Napoleon's Letters to Josephine, 1796-1812
that because the former rejected him, the general had refused a favour
to her son; this had caused a quarrel which Chauvet had in vain tried
to settle. On March 27th Bonaparte had written Chauvet from Nice that
every day that he delayed joining him, "takes away from my operations
one chance of probability for their success."
No. 5.
St. Amand notes that Bonaparte begins to suspect his wife in this
letter, while the previous ones, especially that of April 3rd, show
perfect confidence. Napoleon is on the eve of a serious battle, and
has only just put his forces into fighting trim. On the previous day
(April 6th) he wrote to the Directory that the movement against Genoa,
of which he does not approve, has brought the enemy out of their
winter quarters almost before he has had time to make ready. "The army
is in a state of alarming destitution; I have still great difficulties
to surmount, but they are surmountable: misery has excused want of
discipline, and without discipline never a victory. I hope to have all
in good trim shortly--there are signs already; in a few days we shall
be fighting. The Sardinian army consists of 50,000 foot, and 5000
horse; I have only 45,000 men at my disposal, all told. Chauvet, the
commissary-general, died at Genoa: it is a heavy loss to the army, he
was active and enterprising."
Two days later Napoleon, still at Albenga, reports that he has found
Royalist traitors in the army, and complains that the Treasury had not
sent the promised pay for the men, "but in spite of all, we shall
advance." Massena, eleven years older than his new commander-in-chief,
had received him coldly, but soon became his right-hand man, always
genial, and full of good ideas. Massena's men are ill with too much
salt meat, they have hardly any shoes, but, as in 1800,[42] he has
never a doubt that Bonaparte will make a good campaign, and determines
to loyally support him. Poor Laharpe, so soon to die, is a man of a
different stamp--one of those, doubtless, of whom Bonaparte thinks
when he writes to Josephine, "Men worry me." The Swiss, in fact, was a
chronic grumbler, but a first-rate fighting man, even when his men
were using their last cartridges.
"_The lovers of nineteen._"--The allusion is lost. Aubenas, who
reproduces two or three of these letters, makes a comment to this
sentence, "Nous n'avons pu trouver un nom a mettre sous cette
fantasque imagination" (vol. i. 317).
"_My brother_," viz. Joseph.--He and Junot reached Paris in five days,
and had a great ovation. Carnot, at a dinner-party, showed Napoleon's
portrait next to his heart, because "I foresee he will be the saviour
of France, and I wish him to know that he has at the Directory only
admirers and friends."
No. 6.
_Unalterably good._--"C'est Joseph peint d'un seul trait."--Aubenas
(vol. i. 320).
"_If you want a place for any one, you can send him here. I will give
him one._"--Bonaparte was beginning to feel firm in the saddle,
while at Paris Josephine was treated like a princess. Under date
April 25th, Letourneur, as one of the Directory, writes him, "A vast
career opens itself before you; the Directory has measured the
whole extent of it." They little knew! The letter concludes by
expressing confidence that their general will never be reproached
with the shameful repose of Capua. In a further letter, bearing
the same date, Letourneur insists on a full and accurate account of
the battles being sent, as they will be necessary "for the history of
the triumphs of the Republic." In a private letter to the Directory
(No. 220, vol. i. of the _Correspondence_, 1858), dated Carru, April
24th, Bonaparte tells them that when he returns to camp, worn-out,
he has to work all night to put matters straight, and repress
pillage. "Soldiery without bread work themselves into an excess of
frenzy which makes one blush to be a man."[43]... "I intend to make
terrible examples. I shall restore order, or cease to command these
brigands. The campaign is not yet decided. The enemy is desperate,
numerous, and fights well. He knows I am in want of everything, and
trusts entirely to time; but I trust entirely to the good genius of
the Republic, to the bravery of the soldiers, to the harmony of the
officers, and even to the confidence they repose in me."
No. 7.
Aubenas goes into ecstasies over this letter, "the longest, most
eloquent, and most impassioned of the whole series" (vol. i. 322).
Facsimile of Letter dated April 24, 1796.
_June 15._--Here occurs the first gap in the correspondence, but
his letters to the Directory between this date and the last letter
to Josephine extant (April 24) are full of interest, including his
conscientious disobedience at Cherasco, and the aura of his destiny
to "ride the whirlwind and direct the storm" which first inspired him
after Lodi. On April 28th was signed the armistice of Cherasco, by
which his rear was secured by three strong fortresses.[44] He writes
the Directory that Piedmont is at their mercy, and that in making the
armistice into a definite peace he trusts they will not forget the
little island of Saint-Pierre, which will be more useful in the
future than Corsica and Sardinia combined. He looks upon northern
Italy as practically conquered, and speaks of invading Bavaria
through the Tyrol. "Prodigious" is practically the verdict of the
Directory, and later of Jomini. "My columns are marching; Beaulieu
flees. I hope to catch him. I shall impose a contribution of some
millions on the Duke of Parma: he will sue for peace: don't be in a
hurry, so that I may have time to make him also contribute to the
cost of the campaign, by replenishing our stores and rehorsing our
waggons at his expense." Bonaparte suggests that Genoa should pay
fifteen millions indemnity for the frigates and vessels taken in the
port. Certain risks had to be run in invading Lombardy, owing to want
of horse artillery, but at Cherasco he secured artillery and horses.
