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Bonaparte Napoleon



Napoleon Bonaparte LS Regarding the Defense of the Bydgoszcz Canal

 

1p LS in French inscribed in a clerical hand and signed by Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) as "Napole" at center. Written in Osterode, Germany on March 23, 1807. The watermarked cream paper is in near fine condition, with expected light paper folds and a few isolated areas of minor foxing, the sheet measuring 7.25" x 8.875". From the Marc-Arthur Kohn sale, "The Empire in Paris," December 2, 2013 (Paris, France), part of Lot 38.

 

Napoleon Bonaparte--emperor, military commander, and master geopolitical strategist--addressed this letter to his Minister of War, Henri Jacques Guillaume Clarke (1765-1818), in late March 1807. It dates from the waning months of the War of the 4th Coalition (October 1806-July 1807), when Napoleon was inexorably marching east conquering modern day Poland. Napoleon won the war after forcing the surrender of Polish strongholds Szczecin in October 1806, Gdansk in May 1807, and Kolobrzeg in July 1807.

 

Napoleon personally commanded his Grande Armee, comprised of 1,000,000 soldiers at its greatest extent, while invading and incorporating European territories into his ever-expanding empire. In this Polish campaign, Napoleon's French forces joined German, Italian, and Polish troops and faced off against the coalition forces Prussia, Russia, Great Britain, and Sweden.

 

Translation from the French:

 

“Monsieur General Clarke I wanted you to know that my intention was that the Battalion of Weimar present itself under the orders of Gal Belair and be used to cover the canal from Kostrzyn to Bydgoszcz. -- -- I don’t see anything inconvenient about sending the young princess of Weimar home. – You should have at this moment at least 200 dragoons of the mounted guard. Have them leave for the army. Osterode. March 23, 1807. Napole.”

 

The "Battalion of Weimar" almost certainly referred to the forces of Karl August, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1757-1828). The German duke had been forced to join the Confederation of the Rhine (comprised of leaders of lesser German states) after the disastrous Battle of Jena-Auerstedt (October 1806). To avoid the confiscation of his territories, the Grand Duke and his forces fought under Napoleon's banners until 1812.

 

Napoleon wanted the Grand Duke's battalion to aid "Gal Belair" in his defense of the Bydgoszcz canal, which was the gateway to a large area encompassing western Poland. General Louis Liger-Belair (1762-1835) was appointed its defender in mid-March 1807. The original canal had a systems of locks constructed between 1772-1775, and extended east to west from Bydgoszcz towards Naklo nad Notecia, Poland. The canal provided a continuous waterway connection between the Vistula and Oder Rivers, and by extension, other major Polish cities. The canal thus ensured navigation, transport, and communication with Napoleon's western flank.

 

"The young princess of Weimar" likely referred to the Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach's daughter, Princess Caroline Louise of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1786-1816). The Princess would have been 20 years old in March 1807.

 

Napoleon was in part able to accomplish all he did by relying on General Clarke, who handled military matters ranging from inspection and provisioning, to conscription and internal discipline. General Clarke was recognized for his great service when he was granted the honorary title of Duc of Feltre in August 1809.

 



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