YOU-LON m 1: vmotmmzs TWO IMPORTANT mars m m mm yummy mm OF woman MART: Thai: For flu mom on! M. A. WEAR STATE UNIVmiTY Edward V. lav-W 1955 I TCULCH AHD 13 VEHDSKIAIRE: TWO ITPORTAHT EVZKTS IN THE EARLY F LITARY CAREER OF NAPO’?ON BCHAPARTE by Edward V. Zavell An abstract submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Easter of Arts in Kichigan State University E. Lansing, Uichigan 1955 Approved ;’ '4ch t 111%. I E De partment of History kinetics ’: '. Edward V . Zavell The french Revolution, besides bringing about an enormous change in the lives of the peeple of France, produced a new elite in both the army and the national political arena. Of all the individuals emerging from the new system, beyond question the most spectacular was Napoleon Bonaparte. Rising from the ranks of the Irench army. Napoleon, a Corsican, seized the reins of the government and proceeded to rule France from 1799 to 1815. During this brief span of tine he transformed France from a country ridden by internal and external strife into the most formidable Empire the modern world had witnessed to that time. This thesis concerns itself with the beginnings of Napoleon's meteoric rise, namely the siege of Toulon in 1793 and 13 Vende‘niaire (October 5, 1795). Napoleon's true role at these episodes still remains an enigma. Just as important, for the historian, is the fact that his activity has been the subject of disagreement and controversy. In an attempt to discover the facts and more clearly define these occurrences, all available source materials have been examined. Primary sources such as the Archives Parliamentaires and the ett Nat e u e W have been utilized whenever possible. In the study of Toulon and 13 Vende’miaire, it is found that there are marked differences of Opinion as to mat really happened and of what importance Napoleon was to these victories. J'or instance, Napoleon's versions. as reported by his faithful followers Las Gases, Bertrand, Gougaud, and Mentholon are so divergent from General Paul Barrae' descriptions that it hardly seems Napoleon and Barres are referring to the same events. Barres, a politician of considerable importance during Edward V. Zavell this time, recognized the potentialities of Napoleon and favored the young Corsican. Yet his Mgpgirs reflect a bitter hatred and desire to calumniste him. The siege of Toulon in 1793 was the first event to bring Napoleon recognition in France. A.Royalist reaction at Toulon had enabled the enemies of revolutionary France to occupy that city. Napoleon, although of minor rank, took charge of the artillery of the besieging Republican army and caused the allies great distress. Moreover, the major portion of the successful plan for the conquest of Toulon was conceived by Bonaparte. The revolt of 13 Vendlmiaire had been precipitated by a prOposal which allowed two-thirds of the members of the terminating Convention to be retained under the New Constitution without the requirement of re-election. When this uprising reached serious proportions, General Barres was given the task:of suppressing it. Barres sought the aid of able officers, one of whom was Bonaparte. In the‘ensuing encounter, the Convention forces, although outnumbered approximately five to one, crushed the insurrectionists with incredible ease. Napoleon, as second in command, obtained artillery for the defense of the Convention, set up the defense, and at one particular location directed the Convention forces with conspicuous ability. Exploiting his perfOrmance on 13 Yenddniaire to the fullest, Napoleon subsequently vaulted to great heights in.the trench military organisation. I TOULON AND 13 VEHDEKIAIRE: THO IKPORTANT EVENTS IN TEE EARLY EILITARY CARELR OF NAPCLEON BOKAPARTE by Edward V. Zavell A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Easter of Arts in Michigan State University B. lensing, Michigan 1955 Approved Department of History ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I wish to express my sincere appreciation to Professor John 3. Harrison for his assistance, encouragement, and constructive criticism in the study and writing of this thesis. . ,da(e_:\-‘,e'-?'IK.‘ .. 1‘???” }('k ‘A\. EARL] 0! CONTENTS ter I. Introduction .............................. ........... . II. Toulon.- first Act for’Napoleon ...................... III. Interlude ............................................. IV. 13 Venddiiaire - Prelude to Napoleon's Rise ........... V. The Consequences of 13 Vendéniaire to Napoleon ........ VI. Summary and Conclusions .s............................. Bibliomm .0.0......OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO00....0.0.0.0.... 