Memoirs of Napoleon Bonaparte — Complete
a worthy and feeling man, a good husband and parent, and it was evident
that he struggled between compassion and duty. He kept referring to the
laws on the subject, and, after long researches said to me, "To-morrow
is Decadi, and no proceedings can take place on that day. Find, madams,
two responsible persons, who will answer for the appearance of your
husband, and I will permit him to go home with you, accompanied by the
two guardians." Next day two friends were found, one of whom was
M. Desmaisons, counsellor of the court, who became bail for M. de
Bourrienne. He continued under these guardians six months, until a law
compelled the persons who were inscribed on the fatal list to remove to
the distance of ten leagues from Paris. One of the guardians was a man
of straw; the other was a knight of St. Louis. The former was left in
the antechamber; the latter made, every evening, one of our party at
cards. The family of M. de Bourrienne have always felt the warmest
gratitude to the judge of the peace and his family. That worthy man
saved the life of M. de Bourrienne, who, when he returned from Egypt,
and had it in his power to do him some service, hastened to his house;
but the good judge was no more!
The letters mentioned in the narrative were at this time stolen from me
by the police officers.
Everyone was now eager to pay court to a man who had risen from the
crowd in consequence of the part he had acted at an extraordinary
crisis, and who was spoken of as the future General of the Army of
Italy. It was expected that he would be gratified, as he really was, by
the restoration of some letters which contained the expression of
his former very modest wishes, called to recollection his unpleasant
situation, his limited ambition, his pretended aversion for public
employment, and finally exhibited his intimate relations with those who
were, without hesitation, characterised as emigrants, to be afterwards
made the victims of confiscation and death.
The 13th of Vendemiaire (5th October 1795) was approaching. The National
Convention had been painfully delivered of a new constitution, called,
from the epoch of its birth, "the Constitution of Year III." It was
adopted on the 22d of August 1795. The provident legislators did not
forget themselves. They stipulated that two-thirds of their body should
form part of the new legislature. The party opposed to the Convention
hoped, on the contrary, that, by a general election, a majority would be
obtained for its opinion. That opinion was against the continuation of
power in the hands of men who had already so greatly abused it.
The same opinion was also entertained by a great part of the most
influential Sections of Paris, both as to the possession of property and
talent. These Sections declared that, in accepting the new constitution,
they rejected the decree of the 30th of August, which required the
re-election of two-thirds The Convention, therefore, found itself
menaced in what it held most dear--its power;--and accordingly resorted
to measures of defence. A declaration was put forth, stating that the
Convention, if attacked, would remove to Chalons-sur-Marne; and the
commanders of the armed force were called upon to defend that body.
The 5th of October, the day on which the Sections of Paris attacked the
Convention, is certainly one which ought to be marked in the wonderful
destiny of Bonaparte.
With the events of that day were linked, as cause and effect, many great
political convulsions of Europe. The blood which flowed ripened the
seeds of the youthful General's ambition. It must be admitted that the
history of past ages presents few periods full of such extraordinary
events as the years included between 1795 and 1815. The man whose name
serves, in some measure, as a recapitulation of all these great events
was entitled to believe himself immortal.
Living retired at Sens since the month of July, I only learned what had
occasioned the insurrection of the Sections from public report and the
journals. I cannot, therefore, say what part Bonaparte may have taken in
the intrigues which preceded that day. He was officially characterised
only as secondary actor in the scene. The account of the affair
which was published announces that Barras was, on that very day,
Commander-in-chief of the Army of the Interior, and Bonaparte second in
command. Bonaparte drew up that account. The whole of the manuscript was
in his handwriting, and it exhibits all the peculiarity of his style and
orthography. He sent me a copy.
Those who read the bulletin of the 13th Vendemiaire, cannot fail to
observe the care which Bonaparte took to cast the reproach of shedding
the first blood on the men he calls rebels. He made a great point of
representing his adversaries as the aggressors. It is certain he long
regretted that day. He often told me that he would give years of his
life to blot it out from the page of his history. He was convinced that
the people of Paris were dreadfully irritated against him, and he would
have been glad if Barras had never made that Speech in the Convention,
with the part of which, complimentary to himself, he was at the time so
well pleased. Barras said, "It is to his able and prompt dispositions
that we are indebted for the defence of this assembly, around which he
had posted the troops with so much skill." This is perfectly true, but
it is not always agreeable that every truth should be told. Being out
of Paris, and a total stranger to this affair, I know not how far he was
indebted for his success to chance, or to his own exertions, in the part
assigned to him by the miserable Government which then oppressed France.
He represented himself only as secondary actor in this sanguinary
scene in which Barras made him his associate. He sent to me, as already
mentioned, an account of the transaction, written entirely in his
own hand, and distinguished by all the peculiarities of his style and
orthography.
