  "Berthier, incapable of acting a principal part, was surprised, and making a succession of false movements that would have been fatal to the French army, if the Emperor, journeying night and day, had not arrived at the very hour when his lieutenant was on the point of consummating the ruin of the army. But then was seen the supernatural force of Napoleon's genius. In a few hours he changed the aspect of affairs, and in a few days, maugre their immense number, his enemies, baffled and flying in all directions, proclaimed his mastery in an art which, up to that moment, was imperfect; for never, since troops first trod a field of battle, was such a display of military genius made by man."—Napier. SERIES L(For subjoined Notes to this Series see pages 278-295.)
LETTERS OF THE EMPEROR NAPOLEON TO THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE DURING THE AUSTRIAN CAMPAIGN, 1809.Events of 1809. January 7th.—King and Queen of Prussia visit Alexander at St. Petersburg. January 12th.—Cayenne and French Guiana captured by Spanish and Portuguese South Americans. January 13th.—Combat of Alcazar. Victor defeats Spaniards. January 14th.—Treaty of Alliance between England and Spain. January 16th.—Battle of Corunna. Moore killed; Baird wounded. January 17th.—English army sails for England. January 22nd.—King Joseph returns to Madrid. January 27th.—Soult takes Ferrol (retaken by English, June 22nd). February 21st.—Lannes takes Saragossa. February 23rd.—English capture Martinique. March 4th.—Madison made President of United States. March 29th.—Soult fights battle of Oporto. Spaniards lose 20,000 men and 200 guns. Gustavus Adolphus abdicates throne of Sweden. April 9th.—Austrians under Archduke Charles cross the Inn, enter Bavaria, and take Munich. Napoleon receives this news April 12th, and reaches Strasburg April 15th. April 15th.—EugÈne defeated on the Tagliamento. April 16th.—And at Sacile. April 19th.—Combat of Pfafferhofen. Oudinot repulses Austrians, while Davoust wins the Battle of Thann. Napoleon joins the army. April 20th.—Battle of Abensberg. Archduke Louis defeated. Austrians take Ratisbon, and 1800 prisoners. Poles defeated by Archduke Ferdinand at Baszy. April 21st.—Combat of Landshut; heavy Austrian losses. Austrians under Archduke Ferdinand take Warsaw. April 23rd.—French take Ratisbon. April 25th.—King of Bavaria re-enters Munich. April 26th.—French army crosses the Inn. April 28th-30th.—French force the Salza, and cut in two the main Austrian army—"One of the most beautiful manoeuvres of modern tactics" (Montgaillard). April 29th.—Combat of Caldiero. EugÈne defeats Archduke John. May 3rd.—Russia declares war on Austria, and enters Galicia. May 4th.—Combat of Ebersberg. Massena defeats Austrians, but loses a large number of men. No. 1. To the Empress, at Strasburg. Donauwoerth, April 17, 1809. I arrived here yesterday at 4 A.M.; I am just leaving it. Everything is under way. Military operations are in full activity. Up to the present, there is nothing new. My health is good.—Yours ever, Napoleon. No. 2. To the Empress, at Strasburg. Enns, May 6, 1809, Noon. My Dear,—I have received your letter. The ball that touched me has not wounded me; it barely grazed the tendon Achilles. My health is very good. You are wrong to be uneasy. My affairs here go excellently.—Yours ever, Napoleon. Kind regards to Hortense and the Duke de Berg.[32] May 8th.—EugÈne crosses the Piave, and defeats Archduke John. No. 3. To the Empress, at Strasburg. Saint-Polten, May 9, 1809. My Dear,—I write you from Saint-Polten. To-morrow I shall be before Vienna; it will be exactly a month to the day after the Austrians crossed the Inn, and violated peace. My health is good, the weather splendid, and the soldiery very cheerful; there is wine here. Keep well.—Yours ever, Napoleon. May 13th.—French occupy Vienna, after a bombardment of thirty-six hours. May 17th.—Roman States united to the French Empire. May 18th.—French occupy Trieste. May 19th.—Lefebvre occupies Innsbruck. May 20th.—EugÈne reaches Klagenfurt. May 21st-22nd.—Battle of Essling. A drawn battle, unfavourable to the French, who lose Marshal Lannes, three generals killed, and 500 officers and 18,000 men wounded. The Archduke admits a loss of 4200 killed and 16,000 wounded. May 22nd.—Meerveldt with 4000 men surrenders at Laybach to Macdonald. May 25th.—EugÈne reaches Leoben in Styria, and captures most of the corps of Jellachich. May 26th.—EugÈne joins the army of Germany, at Bruck in Styria. No. 4. May 12th.—Soult evacuates Portugal. Wellington crosses the Douro, and enters Spain. To the Empress, at Strasburg. Schoenbrunn, May 12, 1809. I am despatching the brother of the Duchess of Montebello to let you know that I am master of Vienna, and that everything here goes perfectly. My health is very good. Napoleon. No. 5. To the Empress, at Strasburg. Ebersdorf, May 27, 1809. I am despatching a page to tell you that EugÈne has rejoined me with all his army; that he has completely performed the task that I entrusted him with; and has almost entirely destroyed the enemy's army opposed to him. I send you my proclamation to the army of Italy, which will make you understand all this. I am very well.