Memoirs of Napoleon Bonaparte — Complete
of Russia were daily more and more sensibly felt. The King of Prussia
had played a part which was an acknowledgment of his weakness in joining
France, instead of openly declaring himself for the cause of Russia,
which was also his. Then took place the defection of General York,
who commanded the Prussian contingent to Napoleon's army. The King of
Prussia, though no doubt secretly satisfied with the conduct of General
York, had him tried and condemned; but shortly after that sovereign
commanded in person the troops which had turned against ours. The
defection of the Prussians produced a very ill effect, and it was easy
to perceive that other defections would follow. Napoleon, foreseeing the
fatal chances which this event was likely to draw upon him, assembled a
privy council, composed of the Ministers and some of the great officers
of his household. MM. de Talleyrand and Cambacérès, and the President
of the senate were present. Napoleon asked whether, in the complicated
difficulties of our situation, it would be more advisable to negotiate
for peace or to prepare for a new war. Cambacérès and Talleyrand gave
their opinion in favour of peace, which however, Napoleon would not
hear of after a defeat; but the Duc de Feltre,--[Clarke]--knowing how to
touch the susceptible chord in the mind of Bonaparte, said that he would
consider the Emperor dishonoured if he consented to the abandonment
of the smallest village which had been united to the Empire by a
'Senatus-consulte'. This opinion was adopted, and the war continued.
On Napoleon's return to Paris the Pope, who was still at Fontainebleau,
determined to accede to an arrangement, and to sign an act which the
Emperor conceived would terminate the differences between them. But
being influenced by some of the cardinals who had previously incurred
the Emperor's displeasure Pius VII. disavowed the new Concordat which
he had been weak enough to grant, and the Emperor, who then had more
important affairs on his hands, dismissed the Holy Father, and published
the act to which he had assented. Bonaparte had no leisure to pay
attention to the new difficulties started by Pius VII.; his thoughts
were wholly directed to the other side of the Rhine. He was unfortunate,
and the powers with whom he was most intimately allied separated from
him, as he might have expected, and Austria was not the last to imitate
the example set by Prussia. In these difficult circumstances the
Emperor, who for some time past had observed the talent and address of
the Comte Louis de Narbonne, sent him to Vienna, to supersede M. Otto;
but the pacific propositions of M. de Narbonne were not listened to.
Austria would not let slip the fair opportunity of taking revenge
without endangering herself.
Napoleon now saw clearly that since Austria had abandoned him and
refused her contingent he should soon have all Europe arrayed against
him. But this did not intimidate him.
Some of the Princes of the Confederation of the Rhine still remained
faithful to him; and his preparations being completed, he proposed to
resume in person the command of the army which had been so miraculously
reproduced. But before his departure Napoleon, alarmed at the
recollection of Mallet's attempt, and anxious to guard against any
similar occurrence during his absence, did not, as on former occasions,
consign the reins of the National Government to a Council of Ministers,
presided over by the Arch-Chancellor. Napoleon placed my successor with
him, M. Meneval, near the Empress Regent as Secretaire des Commandemens
(Principal Secretary), and certainly he could not have made a better
choice. He made the Empress Maria Louisa Regent, and appointed a Council
of Regency to assist her.
--[Meneval, who had held the post of Secretary to Napoleon from the
time of Bourrienne's disgrace in 1802, had been nearly killed by the
hardships of the Russian campaign, and now received an honourable
and responsible but less onerous post. He remained with the Empress
till 7th May 1815, when, finding that she would not return to her
husband, he left her to rejoin his master.]--
CHAPTER XXVIII.
1813.
Riots in Hamburg and Lübeck--Attempted suicide of M. Konning--
Evacuation of Hamburg--Dissatisfaction at the conduct of General St.
Cyr--The Cabinets of Vienna and the Tuileries--First appearance of
the Cossacks--Colonel Tettenborn invited to occupy Hamburg--Cordial
reception of the Russians--Depredations--Levies of troops--
Testimonials of gratitude to Tettenborn--Napoleon's new army--Death
of General Morand--Remarks of Napoleon on Vandamme--Bonaparte and
Gustavus Adolphus--Junction of the corps of Davoust and Vandamme--
Reoccupation of Hamburg by the French--General Hogendorff appointed
Governor of Hamburg--Exactions and vexatious contributions levied
upon Hamburg and Lübeck--Hostages.
A considerable time before Napoleon left Paris to join the army, the
bulk of which was in Saxony, partial insurrections occurred in many
places. The interior of France proper was indeed still in a state of
tranquillity, but it was not so in the provinces annexed by force to
the extremities of the Empire, especially in the north, and in the
unfortunate Hanse Towns, for which, since my residence at Hamburg, I
have always felt the greatest interest. The intelligence I received was
derived from such unquestionable sources that I can pledge myself for
the truth of what I have to state respecting the events which occurred
in those provinces at the commencement of 1813; and subsequently
I obtained a confirmation of all the facts communicated by my
correspondence when I was sent to Hamburg by Louis XVIII. in 1815.
