France Napoleonic Documents

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General Caffarelli lost his left leg campaigning on the Rhine and was promoted general de brigade in 1795. During the Egyptian Campaign he commanded the engineers and supervised the Scientific Commission. He was wounded in the arm during the siege of Acre and Surgeon Larrey had to amputate it. He never recovered and died two weeks latter on April 27, 1799.

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Alexander Berthier General de Division

Edited October 23, 2006 by Bear

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To General de Brigade Cafferelly

You citizen General, that the citizen General en Chef, owing to the need of subjects has authorized Citizen Auger, Sapeur in the 6th Battalion, to keep exercising in the Military Hospital No.1 the role of nurse, until the 14th Brumaire, by which date he'll be bound to rejoin his post.

Berthier

Edited October 24, 2006 by Bear

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Giles Joseph Martin Bruneteau de Sainte Suzanne(1760-1830)

Suzanne was promoted General in 1795 and served in the French army of the Rhine and in Italy, commandant of Milan....

This document is by General Suzanne to the Minister of War while commanding the Camp of Boulogne dated January 2, 1810.

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Your Excellency the Count, Minister of War.

Monsieur the Count,

I have received the letter you made me the honour of writing me on the 28th, to warn me that, according with the orders of His Majesty, the free distribution of firewood to the officers employed in the 1st Reserve Army Corps, must stop from the 1st of this month.

I have made known the order to these officers the provisions of the letter from your Excellency.

Please accept, Monsieur the Count, the insurance of my high regard.

The General commanding the Camp of Boulogne

Sainte Suzanne

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General de Division Robin

This document by General Robin to the Minister of War at Alessandria, Italy dated 1801. The document mentions Chasseloup-Laubat who was Napoleon's military engineer. He was employed in reconstructing the defences of Northern Italy. The great fortress at Alessandria, on the Tanaro, near Turin was his major work.

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To the Minister of War

General Chasseloup told me he wrote you, citizen minister, to warn you it would be necessary to get out of Alessandria for a few winter months five Battalions of the garrison and send them to various cantonments, as during that period it is not possible to use many workers for the fortifications, and other motives he detailed to you.

He designated to you two Battalions of the 29th and the whole 53rd.

Allow me, citizen minister, to point to you that the 53rd has just made a considerable move from Coblenz, that has been very costly to the officers and has indebted many of them, who thought they would be spending winter here, have made establishments and purchases, and that a new move would force them to sell much loss, and at their new destination, they would have to make other purchases, which would indebt them even more for a long time.

Hence I have the honour to propose you, rather than the 53rd, to detach the 102nd that for over a year have been garrisoned here, which seems to me very fair, and avoids complaints and resentments always harmful to the service.

I have the honour of saluting you respectfully

Robin

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General de Brigade Rheinwald

This document by General Rheinwald is to General Vial (French Ambassador to Switzerland) at the Headquarters of Geneva dated April 9, 1804.

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General de Brigade Rheinwald

Commanding the Leman Department and the troops stationed in the Republic of Valais

To General Vial, Plenipotentiary Minister by the Helvetic Republic

My General

I have just realized, that many conscripts from the Department of Leman have taken shelter in the Canton in Leman (in the Pays de Vaud), to abscond from conscription.

I pledge you, General to employ yourself for the ... ... of the project, to stop that abuse, detrimental to the interest of the French Government.

I am flattered that this circumstance allows me to remind you of me, having found myself in year 10 with you at ..., at General Massena', whose Chef d'Etat Major General I was in the Swiss campaign.

Please receive the assurance of my distinguished consideration

Rheinwald

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This is a naval embarkation order dated October 9, 1800 at Rochefort.

It is ordered to citizen Jean-Bernard Lapefrere Sub Lieutenant, to embark on board the schooner L'Agile, commanded by citizen Gallois, Sub Lieutenant.

This is the only information I could find on the L'Agile.

http://www.hsgng.org/pages/anciaux.htm

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This is a service document of Jean-Francois Marpaude of the 2nd Half Brigade of Infantry(Army of the Sambre and Meuse) dated Feb. 20, 1796.

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Army of the Sambre and Meuse

2nd Half Brigade of Infantry

Services of Citizen Jean-Francois Marpaude, Chief of the second half Brigade.