11 #1 79 89 Chapter I . Introduction Perhaps the phrase, active but uncertain, can best describe the early military career of Napoleon Bonaparte. The young Corsican certainly experienced periods when he was on the brink of rising to prominence only to have his efforts frustrated by strokes of ill fortune. This thesis will lay stress on the details of the battles of Ioulon end of 13 Vende’miaire showing primarily what roles Napoleon Bonaparte had in each. After one of these encounters, fortune finally miled on Bonaparte. Before beginning the study of these two events, however, a brief outline of the life of Napoleon up to Toulon should aid the reader to become acquainted with the setting. Napoleon was born in AJaccio, Corsica, on August 15, 1769, the second son of Carlo and Letisia IBuonapar‘te.1 In his childhood, the fiery Napoleon possessed an agreesive and quarrelsome spirit which was controlled only by the In order to improve his manners, Napoleon Although the influence of his mother. had to attend a girl's school in the city of AJaccio.2 many fascinating stories of Napoleon's passion for soldiering during 1 I'he .‘l'rench form of Bonaparte was not used generally until 1796. 2 l'rederick lax Kircheisen, nggleon, trans. Henry St. Lawrence (New York, 1932), p. 8. Hereafter referred to as Iircheisen. his boyhood appear to be inventive afterthougxts, it is fairly certain that his father, Carlo, correctly surmised that little Napoleon had talents which aarked hie as a potential soldier.3 However, for a feaily of nodest leans, such as the Bonapartes, higher education appeared as an ilpossibility. It did not take Carlo long to deter-ins his course of action. Since France had annexed Corsica in 1768, it became possible to obtain education for the sons of noble-en at the King's expense. Since the Bonapartes were of obscure Italian nobility, the offspring of Carlo could qualify. In preparation of this opportunity, Carlo took his two oldest sons, Joseph and Napoleon, to Autun to have then learn the trench language, a necessary prelininary of entrance to the french schools. After much petitioning and waiting, the happy day for the Bonapartes arrived: young Napoleon was admitted to the Hilitary Acadeay of Brienne.“ it Brianne, he was not liked particularly by his fellow students and renained anti-social and aloof for several years. The students teased hill, often referring to his foreign birth. Infuriated by these taunts, Napoleon was led lore than once to say that he would do the 3 August J'ournier, e rats A B , trans. flargaret Bacon Oorwin and Arthur Dart Bissell, ed. ldward Gaylord Bourne (New York, 1903), p.5. Hereafter referred to as Nournier. 4 John Holland. Bose, W (New Iork,l92’+), 1,10. Hereafter referred to as Nose, WW. Napoleon entered Brienne in 1779. French all the mischief he could.5 After his education at Brienne was finished in 1781*, Napoleon wished to enter the Royal Navy, but instead he was recommended and appointed to the Ncole Nilitaire in Paris. 1'he following year Napoleon, at the age of sixteen, was promoted to lieu—- tenant and assigned to an artillery reginent known as La Is‘re stationed 6 in Valence. In August 1786, Lyons was harassed by disturbances among silk-workers. Napoleon was sent to this city with his battalion for a brief occupation.7 Iron late 1786 to early 1788 Bonaparte spent numerous leaves visiting Corsica, and little in the way of military occurrences are recorded for hin during this period. The military service of the little Corsican resumed when he reported to his new station at Auronne in May of 1788. Here his talents were recognised by General Duteil, couander of the artillery school. who tsmght hi. nuch in the basic principles of nilitary science.8 In March, 1789 a series of riots rocked the city of Seurre and Napoleon was given command of a company ordered to restore peace in that locality. By his skillful choice of wards, Napoleon succeeded in dispersing the tumltous 5 Louis .‘l'auvelet De Bourrienne, M Na t ed. H. N. Phipps (New York, n.d.). I, 7. Hereafter referred to as Bourrienne. This nan was a class-ate of Napoleon's at Brienne. Louis Hadelin, G W (Paris, 1937), I, “9-51. Hereafter referred to as Madelin. 7 Kircheison, p. 21. 8 «T. 601111. WWW (Paris. 