Autographs and Manuscripts
BERTHIER, Louis Alexandre, Prince of Wagram and Neuchatel (1753-1815). French Marshal. ()
Letter Signed ("alexandre") to the Duc de Bellune [Marshal Victor], expressing his pleasure at a show of harmony between French soldiers and the Spanish population when celebrating Napoleon's birthday.1 page 4to in French, Fontainebleau, 2 October 1810.
Trans: "I received . . . the letter which you sent me on 17 August recounting the festivities of the 15th by the first Corps of the army. I read the details with pleasure: the unity which reigned in this instance between the French troops and the Spanish people can only have produced the best impression."The celebrations in question were evidently in honour of Napoleon's birthday on 15 August.Marshal Victor had been in the Peninsula for well over a year, seeing action at several battles before being repulsed by British forces at Talavera in 1809. Although some Spaniards favoured the French as liberators from a corrupt monarchy, one can only speculate as to how much of this unity between French and Spanish was genuine and how much was staged.
Stock Code: AU3413
