CHAPTER III.

1805.

My functions at Hamburg--The King of Sweden at Stralsund--

My bulletin describing the situation of the Russian armies--Duroc's

recall from Berlin--General Dumouriez--Recruiting of the English in

Hanover--The daughter of M. de Marbeof and Napoleon--Treachery of

the King of Naples--The Sun of Austerlitz--Prince Dolgiorouki

Rapp's account of the battle of Austerlitz--Gerard's picture--

Eugène's marriage.

I must now relate how, in conformity with my instructions, I was

employed in Hamburg in aiding the success of the French army. I had sent

an agent to observe the Russian troops, which were advancing by forced

marches to the banks of the Elbe. This agent transmitted to me from

Gadbusch an account of the routes taken by the different columns. It was

then supposed that they would march upon Holland by the way of Bremen

and Oldenburg. On the receipt of thus intelligence the Electorate

of Hanover was evacuated by the French, and General Barbou, who had

commanded there concentrated his forces in Hamelin.

On the 2d of November 1805 the King of Sweden arrived at Stralsund. I

immediately intimated to our Government that this circumstance would

probably give a new turn to the operations of the combined army, for

hitherto the uncertainty of its movements and the successive counter-

orders afforded no possibility of ascertaining any determined plan. The

intention seemed to be, that all the Swedo-Russian troops should cross

the Elbe at the same point; viz., Lauenburg, six miles from Hamburg.

There was not on the 5th of November a single Russian on the southern

bank of the Elbe.

The first column of the grand Russian army passed through Warsaw on the

1st of November, and on the 2d the Grand-Duke Constantine was expected

with the Guards. This column, which amounted to 6000 men, was the first

that passed through Prussian Poland.

At this time we momentarily expected to see the Hanoverian army landed

on the banks of the Weser or the Elbe, augmented by some thousands of

English. Their design apparently was either to attack Holland, or to

attempt some operation on the rear of our Grand Army.

The French Government was very anxious to receive accurate accounts

of the march of the Swedo-Russian troops through Hanover, and of the

Russian army through Poland. My agents at Warsaw and Stralsund, who were

exceedingly active and intelligent, enabled me to send off a bulletin

describing the state of Hanover, the movements of the Russians and

Swedes, together with information of the arrival of English troops in

the Elbe, and a statement of the force of the combined army in Hanover,

which consisted of 15,000 Russians, 8000 Swedes, and 12,000 English;

making in all 35,000 men.

It was probably on account of this bulletin that Napoleon expressed to

Duroc his satisfaction with my services. The Emperor on recalling Duroc

from Berlin did not manifest the least apprehension respecting Prussia.

Duroc wrote to me the following letter on the occasion of his recall:

MY DEAR BOURRIENNE--The Emperor having thought my services necessary

to the army has recalled me. I yesterday had a farewell audience of

the King and Queen, who treated me very graciously. His Majesty

presented me with his portrait set in diamonds. The Emperor

Alexander will probably depart to morrow, and the Archduke Anthony

vary speedily. We cannot but hope that their presence here will

facilitate a good understanding.

(Signed) DUROC.

Whenever foreign armies were opposing France the hopes of the emigrants

revived. They falsely imagined that the powers coalesced against

Napoleon were labouring in their cause; and many of them entered the

Russian and Austrian armies. Of this number was General Dumouriez.

I received information that he had landed at Stade on the 21st of

November; but whither he intended to proceed was not known. A man named

St. Martin, whose wife lived with Dumouriez, and who had accompanied the

general from England to Stade, came to Hamburg, where he observed

great precautions for concealment, and bought two carriages, which were

immediately forwarded to Stade. St, Martin himself immediately proceeded

to the latter place. I was blamed for not having arrested this man; but

he had a commission attesting that he was in the English service, and,

as I have before mentioned; a foreign commission was a safeguard; and

the only one which could not be violated in Hamburg.

In December 1805 the English recruiting in Hanover was kept up without

interruption, and attended with extraordinary success. Sometimes a

hundred men were raised in a day. The misery prevailing in Germany,

which had been ravaged by the war, the hatred against the French, and

the high bounty that was offered enabled the English to procure as many

men as they wished.

The King of Sweden, meditating on the stir he should make in Hanover,

took with him a camp printing-press to publish the bulletins of the

grand Swedish army.--The first of these bulletins announced to Europe

that his Swedish Majesty was about to leave Stralsund; and that his

army would take up its position partly between Nelsen and Haarburg, and

partly between Domitz and the frontiers of Hamburg.

Among the anecdotes of Napoleon connected with this campaign I find

in my notes the following, which was related to me by Rapp. Some days

before his entrance into Vienna Napoleon, who was riding on horseback

along the road, dressed in his usual uniform of the chasseurs of the

Guard, met an open carriage, in which were seated a lady and a priest.