1901). p. 129. nobs without resorting to the use of cannon»? lhile the nation of hence was in the throes of the great revolutiea Bonaparte again sought and obtained leave for Corsica. During this visit he first not the hero of boyhood, Paoli, who had always appeared to be the syabol of liberty for all Corsicans. How- ever, for various reasons, Napoleon's fiery ardor for the old warrior waned considerably.1° loreover, he began to conceive of wresting mthority fro: the reigning govern-eat by organizing a National Guard group for the purpose of ejecting the trench garrison fro: the fort- ress of AJaccio. But this early schene of Napoleon's cans to an ignoainieus end when the french forces were reinforced and his National Guard outfit was ordered disbanded.11 the following year, Napoleon again concentrated his efforts on an active revolution in Corsica through the organisation of the Jacobin Club. His goal, as before, was the seisure of the stronghold held by the lunch in AJaccie. 9 Nircheisen, p. 25. Bonaparte, before giving the order to fire, exclaiaed to the crowd that his orders were to fire on the rabble. None of the nob was willing to be classified as such, end they dilpfirIOd. I, 27.28. Paoli had favored Bastia as the city to be the official capital of Corsica. Ihis annoyed the AJaccio aspirants which included the Bonapartes. Paoli also began showing signs of a dictatorial mture. Moreover, Paoli's disposition of the Corsican troops in their attenpt to gain freedoa free France irked Napoleon who declared that such arrange-ants would spell defeat for Corsica. mien, 11 J'ournier, p. 26 But his proposal to ley regular siege of the fortress was rejected by the Jacobin club.12 lo this rebuff Bapoleon reacted by writing a scathing letter attacking the Oonte de Butaf‘ucco, the deputy for the nobles of Corsica to the lational Assenbly of France, as a traitor to Corsica. As a leader, Paoli was berated for his failure to understand anything but passionate fanaticisn as the criteria for liberty and independence}:3 Leaving Corsica in disgust, Bonaparte returned to his artillery regiaent at Leanne in rebroary, 1791. In June. 1791, lapoleon received his proaction to the grade of first lieutenant and was transferred to the fourth Artillery Regiment of Grenoble, at that ties stationed in Valence. 1“ 'hen the French national isseably decided to create battalions of paid volunteers, of which Corsica was to have several, the young first lieutenant again obtained leave to return to Oorsica in hopes of receiving a battalion eon-and.15 In part, lapoleon succeeded since he was chosen second in command of the battalion froa his native city of Music. But his glances repeatedly directed themselves to that fornidable and desirable fortress which housed the bench troops. During laster week of 1792, lapoleon contrived the seizure of AJaccio. 12l'ournier, p. 26. 132..., W I. 28. 14 Kaolin, I, 119-120. lstiroheissn, p. 33 however, the influential Pauli refused to support hie. .‘l‘urtheraore, the restless Corsican was ordered to leave AJaccio. Upon his return, to France, lapoleon proceeded to Paris.16 During his stay, napoleon witnessed the historic event of June 20, 1792, when the mobs storaed the Tuilleries and insulted the king and queen. His revulsion at . such an exhibition pronpted his: to exclaim the need for sweeping off four or five hundred of the rabble with cannon in order to disperse the rest of them.” More than three years later, Napoleon was to prove the accuracy of his declaration by using artillery on the sectionaries during the fray of 13 Vsnd‘aiaire. He also was a spectator to the scenes of August 10, 1792, in which the aroused Parisians dealt the coup de grace to the Bourbon monarch, Louis XVI, by forcing him to flee and seek protection in the National Assembly where his nonarchial rule was suspended.18 Pronoted to captain in August, 1792, Bapoleon still did not show any particular interest in lranoe. Instead of proceeding to his regiaent, which was stationed at the eastern frontier of Trance, lapolson ignored this order and debarked 1hr Gorsica.l9 It was 16 Fournier, pp. 30-32. 17 Bourrienne, I, 1?. 18 Th: 1.11; g: lgpglggn I, I, 33. 19 Kircheisen, pp. 35-36. during this tile that a plan, forlulated in 1791 by the now defunct Legislative dssenbly, was ordered to be prelulgated. Sardinia was to be invaded and conquered on lebruary 19, 1793. The aain concen- tration of forces was hurled against the Sardinian capital of Cagliare while a silultaneous attack from the north by way of the island of Haddelena was to be aade. Bonaparte, with a rank of lieutenant colonel, was anong the 600 regular troops and Corsican volunteers who took part in the Maddalena expedition. The invading party toek possession of a little island south of Maddalena called San Stefano.lbut when it attupted to seize Maddalena it not unexpectedly strong resistance. Bonaparte took charge of one battalion and ordered artillery to be showered on the harbor defenses. he intended assault for the following morning was ruined by the fearful Corsican troops who nutineed in the