Returning to the memoirs of General Belliard, Murat's close friend and chief of staff, we have a letter from Caroline Murat to Belliard, written on 20 October 1812, two days after her husband's defeat at the Battle of Tarutino. Caroline expresses her hope that the army will arrive in Moscow soon; Napoleon had just begun …
Tag: 1812
“A king… appearing as a friend caring for another friend”
Returning to the memoirs of General Griois with a scene from the Russian retreat. Arriving back at the ruined city of Smolensk on 13 November, Griois, after procuring some shelter and food, seeks out Murat to report on the loss of his artillery. He finds him with his wounded chief of staff, Belliard, and is …
Continue reading “A king… appearing as a friend caring for another friend”
“It would be the height of madness”
Another excerpt from Dedem de Gelder, backtracking to the 1812 campaign. After Napoleon's abandonment of the Grande Armée (the command of which he had left to Murat), the political ramifications of the disastrous campaign are already being felt; the Prince of Schwarzenberg confirms to Dedem that Austria, Napoleon's reluctant ally since his marriage to Marie-Louise, …
“Come replace me here”
As delighted as Murat initially was to be back in the field in 1812 after having been made to sit out during the 1809 campaign, it was not long before the rigors of the invasion of Russia, and his anxiety over the state of affairs in Naples, combined to set his mind towards returning home. …
“His Gascon rants”
Continuing with excerpts from the memoirs of General Griois pertaining to Murat during the 1812 campaign, we have a description from Griois of a confrontation between Murat and an unnamed Russian general over the position of Russian outposts during a truce. Murat is also outraged that a Cossack recently took a shot at him (as General Caulaincourt …
“In the midst of the thickest fire”
Apologies for my long absence; it's been an extremely busy last three months for me, both at work and home. I did promise in the comments of one of my last posts that I'd try to post some things relating to Murat's military campaigns, so here is the first of what I'm intending to be …
“None dared approach…”
A description of Murat at the battle of Borodino (7 September 1812), from the memoirs of General Louis-François Lejeune.
“A long absence is very painful for one with a sensitive soul”
I came upon a gem today--a book of published correspondence from the 1812 campaign, specifically a compilation of letters intercepted by the Russians, both from and to soldiers in the Grande Armée. You can find the book on HathiTrust here (it might not be viewable outside the US, but it's probably elsewhere online as well). …
Continue reading “A long absence is very painful for one with a sensitive soul”
“He gave them each a glass of wine”
A random tidbit I figured I'd toss up here as I continue working my way through translating Murat's letters in Louise's memoirs. I first came across this little anecdote--an observation of Murat by Sergeant Adrien Bourgogne in the aftermath of the Battle of Borodino--paraphrased in a couple biographies of Murat, but this morning I found …
“The public insult made to his honor”
Continuing on with Louise Murat's memoirs, we reach what not only Louise herself, but most historians likewise regard as the pivotal moment in the Murat/Napoleon relationship: the unhappy conclusion of the 1812 campaign. Louise points out that prior to this, the two men had always managed to overcome their previous differences upon being reunited again …
Project Murat 