The lady was in tears, and Napoleon could not refrain from stopping to

ask her what was the cause of her distress. "Sir," she replied, for

she did not know the Emperor, "I have been pillaged at my estate,

two leagues from hence, by a party of soldiers, who have murdered my

gardener. I am going to seek your Emperor, who knows my family, to whom

he was once under great obligations."--"What is your name?" inquired

Napoleon.--"De Bunny," replied the lady. "I am the daughter of M de

Marbeuf, formerly Governor of Corsica."--"Madame," exclaimed Napoleon,

"I am the Emperor. I am delighted to have the opportunity of serving

you."--"You cannot conceive," continued Rapp, "the attention which the

Emperor showed Madame de Bunny. He consoled her, pitied her, almost

apologised for the misfortune she had sustained. 'Will you have the

goodness, Madame,' said he, 'to go and wait for me at my head-quarters?

I will join you speedily; every member of M. de Marbeuf's family has

a claim on my respect.' The Emperor immediately gave her a picquet of

chasseurs of his guard to escort her. He saw her again during the day,

when he loaded her with attentions, and liberally indemnified her for

the losses she had sustained."

For some time previous to the battle of Austerlitz the different corps

of the army intersected every part of Germany and Italy, all tending

towards Vienna as a central point. At the beginning of November the

corps commanded by Marshal Bernadotte arrived at Saltzburg at the moment

when the Emperor had advanced his headquarters to Braunau, where there

were numerous magazines of artillery and a vast quantity of provisions

of every kind. The junction of the corps commanded by Bernadotte in

Hanover with the Grand Army was a point of such high importance that

Bonaparte had directed the Marshal to come up with him as speedily as

possible, and to take the shortest road. This order obliged Bernadotte

to pass through the territory of the two Margravates.

At that time we were at peace with Naples. In September the Emperor had

concluded with Ferdinand IV. a treaty of neutrality. This treaty enabled

Carra St. Cyr, who occupied Naples, to evacuate that city and to join

Massena in Upper Italy; both reached the Grand Army on the 28th of

November. But no sooner had the troops commanded by Carra St. Cyr

quitted the Neapolitan territory than the King of Naples, influenced

by his Ministers, and above all by Queen Caroline, broke the treaty

of neutrality, ordered hostile preparations against France, opened his

ports to the enemies of the Emperor, and received into his States 12,000

Russians and 8000 English. It was on the receipt of this news that

Bonaparte, in one of his most violent bulletins, styled the Queen of

Naples a second Fredegonda. The victory of Austerlitz having given

powerful support to his threats, the fall of Naples was decided, and

shortly after his brother Joseph was seated on the Neapolitan throne.

At length came the grand day when, to use Napoleon's expression, the Sun

of Austerlitz rose. All our forces were concentrated on one point, at

about 40 leagues beyond Vienna. There remained nothing but the wreck

of the Austrian army, the corps of Prince Charles being by scientific

manoeuvres kept at a distance from the line of operations; but the

Russians alone were superior to us in numbers, and their army was almost

entirely composed of fresh troops. The most extraordinary illusion

prevailed in the enemy's camp. The north of Europe has its Gascons as

well as the south of France, and the junior portion of the Russian army

at this period assumed an absurd braggadocio tone. On the very eve of

the battle the Emperor Alexander sent one of his aides de camp, Prince

Dolgorouki, as a flag of truce to Napoleon. The Prince could not repress

his self-sufficiency even in the presence of the Emperor, and Rapp

informed me that on dismissing him the Emperor said, "If you were on

'the heights of Montmartre,' I would answer such impertinence only

by cannon-balls." This observation was very remarkable, inasmuch as

subsequent events rendered it a prophecy.

As to the battle itself, I can describe it almost as well as if I had

witnessed it, for some time after I had the pleasure of seeing my friend

Rapp, who was sent an a mission to Prussia. He gave me the following

account:

"When we arrived at Austerlitz the Russians were not aware of the

scientific plans which the Emperor had laid for drawing them upon

the ground he had marked out; and seeing our advanced guards fall

back before theirs they already considered themselves conquerors.

They supposed that their Guard alone would secure an easy triumph.

But the action commenced, and they experienced an energetic

resistance on all points. At one o'clock the victory was yet

uncertain, for they fought admirably. They wished to make a last

effort by directing close masses against our centre. Their Imperial

Guard deployed; their artillery, cavalry, and infantry marched upon

a bridge which they attacked, and this movement, which was concealed

by the rising and falling of the ground, was not observed by

Napoleon. I was at that moment near the Emperor, awaiting his

orders. We heard a well-maintained firing of musketry. The

Russians were repulsing one of our brigades. The Emperor ordered me

to take some of the Mamelukes, two squadrons of chasseurs, and one

of grenadiers of the Guard, and to go and reconnoitre the state of

things. I set off at full gallop, and soon discovered the disaster.

