CLARKE HENRI-JACQUES-GUILLAUME: (1765-1818)

CLARKE HENRI-JACQUES-GUILLAUME: (1765-1818)

‘The Emperor has won a very big battle against the Russians….
I have just received the news’

 

CLARKE HENRI-JACQUES-GUILLAUME: (1765-1818) 1^st Duc de Feltre. Franco-Irish General in the French Revolutionary Wars, also a politician who served as Minister of War 1807-14, 1815 & 1815-17. Marshal of France. An excellent L.S., Duc de Feltre, three pages, folio, Paris, 21^st September 1812, to Marie-Francois Auguste de Caffarelli du Falga, on the printed stationery of the Minister of War, in French. Clarke states that he has received his correspondent's letter, and regrets the situation he has learnt of at Bilbao, continuing 'L'intention de l'Empereur n'est pas de sacrifier inutilement des troupes pour l'occuper, malgre toutes l'importance de ce point....mais ce point est trop essentiel pour ne pas le tenir compte avec les forces necessaires pour le defendre et votre position ne serait plus tenable si les ennemis, que je vois deja avec tant de peine a Castro, s'etablissaient a Bilbao. L'etat de choses changera apres que les renforts auront joint l'armee du Portugal. Les Anglais ne paraissent pas s'occuper de cette armee qu'ils croient avoir mis pour longtemps dans l'impossibilite d'agir et j'ai lieu de presumer que Lord Wellington tourne ses vue d'un autre cote. Des que l'armee de Portugal pourra reprendre l'offensive la chance doit tourner en notre faveur….. La situation des affaires n'a point extremement souffert par le mouvement que le Roi [Joseph Bonaparte] s'est vu sur le cas de faire sur Valence; la reunion de l'armee du centre a celle du marechal duc d'Albufera [Suchet] a eu lieu au moment meme ou les Anglais, ayant fait un debarquement a Alicante, des renforts etaient a desirer pour l'armee de Valence. Rien ne pouvait donc venir plus a propos, dans ces circonstances, que l'arrivee d'un corps aussi considerable de bonnes troupes, a l'armee du duc d'Albufera, il lui assure une superiorite decidee sur l'ennemi qu'il a en-tete et doit faire echouer tous les projets des Anglais dans cette partie. De votre cote, quand vous ne serez plus inquiete par mer vous vous trouverez dans une position bien plus avantageuses pour assurer vos communications et travailler' (Translation: 'The Emperor's intention is not to sacrifice troops unnecessarily to occupy it, despite all the importance of this point….but this point is too essential not to be taken into account with the forces necessary to defend it and your position would no longer be tenable if the enemies, whom I already see with so much difficulty in Castro, were to establish themselves in Bilbao. The state of things will change after the reinforcements have joined the army of Portugal. The English do not seem to care about this army which they believe they have for a long time made it impossible to act and I have reason to presume that Lord Wellington is turning his sights in another direction. As soon as the army of Portugal can resume the offensive, luck must turn in our favour….The situation of affairs has not been greatly affected by the movement that the King [Joseph Bonaparte] has seen fit to make on Valencia; the meeting of the central army with that of the Marshal Duke of Albufera [Suchet] took place at the very moment when the English, having made a landing at Alicante, reinforcements were to be desired for the army of Valencia. Nothing, therefore, could have come more apropos, in these circumstances, than the arrival of such a considerable body of good troops, to the army of the Duke of Albufera, it assures him of a decided superiority over the enemy he has in mind and must defeat all the projects of the English in this part. On your side, when you are no longer worried by sea you will find yourself in a much more advantageous position to ensure your communications and work'). In a holograph postscript, signed ('Le D de F') by Feltre with his initials, he announces 'L'Empereur a gagné une tres grande bataille sur les Russes a Mojaisk le 7 Septembre, J'en recois a l'instant la nouvelle' (Translation: 'The Emperor has won a very big battle against the Russians at Mozhaysk on 7^th September. I have just received the news'). A letter of good association and fine military content, written as Napoleon was marching towards Moscow. One small spindle hole to the lower left margin, not affecting the text or signature, VG

Marie-Francois Auguste de Caffarelli du Falga (1766-1849) French General of Italian descent who served as an aide-de-camp to Napoleon Bonaparte in 1800. Caffarelli was later employed in Spain where he defeated an attempted English landing at Laredo, seized Bilbao, and was named governor of Biscay in 1811, completely routing Mina's band of guerrillas and contributing to the raising of the siege of Burgos.

In the present letter the Duc de Feltre commits a small error in the news he excitedly provides in his postscript. There was, strictly speaking, no battle that took place at Mozhaysk; it is the famous battle Battle of Moscow (also known as the Battle of Borodino) which took place on 7^th September 1812. Mozhaysk is located 110 km to the west of Moscow and the town, situated on the historic road leading to Smolensk, and then Poland, played a role in defending the Western approaches to Moscow in the 19^th and 20^th centuries, and in 1812 the Battle of Borodino took place 12 km away. Napoleon arrived at Mozhaysk on the 9^th September where, suffering from a sever cold, he stayed for three days. It is possible that the letter Clarke received with the news was dated from Mozhaysk which may have given rise to his confusion, given the remoteness of the location coupled with the imperfection of the maps.