belief that the defense had an everwhelning superiority in numbers. Lieutenant Colonel Qusnsa, the oouander of the other battalion, and Napoleon tried to persuade the soldiers to advance, but to no avail. The troops ingloriously fled, abandoning all artillery pieces and infantry positions.2° Upon his return to Corsica free the Sardinian catastrophe, new violent verbal contests ensued between Napoleon and Paoli. lapoleen O Kircheisen, pp. 36-37. the rank of lieutenant colonel was in the Corsican am rather than a bench connission. resumed the conand of the volunteer forces of AJaccio as if nothing had occurred in his absence. Furthermore, Paoli, being a french general, was ordered to the J‘rench Aray of the South. He refused to conply. Consequently, the Convention issued an order for his arrest on April 2, 1793.21 Ihsn this occurred, lapoleon broke completely with Paoli and espoused the cause of trance. levertheless, the Corsican people were still in favor of Paoli. Napoleon was declared an outlaw and the rest of his kin were labelled as subversive. In a final desperate effort to win Corsica, the young captain assayed to threw his battalion against the alluring fortress in Music. Ihis venture likewise failed.22 Ihe furious Corsicans now sougit revenge on lapeleon. Being unable to catch his, they satisfied their anger by wrecking the Bonaparte estate while the mtire Bonaparte clan was fleeing en nasse to the J'rench port city of Toulon, arriving there in June, 11’2'93.23 After getting the family well settled in La Valette, located several silos northeast of Toulon, Napoleon traveled to lice where a portion of his regieent was stationed?“b A certain General Dugear, connander of the Aray of Italy, requested the services of 211eurnier, p. 30. 22Why it was unsuccessful is an interesting point. Kircheisen asserts that the garrison in the fort did not side with lapoleon althoudi he had predicted they would. See Kircheisen, p. 1+0. 231030. Wheels-la; 1. 37. wrircheisen, p. 1+1. napoleon for an undeternined nunber of weeks. When Marseilles revolted, General Dugear sent Napoleon to convince the revolters that conveys for the Any of Italy should be allowed to pass through that city or else Marseilles would create resentment from asmbers of the Army of Italy. According to lapoleon, this assigneent was successful.25 It was during this tine, July, 1793. that foulon revolted against the lunch government. Bonaparte apparently remained with General Dugear until early September. While traveling to lies in early September, Napoleon not a fellow Corsican by the name of Salicetti. What happened during and after that nesting will be explained in the next chapter. Napoleon's next military day occurred aleost two years after the siege of Toulon. The third chapter will deal with this two year period in euro detail, however a few cursory remarks at this tine would aid the reader to understand the problems related to 13 Vende’niaire. During this interval, lapoleon's star seemed to fade quite aarkedly. fhe radical faction of Jacobins was overthrown in 1791+ and all suspected adherents to that party suffered either death or banith or discrilination. Because Iapoleon was identified with then, he also felt the sting of reprisal. He was arrested but later released and ordered to Join the Al'ly of the Vest. This Bonaparte refused to do since he considered the transfer to the infantry, which the order somerset De Chair, W915; (Iondon, 1999). p. 11. Hereafter referred to as De Chair. “+— 10 included, as an insult.26 Instead, he drifted to Paris to plead his case for the artillery position with the Amy of Italy. Destitute, on half-pay, and relatively unknown, Bonaparte‘s future looked dis. But, as so often happened in his life, Napoleon showed up at the east strategic aonent. And when the insurrection broke out in Paris, he was in a position to receive his second big Opportunity, which was 13 Vend‘niaire. napoleon was a great adherent of artillery and considered the infantry as a branch of secondary importance at this tine. 11 Chapter II. Ioulon - first Act for Napoleon the battle of Toulon in 1793. besides being an interesting episode in the period of the French Revolution, heralded the opening chapter of lapoleon Bonaparte's aeteoric career. Before Coulee the revolution had pursued a rather precarious and uneven course. At first, the peasants in the various provinces had championed the cause of the revolution, since the great landed estates had been divided along then. But this initial enthusiase dininished steadily as the successive legislative bodies became garrulous gatherings which appeared to acconplish nothing acre than pave the