace gained at Amiens, war was continuous. It began with a light-hearted invasion of France by Austria and Prussia in September, 1792, which ended in the cannonade of Valmy, when Dumouriez and Kellermann, with the remnant of the old royal army, showed such a bold front that the Allies, who had never expected to fight, lost heart and ran home. The Austro-Prussian invasion sealed the King's death-warrant, and France, in the hands of republican enthusiasts, went forth with a rabble of old soldiers and volunteers to preach the doctrine of the Equality of Man and the Brotherhood of Nations. But the sovereigns of Europe determined to fight for their crowns, and the licence of the French soldiers and the selfishness of these prophets of the new doctrine of Equality soon disgusted the people of the Rhine valley; so the revolutionary mob armies were driven into France, and for two years she was busy on every frontier striving to drive the enemy from her soil. It was during these years that the new French army arose. The volunteers were brigaded with the old regular battalions, the ranks were kept full by calling out all fit to bear arms, and the incompetent and unfortunate were weeded out by the guillotine. By 1795 France had freed her own soil and had forged a weapon whereby she could retaliate on the Powers who had attempted to annex her territory in the hour of her degradation.The Rhine now became her eastern frontier. But Austria, whose Archduke was Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, would not give up the provinces seized from her; so from 1795 to 1797, on the headwaters of the Danube and in Italy, the representative of the Feudal Ages fought the new democracy. It was the appearance of the great military talent of Bonaparte which decided the day. On the Danube the Austrians had found that under the excellent leading of the Archduke Charles they were fit to defeat the best French troops under capable generals like Jourdan and Moreau. But the military genius of Bonaparte overbore all resistance, and when peace came, practically all Italy had been added to the dominion of France. Unfortunately for the peace of Europe, the rulers of France had tasted blood. They found in the captured provinces a means of making war without feeling the effects, for the rich pillage of Italy paid the war expenses. But, grateful as the Directors were to Bonaparte for thus opening to them a means of enriching themselves at the expense of Europe, they rightly saw in him a menace to their own power, and gladly allowed him to depart on the mission to Egypt. From Egypt Bonaparte returned, seized the reins of government, and saved France from the imbecility of her rulers, and, by the battle of Marengo, assured to her all she had lost in his absence. Unfortunately for France the restless ambition of her new ruler was not satisfied with re-establishing the Empire of the West and reviving the glories of Charlemagne, but hankered after a vast oversea dominion, to include America and India. Hence it was that he found in Great Britain an implacable enemy ever stirring up against him European coalitions. To cover his failure to wrest the dominion of the sea from its mistress, Napoleon turned his wrath on Austria, and soon she lay cowed at his feet afterthe catastrophe at Ulm and the battle of Austerlitz. Austria's fall was due to the lethargy and hesitation of the courts of Berlin and St. Petersburg. But once Austria was disposed of, Prussia and Russia met their punishment for having given her secret or open aid. The storm fell first on Prussia. At one fell swoop on the field of Jena, the famed military monarchy of the great Frederick fell in pieces like a potter's vessel. From Prussia the invincible French legions penetrated into Poland, and after Eylau and Friedland the forces of Prussia and Russia could no longer face the enemy in the field. The Czar, dazzled by Napoleon's greatness, threw over his ally Prussia and at Tilsit made friends with the great conqueror. In June, 1807, it seemed as if Europe lay at Napoleon's feet, but already in Portugal the seeds of his ruin had been sown. The Portuguese monarch, the ally of Great Britain, fled at the mere approach of a single Marshal of the Emperor. The apparent lethargy of the inhabitants of the Iberian Peninsula and the unpopularity of the Spanish Bourbons tempted Napoleon to establish his brother on the throne of Spain. It was a fatal error, for though the Spanish people might despise their King, they were intensely proud of their nationality. For the first time in his experience the Corsican had to meet the forces of a nation and not of a government. The chance defeat of a French army at Baylen was the signal for a general rising throughout the Peninsula, and not only throughout the Peninsula, but for the commencement of a national movement against the French in Austria and Germany. England gladly seized the opportunity of injuring her enemy and sent aid to the people of Spain. Austria tried another fall with her conqueror, but was defeated at Wagram. Wagram ought to have taught the Emperor that his troops were no longer invincible as of old, but, blind tothis lesson, he still attempted to lord it over Europe and treated with contumely his only friend, the Czar. Consequently, in 1812, while still engaged in attempting to conquer Spain, he found himself forced to fight Russia. The result was appalling; out of half a million troops who entered Russia, a bare seventy thousand returned. Prussia and Austria at once made a bid to recover their independence. Napoleon, blinded by rage, refused to listen to reason, and in October, 1813, was defeated by the Allies at Leipzig. Even then he might have saved his throne, but he still refused to listen to the Allies, who in 1814 invaded France, and, after a campaign in which the Emperor showed an almost superhuman ability, at last by sheer weight of numbers they captured Paris. Thereon the French troops refused to fight any longer for the Emperor. Such is a brief outline of what is called the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, the finest school the world has yet seen for an apprenticeship in the trade of arms.