—Yours ever, Napoleon. P.S.—You can have this proclamation printed at Strasburg, and have it translated into French and German, in order that it may be scattered broadcast over Germany. Give a copy of the proclamation to the page who goes on to Paris. May 28th.—Hofer defeats Bavarians at Innsbruck. No. 6. To the Empress, at Strasburg. Ebersdorf, May 29, 1809, 7 P.M. My Dear,—I have been here since yesterday; I am stopped by the river. The bridge has been burnt; I shall cross at midnight. Everything here goes as I wish it, viz., very well. The Austrians have been overwhelmed (frappÈs de la foudre). Adieu, dear.—Yours ever, Napoleon. No. 7. To the Empress, at Strasburg. Ebersdorf May 31, 1809. Your letter of the 26th to hand. I have written you that you can go to PlombiÈres. I do not care for you to go to Baden; The loss of the Duke of Montebello, who died this morning, has grieved me exceedingly. Thus everything ends!! Adieu, dear; if you can help to console the poor MarÉchale, do so.—Yours ever, Napoleon. June 1st.—Archduke Ferdinand evacuates Warsaw. June 6th.—Regent of Sweden proclaimed King as Charles XIII. No. 8. To the Empress, at Strasburg. Schoenbrunn, June 9, 1809. I have received your letter; I see with pleasure that you are going to the waters at PlombiÈres, they will do you good. EugÈne is in Hungary with his army. I am well, the weather very fine. I note with pleasure that Hortense and the Duke of Berg are in France. Adieu, dear.—Yours ever, Napoleon. June 10th.—Union of the Papal States to France promulgated in Rome. June 11th.—Napoleon and all his abettors excommunicated. June 14th.—EugÈne, aided by Macdonald and Lauriston, defeats Archduke Ferdinand at Raab. No. 9. To the Empress, at PlombiÈres. Schoenbrunn, June 16, 1809. I despatch a page to tell you that, on the 14th, the anniversary of Marengo, EugÈne won a battle against the Archduke Napoleon. June 18th.—Combat of Belchite. Blake defeated by Suchet near Saragossa. No. 10. To the Empress, at PlombiÈres. Schoenbrunn, June 19, 1809, Noon. I have your letter, which tells me of your departure for PlombiÈres. I am glad you are making this journey, because I trust it may do you good. EugÈne is in Hungary, and is well. My health is very good, and the army in fighting trim. I am very glad to know that the Grand Duke of Berg is with you. Adieu, dear. You know my affection for my Josephine; it never varies.—Yours ever, Napoleon. July 4th-5th.—French cross Danube, and win battle of Enzersdorff. July 5th-6th.—Pope Pius VII. carried off from Rome by order of Murat; eventually kept at Savona. July 6th.—Battle of Wagram. The most formidable artillery battle ever fought up to this date (900 guns in action). The Austrians had 120,000 men, with more guns and of larger calibre than those of the French. No. 11. July 7th.—St. Domingo surrenders to the English. To the Empress, at PlombiÈres. Ebersdorf, July 7, 1809, 5 A.M. I am despatching a page to bring you the good tidings of the victory of Enzersdorf, which I won on the 5th, and that of Wagram, which I won on the 6th. The enemy's army flies in disorder, and all goes according to my prayers (voeux). EugÈne is well. Prince Aldobrandini is wounded, but slightly. BessiÈres has been shot through the fleshy part of his thigh; the wound is very slight. Lasalle was killed. My losses are full heavy, but the victory is decisive and complete. We have taken more than 100 pieces of cannon, 12 flags, many prisoners. I am sunburnt. Adieu, dear. I send you a kiss. Kind regards to Hortense. Napoleon. No. 12. To the Empress, at PlombiÈres. Wolkersdorf, July 9, 1809, 2 A.M. My Dear,—All goes here as I wish. My enemies are defeated, beaten, utterly routed. They were in great numbers; I have wiped them out. To-day my health is good; yesterday I was rather ill with a surfeit of bile, occasioned by so many hardships, but it has done me much good. Adieu, dear. I am in excellent health. Napoleon. July 12th.—Armistice of Znaim. Archduke Charles resigns his command. No. 13. To the Empress, at PlombiÈres. In the Camp, before Znaim, July 13, 1809. I send you the suspension of arms concluded yesterday with the Austrian General. EugÈne is on the Hungary side, and is well. I send you a kiss, and am very well. Napoleon. You may cause this suspension of arms to be printed at Nancy. July 14th.