Description:

Bonaparte Napoleon

Napoleon Bonaparte LS Regarding Peninsular War Expenses

 

2pp LSin French inscribed in a clerical hand and signed by Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) as "Napol" along vertical axis at the center of second page verso. Written in Rambouillet, France on August 13, 1811. The cream paper is in near fine condition, with expected light paper folds, measuring 7.25" x 9". From the Marc-Arthur Kohn sale, "The Empire in Paris," December 2, 2013 (Paris, France), part of Lot 129.

 

Napoleon Bonaparte--emperor, military commander, and expert administrator--addressed this letter to his Minister of Public Treasury, Nicolas Francois, Count Mollien (1758-1850), in the late summer of 1811.  It dates from the middle of the Peninsular War (1807-1814). Napoleon attacked his former ally Spain in 1808 following his bloodless conquest of Portugal in November 1807. For almost the next decade, Napoleon's generals waged a stalemated war against Sixth Coalition forces Britain, Spain, and Portugal.

 

Napoleon's "Spanish Army" (Armee d'Espagne) consisted of approximately 300,000 troops of mixed origin (French, Italian, and Confederation, or German states.) Napoleon had enjoyed great military success while personally leading his 500,000+ strong Grande Armee through Europe. Yet Napoleon personally spent only two months of the 7-year-long Peninsular War in Spain. Instead, distracted by other fronts in Russia and Western Europe, he relegated control of the Spanish Army to a handful of fractious generals. The result was disasterous, both in terms of human life and financial resources. Napoleon called this front the "Spanish ulcer."

 

Translation from the French; page breaks have been added for improved legibility.

 

“Monsieur Count Mollien, I would like very much to have a precise idea of the accounts of the Spanish army. You told me earlier about a report that I still await with impatience. I have just ordered the dispatch of an 8th convoy of funds that will leave the beginning of September. I also want to have a 9th dispatched, containing 4 million, that will leave in early October. It will be necessary to coordinate that with the 1810 and 1811 budget.

 

Part of the funds that I send to Spain are destined for the central army and will pay the Confederation troops, to whom the Princes should also send their funds. The Italian division that is in Spain, and the one that will soon arrive, receive funds from the Italian treasury. I need to have clear explanations of the above. -- I see on the last Treasury balance sheet that 15 million was due to the War Department on July 1st for the 1810 exercise. I suppose that of this 15000000 10000000 was to supplement the balance of the Spanish army and are whole. -- In the financial statement from July 1811, I see that only 12700000 f. was spent on the balance of the Spanish and Portuguese armies for 1811. = I remark that in this statement, being no. 9, that you had spent 2300000 francs on the balance in Illyria, and 400000 f on that of Dalmatia; but Illyria and Dalmatia are the same thing. -- I see 400000 f for Naples; I don’t know what for.

 

On this, I pray that God keeps you in his holy care. At Rambouillet August 13, 1811.

 

Napol.”

 

This letter illustrates how Napoleon's micromanaging ensured both early success and later failure. In other theaters, such as in Poland, Napoleon's close oversight enabled him to precisely coordinate troop movements. But in the Peninsular War, Napoleon insisted on having the same amount of control from further away and with out-of-date intelligence. In this way, Napoleon did not alter his leadership style. His ordinarily effective micromanagement style backfired in Spain.

 

Imperial overextension is also hinted at in the letter when Napoleon inquires about general finances in other territorial outposts, such as in the Balkans and in Italy.

 

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