Name.Born.Marshal.Titles.Died.Age.Berthier,Nov. 20,May 19,Prince of NeuchatelAccident,62Louis17531804and Valangin,June 1, 1815AlexandrePrince of Wagram,Dec. 31, 1809Murat, JoachimMar. 25,"Prince,Shot at Pizzo,481767Feb. 1, 1805;Oct. 13, 1815Grand Duke of Berg,Mar. 15, 1806;King of Naples,Aug. 1, 1808Moncey,July 31,"Duke of Conegliano,Natural cause,88Bon Adrien1754July 2, 1808April 20, 1842Jeannot deJourdan,April 29,"Count, Mar. 1, 1808Natural cause,71Jean Baptiste1762Nov. 1833Masséna, AndréMay 6,"Duke of Rivoli,Natural cause,611756April 24, 1808;April 4, 1817Prince of Essling,Jan. 31, 1810Augereau,Oct. 21,"Duke ofNatural cause,59Charles Pierre1757Castiglione,June 12, 1816FrançoisApril 26, 1808Bernadotte,Jan. 26,"Prince ofNatural cause,81Jean Baptiste1763Ponte Corvo,Mar. 8, 1844JulesJune 5, 1806;Crown Princeof Sweden,Aug. 21, 1810;King, Feb. 18, 1818Soult, Jean deMar. 29,"Duke of Dalmatia,Natural cause,82Dieu Nicolas1769June 29, 1808Nov. 26, 1851Brune, GuillaumeMay 13,"Count, Mar. 1, 1808Murdered52Marie Anne1763at Avignon,Aug. 2, 1815Lannes, JeanApril 11,"Duke of Montebello,Died of wounds401769June 15, 1808at Vienna,May 31, 1809Mortier, AdolpheFeb. 13,"Duke of Treviso,Killed by67Édouard1768July 2, 1808infernal machineCasimir Josephat Paris,July 28, 1835Ney, MichelJan. 10,"Duke of Elchingen,Shot at Paris,461769May 5, 1808;Dec. 7, 1815Prince of Moskowa,Mar. 25, 1813Davout,May 10,"Duke of Auerstädt,Natural cause,53Louis Nicolas1770July 2, 1808;June 1, 1823Prince of Eckmühl,Nov. 28, 1809Bessières,Aug. 6,"Duke of Istria,Killed45Jean Baptiste1768May 28, 1809at Lützen,May 1, 1813Kellermann,May 28,"Count,Natural cause,85François1735Mar. 1, 1808;Sept. 13, 1820ChristopheDuke of Valmy,May 2, 1808Lefèbvre,Oct. 15,"Count,Natural cause,65François1755Mar. 1, 1808;Sept. 14, 1820JosephDuke of Dantzig,Sept. 10, 1808Pérignon,May 31,"Count,Natural cause,64Dominique1754Sept. 6, 1811Dec. 25, 1818Catherine deSerurier,Dec. 8,"Count,Natural cause,77Jean Mathieu1742Mar. 1, 1808Dec. 21, 1819PhilibertVictor,Dec. 7,July 13,Duke of Belluno,Natural cause,77Victor Claude17641807Sept. 10, 1808Mar. 1, 1841PerrinMacdonald,Nov. 17,July 12,Duke of Tarentum,Natural cause,75Jacques17651809Dec. 9, 1809Sept. 7, 1840Étienne JosephAlexandreOudinot,April 25,"Count,Natural cause,80Nicolas1767July 2, 1808;Sept. 13, 1847CharlesDuke of Reggio,April 14, 1810Marmont, AugusteJuly 20,"Duke of Ragusa,Natural cause,78Frédéric Louis1774June 28, 1808July 23, 1852Viesse deApril 14, 1810Suchet,Mar. 2,July 8,Count,Natural cause,56Louis Gabriel17701811June 24, 1808;Jan. 3, 1826Duke of Albufera,Jan. 3, 1813Gouvion St. Cyr,April 13,Aug 27,Count, May 3, 1808Natural cause,66Laurent17641812Mar. 17, 1830Poniatowski,May 7,Oct. 17,—Drowned51Joseph, Prince17621813in Elster,Oct. 19, 1813Grouchy,Oct. 23,April 17,Count,Natural cause,81Emmanuel de17661815Jan. 28, 1809May 29, 1847