—English seize Senegal. Oudinot, Marmont, Macdonald made Marshals. No. 14. To the Empress, at PlombiÈres. Schoenbrunn, July 17, 1809. My Dear,—I have sent you one of my pages. You will have learnt the result of the battle of Wagram, and, later, of the suspension of arms of Znaim. My health is good. EugÈne is well, and I long to know that you, as well as Hortense, are the same. Give a kiss for me to Monsieur, the Grand Duke of Berg. Napoleon. No. 15. To the Empress, at PlombiÈres. Schoenbrunn, July 24, 1809. I have just received yours of July 18th. I note with pleasure that the waters are doing you good. I see no objection to you going back to Malmaison after you have finished your treatment. It is hot enough here in all conscience. My health is excellent. Adieu, dear. EugÈne is at Vienna, in the best of health.—Yours ever, Napoleon. July 28th.—Battle of Talavera. Wellington repulses Victor, who attacks by King Joseph's order, without waiting for the arrival of Soult with the main army. Wellington retires on Portugal. July 29th-31st.—Walcheren Expedition; 17,000 English land in Belgium. No. 16. To the Empress, at PlombiÈres. Schoenbrunn, August 7, 1809. I see from your letter that you are at PlombiÈres, and intend to stay there. You do well; the waters and the fine climate can only do you good. I remain here. My health and my affairs follow my wishes. Please give my kind regards to Hortense and the Napoleons.—Yours ever, Napoleon. August 8th.—Combat of Arzobispo. Soult defeats the Spaniards. August 15th.—Flushing surrenders to the English. No. 17. To the Empress, at Paris. Schoenbrunn, August 21, 1809. I have received your letter of August 14th, from PlombiÈres; I see from it that by the 18th you will be either at Paris or Malmaison. The heat, which is very great here, will have upset you. Malmaison must be very dry and parched at this time of year. My health is good. The heat, however, has brought on a slight catarrh. Adieu, dear. Napoleon. No. 18. To the Empress, at Malmaison. Schoenbrunn, August 26, 1809. I have your letter from Malmaison. They bring me word that you are plump, florid, and in the best of health, I assure Adieu, dear. Twice a week I listen to the comedians (bouffons); they are but very middling; it, however, passes the evenings. There are fifty or sixty women of Vienna, but outsiders (au parterre), as not having been presented. Napoleon. No. 19. To the Empress, at Malmaison. Schoenbrunn, August 31, 1809. I have had no letter from you for several days; the pleasures of Malmaison, the beautiful greenhouses, the beautiful gardens, cause the absent to be forgotten. It is, they say, the rule of your sex. Every one speaks only of your good health; all this is very suspicious. To-morrow I am off with EugÈne for two days in Hungary. My health is fairly good. Adieu, dear.—Yours ever, Napoleon. No. 20. To the Empress, at Malmaison. Krems, September 9, 1809. My Dear,—I arrived here yesterday at 2 A.M.; I have come here to see my troops. My health has never been better. I know that you are very well. I shall be in Paris at a moment when nobody will expect me. Everything here goes excellently and to my satisfaction. Adieu, dear. Napoleon. No. 21. To the Empress, at Malmaison. Schoenbrunn, September 23, 1809. I have received your letter of the 16th, and note that you are well. The old maid's house is only worth 120,000[34] francs; they will never get more for it. Still, I leave you mistress to do what you like, since it amuses you; only, once purchased, don't pull it down to put a rockery there. Adieu, dear. Napoleon. No. 22. To the Empress, at Malmaison. Schoenbrunn, September 25, 1809. I have received your letter. Be careful, and I advise you to be vigilant, for one of these nights you will hear a loud knocking. My health is good. I know nothing about the rumours; I have never been better for many a long year. Corvisart was no use to me. Adieu, dear; everything here prospers.—Yours ever, Napoleon. September 26th.—Battle of Silistria; Turks defeat Russians. No. 23. October 14th.—Treaty of Vienna, between France and Austria. To the Empress, at Malmaison. Schoenbrunn, October 14, 1809. My Dear,—I write to advise you that Peace was signed two hours ago between Champagny and Prince Metternich. Adieu, dear. Napoleon. October 19th.—Mortier routs Spaniards at OÇana. No. 24. To the Empress, at Malmaison. Nymphenburg, near Munich, October 21, 1809. I arrived here yesterday in the best of health, but shall not start till to-morrow. I shall spend a day at Stuttgard. You will be advised twenty-four hours in advance of my arrival at Fontainebleau. I look forward with pleasure to seeing you again, and I await that moment impatiently. I send you a kiss.—Yours ever, Napoleon. No. 25. To the Empress, at Malmaison. Munich, October 22, 1809. My Dear,—I start in an hour. I shall be at Fontainebleau from the 26th to 27th; you may meet me there with some of your ladies. Napoleon. November 25th.—Disappearance of Benjamin Bathurst, erroneously thought to have been murdered by the French, really by robbers. December 1st.—Capture of Gerona and 200 cannon by Augereau. December 16th.—French Senate pronounce the divorce of Napoleon and Josephine. December 24th.—English re-embark from Flushing. |
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