The Russian cavalry had penetrated our squares, and was sabring our

men. I perceived in the distance some masses of cavalry and

infantry; which formed the reserve of the Russians. At that moment

the enemy advanced to meet us, bringing with him four pieces of

artillery, and ranged himself in order of battle. I had the brave

Morland on my left, and General D'Allemagne on my right. 'Forward,

my lads!' exclaimed I to my troop. 'See how your brothers and

friends are being cut to pieces. Avenge them! avenge our flag!

Forward!' These few words roused my men. We advanced as swiftly as

our horses could carry us upon the artillery, which was taken. The

enemy's cavalry, which awaited us firmly, was repulsed by the same

shock, and fled in disorder, galloping as we did over the wrecks of

our squares. The Russians rallied but a squadron of horse

grenadiers came up to reinforce me, and thus enabled me to hold

ground against the reserves of the Russian Guard. We charged again,

and this charge was terrible. The brave Morland was killed by my

side. It was downright butchery. We were opposed man to man, and

were so mingled together that the infantry of neither one nor the

other side could venture to fire for fear of killing its own men.

At length the intrepidity of our troops overcame every obstacle, and

the Russians fled in disorder, in sight of the two Emperors of

Russia and Austria, who had stationed themselves on a height in

order to witness the battle. They saw a desperate one," said Rapp,

"and I trust they were satisfied. For my part, my dear friend, I

never spent so glorious a day. What a reception the Emperor gave me

when I returned to inform him that we had won the battle! My sword

was broken, and a wound which I received on my head was bleeding

copiously, so that I was covered with blood! He made me a General

of Division. The Russians did not return to the charge; we had

taken all their cannon and baggage, and Prince Repnin was among the

prisoners."

Thus it was that Rapp related to me this famous battle of which he was

the hero, as Kellerman had been the hero of Marengo. What now remains of

Austerlitz? The recollection, the glory, and the magnificent picture of

Gerard, the idea of which was suggested to the Emperor by the sight of

Rapp with the blood streaming from his wound.

I cannot forbear relating here a few particulars which I learned

from Rapp respecting his mission after the cure of his wound; and

the marriage of Prince Eugène to the Princess Augusta of Bavaria. The

friendship which Rapp cherished for me was of the most sincere kind.

During my disgrace he did not even conceal it from Napoleon; and whoever

knows anything of the Emperor's Court will acknowledge that that was

a greater mark of courage than the carrying of a redoubt or making the

most brilliant charge of cavalry. Rapp possessed courage of every kind,

an excellent heart, and a downright frankness, which for a time brought

him into disgrace with Napoleon. The only thing for which Rapp could be

reproached was his extreme prejudice against the nobility, which I am

convinced was the sole reason why he was not created a Duke. The Emperor

made him a Count because he wished that all his aides de camp should

have titles.

"He had been a fortnight at Schoenbrunn," said Rapp to me, "and I had

not yet resumed my duties, when the Emperor sent for me. He asked

me whether I was able to travel, and on my replying in the

affirmative, he said, 'Go then, and give an account of the battle of

Austerlitz to Marmont, and vex him for not having been at it.' I set

off, and in conformity with the instructions I had received from the

Emperor I proceeded to Gratz, where I found Marmont, who was indeed

deeply mortified at not having had a share in the great battle.

I told him, as the Emperor had directed me, that the negotiations

were commenced, but that nothing was yet concluded, and that

therefore, at all events, he must hold himself in readiness. I

ascertained the situation of his army in Styria, and the amount of

the enemy's force before him: The Emperor wished him to send a

number of spies into Hungary, and to transmit to him a detailed

report from their communications. I next proceeded to Laybach,

where I found Massena at the head of the eighth corps, and I

informed him that the Emperor wished him to march in all haste upon

Vienna, in case he should hear of the rupture of the negotiations.

I continued the itinerary marked out for me until I reached Venice,

and thence till I met the troops of Carra St. Cyr, who had received

orders to march back upon Naples as soon as the Emperor heard of the

treachery of the King of Naples and the landing of the English and

Russians. Having fulfilled these different missions I proceeded to

Klagenfurth, where I saw Marshal Ney, and I afterwards rejoined the

Emperor at Munich. There I had the pleasure of finding our friends

assembled, and among them Josephine, still as affable and amiable as

ever. How delighted I was when, an my arrival, I learned that the

Emperor had adopted Eugène. I was present at his marriage with the

Princess Augusta of Bavaria. As to me, you know I am not very fond

of fetes, and the Emperor might have dispensed with my performing

the duties of Chamberlain; Eugène had no idea of what was going on

when the Emperor sent to desire his presence at Munich with all

possible speed. He, too, remains unchanged; he is still our old

comrade. At first he was not much pleased with the idea of a

political marriage; but when he saw his bride he was quite

enchanted; and no wonder, for I assure you she is a very charming

woman."