--[Joseph Bonaparte, in a note on this peerage, insinuates that the
account of the 13th Vendemiaire was never sent to Sens, but was
abstracted by Bourrienne, with other documents, from Napoleon's
Cabinet (Erreurs, tome i. p. 239).]--
"On the 13th," says Bonaparte, "at five o'clock in the morning, the
representative of the people, Barras, was appointed Commander-in-chief
of the Army of the Interior, and General Bonaparte was nominated second
in command.
"The artillery for service on the frontier was still at the camp of
Sablons, guarded solely by 150 men; the remainder was at Marly with
200 men. The depot of Meudon was left unprotected. There were at the
Feuillans only a few four-pounders without artillerymen, and but 80,000
cartridges. The victualling depots were dispersed throughout Paris.
In many Sections the drums beat to arms; the Section of the Theatre
Francais had advanced posts even as far as the Pont Neuf, which it had
barricaded.
"General Barras ordered the artillery to move immediately from the camp
of Sablons to the Tuileries, and selected the artillerymen from the
battalions of the 89th regiment, and from the gendarmerie, and placed
them at the Palace; sent to Meudon 200 men of the police legion whom he
brought from Versailles, 50 cavalry, and two companies of veterans; he
ordered the property which was at Marly to be conveyed to Meudon; caused
cartridges to be brought there, and established a workshop at that place
for the manufacture of more. He secured means for the subsistence of the
army and of the Convention for many days, independently of the depots
which were in the Sections.
"General Verdier, who commanded at the Palais National, exhibited great
coolness; he was required not to suffer a shot to be fired till the
last extremity. In the meantime reports reached him from all quarters
acquainting him that the Sections were assembled in arms, and had formed
their columns. He accordingly arrayed his troops so as to defend the
Convention, and his artillery was in readiness to repulse the rebels.
His cannon was planted at the Feuillans to fire down the Rue Honore.
Eight-pounders were pointed at every opening, and in the event of any
mishap, General Verdier had cannon in reserve to fire in flank upon
the column which should have forced a passage. He left in the Carrousel
three howitzers (eight-pounders) to batter down the houses from which
the Convention might be fired upon. At four o'clock the rebel columns
marched out from every street to unite their forces. It was necessary
to take advantage of this critical moment to attack the insurgents, even
had they been regular troops. But the blood about to flow was French; it
was therefore for these misguided people, already guilty of rebellion,
to embrue their hands in the blood of their countrymen by striking the
first blow.
"At a quarter before five o'clock the insurgents had formed. The attack
was commenced by them on all sides. They were everywhere routed. French
blood was spilled: the crime, as well as the disgrace, fell this day
upon the Sections.
"Among the dead were everywhere to be recognized emigrants, landowners,
and nobles; the prisoners consisted for the most part of the 'chouans'
of Charette.
"Nevertheless the Sections did not consider themselves beaten: they took
refuge in the church of St. Roch, in the theatre of the Republic, and
in the Palais Egalite; and everywhere they were heard furiously exciting
the inhabitants to arms. To spare the blood which would have been shed
the next day it was necessary that no time should be given them to
rally, but to follow them with vigour, though without incurring fresh
hazards. The General ordered Montchoisy, who commanded a reserve at the
Place de la Resolution, to form a column with two twelve-pounders, to
march by the Boulevard in order to turn the Place Vendome, to form a
junction with the picket stationed at headquarters, and to return in the
same order of column.
"General Brune, with two howitzers, deployed in the streets of St.
Nicaise and St. Honore. General Cartaux sent two hundred men and a
four-pounder of his division by the Rue St. Thomas-du-Louvre to debouch
in the square of the Palais Egalite. General Bonaparte, who had his
horse killed under him, repaired to the Feuillans.
"The columns began to move, St. Roch and the theatre of the Republic
were taken, by assault, when the rebels abandoned them, and retreated
to the upper part of the Rue de la Loi, and barricaded themselves on all
sides. Patrols were sent thither, and several cannon-shots were fired
during the night, in order to prevent them from throwing up defences,
which object was effectually accomplished.
"At daybreak, the General having learned that some students from the St.
Genevieve side of the river were marching with two pieces of cannon to
succour the rebels, sent a detachment of dragoons in pursuit of them,
who seized the cannon and conducted them to the Tuileries. The enfeebled
Sections, however, still showed a front. They had barricaded the Section
of Grenelle, and placed their cannon in the principal streets. At nine
o'clock General Beruyer hastened to form his division in battle array
in the Place Vendome, marched with two eight-pounders to the Rue des
Vieux-Augustins, and pointed them in the direction of the Section Le
Pelletier. General Vachet, with a corps of 'tirailleurs', marched on his
right, ready to advance to the Place Victoire. General Brune marched
to the Perron, and planted two howitzers at the upper end of the Rue
Vivienne. General Duvigier, with his column of six hundred men, and two
twelve-pounders, advanced to the streets of St. Roch and Montmartre. The
Sections lost courage with the apprehension of seeing their retreat cut
off, and evacuated the post at the sight of our soldiers, forgetting