A description of Murat at the battle of Borodino (7 September 1812), from the memoirs of General Louis-François Lejeune.
Tag: 1812
“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 …
“This Neapolitan Pantaloon”
In May of 1812, prior to setting off on his cataclysmic invasion of Russia, Napoleon arranged for a conference in Dresden, to be attended by most of the crowned heads of Europe then under his dominion. His intention was to put on such a show of power that Tsar Alexander, to whom Napoleon had sent …
“The good Cossacks were playing with him…”
Despite finding themselves facing off against him in one war after another over the years, the Cossacks gained a great admiration for Murat. His dashing courage on the battlefield, combined with his garish uniforms and towering plumage, which made him an easily distinguishable target in any encounter, left them captivated. During the 1812 campaign, they …
Forty letters to Letitia–Part Three (XXI-XXX)
A continuation of Murat's letters to his eldest daughter Letitia; the letters featured in this part span from August of 1812 through the beginning of the 1813 campaign.
Forty letters to Letitia–Part Two (XI-XX)
A continuation of Murat's letters to his eldest daughter Letitia; the letters featured in this part span from late 1810 through the early months of the 1812 campaign against Russia.
“The arts awaken the imagination, elevate the soul…”
Murat departed from Naples at the beginning of May 1812, to take command of the massive cavalry force assembled by Napoleon for the campaign against Russia. Traveling through Posen on his way to join the Emperor in Danzig, he took the time to write an extraordinary letter to his ten-year-old daughter Letitia. The letter--one of …
Continue reading “The arts awaken the imagination, elevate the soul…”
“I am sad, when I should be happy…”
I've neglected this blog for far longer than I meant to. Time to get back in the swing of things, with a translated letter from Murat to his daughter Letitia, written during the Russian campaign, on August 11, 1812. From Quarante lettres de Joachim Murat à sa fille Laetitia. I've rendered it in the same …