M. Steuve, agent from the Court of Russia, who lived at Altona
apparently as a private individual, profited by the irritation produced
by the measures adopted at Hamburg. His plans were so well arranged that
he was promptly informed of the route of the Grand Army from Moscow, and
the approach of the Allied troops. Aided by the knowledge and activity
of Sieur Hanft of Hamburg, M. Steuve profited by the discontent of
a people so tyrannically governed, and seized the opportunity for
producing an explosion. Between eight and nine o'clock on the morning
of the 24th of February 1813 an occurrence in which the people were
concerned was the signal for a revolt. An individual returning to
Hamburg by the Altona gate would not submit to be searched by a fiscal
agent, who in consequence maltreated him and wounded him severely. The
populace instantly rose, drove away the revenue guard, and set fire to
the guard-house. The people also, excited by secret agents, attacked
other French posts, where they committed the same excesses. Surprised at
this unexpected movement, the French authorities retired to the
houses in which they resided. All the respectable inhabitants who were
unconnected with the tumult likewise returned to their homes, and no
person appeared out of doors.
General Carry St. Cyr had the command of Hamburg after the Prince of
Eckmuhl's departure for the Russian campaign.
--[General Carry St. Cyr is not to be conFused with the Marshal
Gonvion de St. Cyr; he fell into disgrace for his conduct at
Hamburg at this time, and was not again employed by Napoleon. Under
the Restoration he became Governor of French Guiana.]--
At the first news of the revolt he set about packing up his papers, and
Comte de Chaban, M. Konning, the Prefect of Hamburg, and M. Daubignosc,
the Director of Police, followed his example. It was not till about four
o'clock in the afternoon that a detachment of Danish hussars arrived
at Hamburg, and the populace: was then speedily dispersed. All the
respectable citizens and men of property assembled the next morning and
adopted means for securing internal tranquillity, so that the Danish
troops were enabled to return to Altona. Search was then made for
the ringleaders of the disturbance. Many persons were arrested, and a
military commission, ad hoc; was appointed to try them. The commission,
however, condemned only one individual, who, being convicted of being
one of the most active voters, was sentenced to be shot, and the
sentence was carried into execution.
On the 26th February a similar commotion took place at Lübeck. Attempts
were made to attack the French Authorities. The respectable citizens
instantly assembled, protected them against outrage, and escorted them
in safety to Hamburg, where they arrived on the 27th. The precipitate
flight of these persons from Lübeck spread some alarm in Hamburg. The
danger was supposed to be greater than it was because the fugitives were
accompanied by a formidable body of troops.
But these were not the only attempts to throw off the yoke of French
domination, which had become insupportable. All the left bank of the
Elbe was immediately in a state of insurrection, and all the official
persons took refuge in Hamburg. During these partial insurrections
everything was neglected. Indecision, weakness, and cupidity were
manifested everywhere. Instead of endeavours to soothe the minds of
the people, which had been, long exasperated by intolerable tyranny,
recourse was had to rigorous measures. The prisons were crowded with a
host of persons declared to be suspected upon the mere representations
of the agents of the police. On the 3d of March a special military
commission condemned six householders of Hamburg and its neighbourhood
to be shot on the glacis for no other offence than having been led,
either by chance or curiosity, to a part of the town which was the
scene of one of the riots. These executions excited equal horror
and indignation, and General Carra St. Cyr was obliged to issue a
proclamation for the dissolution of the military commission by whom the
men had been sentenced.
The intelligence of the march of the Russian and Prussian troops;
who were descending the Elbe, increased the prevailing agitation in
Westphalia, Hanover, Mecklenburg, and Pomerania, and all the French
troops cantoned between Berlin and Hamburg, including those who occupied
the coast of the Baltic, fell back upon Hamburg. General Carra St. Cyr
and Baron Konning, the Prefect of Hamburg, used to go every evening to
Altona. The latter, worn out by anxiety and his unsettled state of
life, lost his reason; and on his way to Hamburg, on the 5th of May, he
attempted to cut his throat with a razor. His 'valet de chambre' saved
his life by rushing upon him before he had time to execute his design.
It was given out that he had broken a blood-vessel, and he was conveyed
to Altona, where his wound was cured, and he subsequently recovered from
his derangement. M. Konning, who was a native of Holland, was a worthy
man, but possessed no decision of character, and but little ability.
At this juncture exaggerated reports were circulated respecting the
approach of a Russian corps. A retreat was immediately ordered, and it
was executed on the 12th of March. General Carra St. Cyr having no money
for the troops, helped himself to 100,000 francs out of the municipal
treasury. He left Hamburg at the head of the troops and the enrolled men
of the custom-house service. He was escorted by the Burgher Guard, which
protected him from the insults of the populace; and the good people of
Hamburg never had any visitors of whom they were more happy to be rid.
This sudden retreat excited Napoleon's indignation. He accused General
St. Cyr of pusillanimity, in an article inserted in the 'Moniteur',
and afterwards copied by his order into all the journals. In fact, had
General St. Cyr been better informed, or less easily alarmed, he might
have kept Hamburg, and prevented its temporary occupation by the