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List of Ranks Campaignes, Actions and Wounds

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Took Part in the 1774, 1775 and 1776 campaign in Corsica. That of 1792, 1793, 1794 and 1795.

On the 22 Floreal of Year 2, at Coutrage, at the head of a Battalion of Grenadiers, forced the enemy to retreat after preventing him twice from entering the said town. Wounded on the 29th inst. by gunshot in the left forearm at the affair of Prousbeek.

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Certified by us, the Members of the Administration Council of the 2nd Half Brigade of Infantry. At Aix la Chapelle, the council taking place in the 1st of Ventose, Year 4 of the French Republic, one and Indivisible.

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General Jean-Baptiste Kleber

Born March 9, 1753 - Died June 14, 1800

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General Kleber was put in command after Napoleon left Egypt for France at the end of 1799. On March 20, 1800 he attacked 60,000 Turks at Heliopolis with just 10,000 troops and led them to victory. He occuppied Cairo which had earlier revolted against the French. On June 14, 1800 Kleber was assassinated by a Syrian student Soluman El-Halaby while in Cairo which was on the same day that Desaix fell at Marengo.

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This document while in Cairo is dated April 1, 1800 just a couple of months before being assassinated.

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Republic of France

To the Headquarters of Cairo April 1, 1800

Kleber, General en Chef

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To the General Paymaster,

You will, citizen, hold at the disposal of citizen Brascevich, my first interpretor secretary, 2,000 livres, for wages and other expenses relative to his duties.

I Salute You,

Kleber

Paid Damien Bracevich

[Djedj]

Bonjour Barry,

Many different ships were named "L'Agile".

I think some detail about yours can be found here :

http://www.netmarine.net/dico/tome1-a.pdf

AGILE - Schooner of T?l?graphe Class (1799-1815)

Shipyard : Entreprise Crucy, Nantes

Started : April 1799

Launched : June 1799

In service : July 1799

Retired : June 1815

Characteristics : 70t, 25 x 6.2 x 2.7 meteres ; II + XVIII. pierriers (that should be the kind of guns)

Observations :

June 1815 : taken by the English off Guadeloupe

August 1815 : Condemned in Martinique.

It is also mentioned on that page :

http://perso.orange.fr/jdtr/Bouchet1.htm

This is the history of Louis Bouchet, a Naval Surgeon.

here's the relevant extract :

"Un peu plus de deux ans s'?taient ?coul?s depuis son arriv?e ? Rochefort; nous ?tions alors en guerre avec l'Angleterre, on armait beaucoup de navires et le personnel des chirurgiens ?tait insuffisant; on d?t avoir recours aux ?l?ves les plus capables de l'Ecole et mon p?re fut charg?, ? dix huit ans ? peine, du service m?dical ? bord de la go?lette l'Agile. C'?tait une grande responsabilit?, mais c'?tait aussi une ?cole pratique dont il sut profiter. Le petit b?timent sur lequel il faisait son apprentissage m?dico-maritime croisa quelque temps en rade de l'?le d'Aix et dans le golfe de Gascogne, sans qu'il lui arriv?t m?saventure; puis il rentra ? Rochefort et mon p?re fut embarqu? sur le brig l'Abeille,(...)"

"A little more than two years had passed since his arrival at Rochefort (NB: that makes it 1802); we were at war with England then, many ships were being armed and there were not enough surgeons ; the most able students were requisited, and my father was charged, at barely 18, of medical service on board the schooner Agile. It was agreat responsibility, but also a practical school he knew how to take advantage of. The small vessel aboard which he was making his medical and maritime apprenticeship cruised for a while around the Ile d'Aix and in the Bay of Biscaye, without any mishaps; then she came back to Rochefort and my father was embarked on board the brig l'Abeille (...)

Salutations,

J?r?me

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Thanks Jerome.

I looked just about everywhere for information on the L'Agile. I really enjoy info on the early surgeons. I think they had an interesting life. Hopefully soon I'll post a document from Surgeon Larrey. He had one heck of a life.

thanks,

barry

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General Jacques-Francois Menou

Born September 3, 1750 - Died August 13, 1810

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General Menou took over command of the Egyptian campaign after the assassination of General Kleber.

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At Cairo Headquarters dated November 26, 1800

Menou, General en Chef,

to General .....,

I expect you at one o'clock, citizen general, we'll have a chat together.

Menou