When writing to the Directory for a dozen companies, he tells them
not to entrust the execution of this measure "to the men of the
bureaus, for it takes them ten days to forward an order." Writing to
Carnot on the same day he states he is marching against Beaulieu,
who has 26,000 foot out of 38,000 at commencement of campaign.
Napoleon's force is 28,000, but he has less cavalry. On May 1st, in a
letter dated Acqui to Citizen Faipoult, he asks for particulars of
the pictures, statues, &c., of Milan, Parma, Placentia, Modena, and
Bologna. On the same day Massena writes that his men are needing
shoes. On May 6th Bonaparte announces the capture of Tortona, "a very
fine fortress, which cost the King of Sardinia over fifteen
millions," while Cherasco has furnished him with twenty-eight guns.
Meanwhile Massena has taken possession of Alessandria, with all its
stores. On May 9th Napoleon writes to Carnot, "We have at last
crossed the Po. The second campaign is begun; Beaulieu ... has
fool-hardiness but no genius. One more victory, and Italy is ours." A
clever commissary-general is all he needs, and his men are growing
fat--with good meat and good wine. He sends to Paris twenty old
masters, with fine examples of Correggio and Michael-Angelo. It is
pleasant to find Napoleon's confidence in Carnot, in view of Barras'
insinuations that the latter had cared only for Moreau--his type
of Xenophon. In this very letter Napoleon writes Carnot, "I owe you
my special thanks for the care that you have kindly given to my wife;
I recommend her to you, she is a sincere patriot, and I love her to
distraction." He is sending "a dozen millions" to France, and hopes
that some of it will be useful to the army of the Rhine. Meanwhile,
and two days before Napoleon's letter to Carnot just mentioned, the
latter, on behalf of the Directory, suggests the division of his
command with the old Alsatian General Kellermann. The Directory's
idea of a gilded pill seems to be a prodigiously long letter. It is
one of those heart-breaking effusions that, even to this day,
emanate from board-rooms, to the dismay and disgust of their
recipients. After plastering him with sickening sophistries as to
his "sweetest recompense," it gives the utterly unnecessary
monition, "March! no fatal repose, there are still laurels to
gather"! Nevertheless, his plan of ending the war by an advance
through the Tyrol strikes them as too risky. He is to conquer the
Milanais, and then divide his army with Kellermann, who is to guard
the conquered province, while he goes south to Naples and Rome. As an
implied excuse for not sending adequate reinforcements, Carnot adds,
"The exaggerated rumours that you have skilfully disseminated as to
the numbers of the French troops in Italy, will augment the fear
of our enemies and almost double your means of action." The
Milanais is to be heavily mulcted, but he is to be prudent. If Rome
makes advances, his first demand should be that the Pope may order
immediate public prayers for the prosperity and success of the French
Republic! The sending of old masters to France to adorn her National
Galleries seems to have been entirely a conception of Napoleon's. He
has given sufficiently good reasons, from a patriotic point of view;
for money is soon spent, but a masterpiece may encourage Art among
his countrymen a generation later. The plunderers of the Parthenon of
1800 could not henceforward throw stones at him in this respect. But
his real object was to win the people of Paris by thus sending them
Glory personified in unique works of genius.
The Directory, already jealous of his fame, endeavour to neutralise
the effect of his initiative by hearty concurrence, and write, "Italy
has been illumined and enriched by their possession, but the time is
now come when their reign should pass to France to stablish and
beautify that of Liberty." The despatch adds somewhat naively that the
effects of the vandalism committed during their own Republican orgies
would be obliterated by this glorious campaign, which should "join to
the splendour of military trophies the charm of beneficent and restful
arts." The Directory ends by inviting him to choose one or two artists
to select the most valuable pictures and other masterpieces.
Meanwhile, the Directory's supineness in pushing on the war on the
Rhine is enabling the Austrians to send large reinforcements against
Napoleon. Bonaparte, who has recently suffered (Jomini, vol. viii.
113) from Kellermann's tardiness in sending reinforcements at an
important moment, replies to the letters of May 7th a week later, and
writes direct to Citizen Carnot from Lodi, as well as to the Executive
Directory. "On the receipt of the Directory's letter of the 7th your
wishes were fulfilled, and the Milanais is ours. I shall shortly
march, to carry out your intentions, on Leghorn and Rome; all that
will soon be done. I am writing the Directory relatively to their idea
of dividing the army. I swear that I have no thought beyond the
interest of my country. Moreover, you will always find me straight
(_dans la ligne droite_).... As it might happen that this letter to
the Directory may be badly construed, and since you have assured me
of your friendship, I take this opportunity of addressing you, begging
you to make what use of it your prudence and attachment for me may
suggest.... Kellermann will command the army as well as I, for no one
is more convinced than I am that the victories are due to the courage
and pluck of the army; but I think joining Kellermann and myself in
Italy is to lose everything. I cannot serve willingly with a man who
considers himself the first general in Europe; and, besides, I believe
one bad general is better than two good ones. War is like government:
it is an affair of tact. To be of any use, I must enjoy the same