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NAPOLEON BONAPARTE letter signed as Emperor of France dated April 12, 1813 from St. Cloud to his Minister of War, the Duke of Feltre regarding reallocating troops in the wake of the devastating Russia campaign. As was typical of Napoleon's official correspondence, the body of the letter was written by a secretary, but signed by Napoleon at conclusion.
NAPOLEON BONAPARTE Letter Signed as Emperor TROOP REINFORCEMENTS 1813 War * PSA
$4,650.00
Guaranteed Authentic
NAPOLEON DIRECTS TROOP REINFORCEMENTS IN THE WAKE OF THE DISASTROUS RUSSIA CAMPAIGN
Only a few months earlier, Napoleon's Grand Armée had been virtually decimated in Russia. Napoleon had returned to Paris in December 1812 and spent the winter rebuilding an army nearly from scratch. Italy was one of Napoleon's principal reserves of manpower, with Napoleon attempting to rebuild French regiments there, reinforce them with newly conscripted soldiers, and release veteran units for service in Germany – just days before the Emperor would depart once more to begin his ill-fated German campaign of 1813.
Napoleon instructs the Duke:
"Monsieur le Duc de Feltre,
Reply to the Duke of Abrantès that there remain in Italy 24 battalions of French troops in addition to six line battalions, and that each of these six regiments must be completed by means of the 1814 conscription, each regiment being brought up to 4,000 men, so that it will thus be possible to send him as many troops as he requires.
It should not be necessary to send a provisional battalion to Ragusa (Dubrovnik); nevertheless, I shall shortly know where matters stand, and I shall then decide definitively with regard to Ragusa, the Croatian battalions, and the Italian battalions.
I believe there are Italian battalions at Ragusa, at Zara (Zadar), and at Cattaro (Kotor). Upon this, I pray God that He keep you in His holy protection. Saint-Cloud, 12 April 1813 – Napoleon"
Secretarial notation pinned at bottom left indicating a copy was given to M. Gerard. Etienne Maurice Gérard was a brilliant military general who served Napoleon directly in the Grand Armée and was highly regarded by the Emperor as one of his best commanders. He later became Prime Minister of France in 1834.
The Napoleon letter has been thoroughly reviewed and CERTIFIED AUTHENTIC BY PSA/DNA EXPERT EXAMINATION and encapsulated using PSA/DNA's proprietary sonically-sealed technology. GUARANTEED GENUINE – a museum quality acquisition for any collection.
In good condition, as shown, with expected wear, light wrinkles, foxing and single mailing fold consistent with the age, use and handling of a nearly 215 year old document. Please review images carefully for exact condition. Document measures approximately 7" x 8.75" inside 10" x 13" encapsulate.
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