way for a Parisian dictatorship. lloreover, the devout peasants vociferously opposed the religious innovations of the government. As confusion and foreign wars beseiged the Republic of francs. the pendulus of provincial opinion began swinging back in favor of the eonarchy. However, King Louis XVI was deposed by the radical faction in the rational Convuition. In January, 1793. the extreaists perpetrated the crowning blow to nonarchisn by executing the King as disloyal to francs. Immediately, the cry of rebellion against the revolutionary governnent was raised in sixty of the eighty provinces in francs. l'hs opposition of the people found its vent in the support of Royalisn. The Vend‘ean, Breton, and Angevin peasantry, who had opposed the Civil Constitution of the clerg, became willing advocates of sonarchy through the persuasive exhortations of the Royalists. In Toulon, 12 Irance' s chief lediterranean naval base, the revolt initially had appeared as a reaction against the radical Mountain faction only, but on Augist 21+, 1793, the Toulonese leaders proclaimed Louis XVII as King of francs.1 This was considered an opportune ties for Great Britain to deal the deathblow to the revolution by invading trance free the port cities of the aediterranean with the sin of restoring the nonarchy. The naJority of the french people appeared willing to collaborate with such a plan. Boyalist leaders fro. Marseilles had sent feelers to the British fleet indicating the possible occupation of that city.2 However, such proposals cane too late. Ihe hordes of the Branch regular aray, under the direction of General Carteaux who connanded the Arny of the South, crushed the rebellion in that city before the British could intervene. not so in Toulon. The allies, consisting of British, Spanish, Piedmontese, and leapoliten troOps, were cordially received by the Boyalist synpathisers. But even at this favorable noaent for the allies, there were indications that strong opposition would be encountered fron the ll'rench Republicans. One sign was the rapid advance of the victorious trench aray free Marseilles. M 1 A. mate, The J‘r c ti : APo tica Hi to trans. Bernard Niall (London, 1910;, II, 309. 2 John Holland non. MW (Ga-brim. 1922), p. 19. Hereafter referred to as Bose, 13W 13 During one of the early skirmishes between the allies and the Republican forces, the french artillery officer, Donnartin, was incapacitated by injuries. A search for a replacement was conducted by the representatives of the Revolutionary Convention and the military alike. It was during this period that Salicetti, a representative of the people, encountered Napoleon at lice. Before arriving at Rice, Napoleon had been at Marseilles obtaining sees artillery wagons for the french Aray of Italy. After a few exchanges of friendly words, Salicetti proposed the position of artillery director at Tendon, which Napoleon readily accepted.3 Th1“. 3943010011 301131381“ entered the scene of Toulon around the middle of Septenber, 1793.“ Here his budding nilitary genius was given its first great test. lapoleon had shown talent before this tine, also, in the political field by composing a little pamphlet in July, 1793 which was entitled 3 Kircheisen, p. M. How Napoleon happened to be sent to reulon is a topic which is described in aany ways. Kircheisen's presentation for divergent views, see Memoirs at seems to be the nest logical. sggt Helepg to the 69;;ng Who Smed His Captivity and Publishgg Hamiscri ts Correctedw dict. General a t Or inal Gourgaud (London, 18235, I, 11-12. Hereafter referred to as Gourgaud, In Rose, 3; Life 01 ngglggg I, I, 42-43, I, or Hontholon, III. another interesting, but unlikely, view is given. 4 his would seen a logical tine sequence, since Donaartin was injured in an engagement with the allies on September 9, 1793. A version which met be read with caution is that of George Duruy, 1n the introduction of Paul Barres, Mire of Barres: Member 9_f t3; Directorate, trans. 0. l. Roche, ed. George Darcy (New York, 1895). I, Hereafter referred to as Barres. Hr. Durny attempts to place lniv. Napoleon at Toulon when Donnartin was injured and receiving the command shortly thereafter. 11+ W. In effect, this pamphlet was a propaganda effort directed toward the liarseillaise, striving to persuade the: that their rebellious course would only lead to the destruction of their city and woe to theaselves.5 Ehis palphlet had a teeporarily beneficial effect on Hapoleon's career by placing hie in the ranks of those who supported the present regime, however it later caused his disaissal fro: the any when the Jacobin rule in Paris collapsed. Nevertheless, at this tine Napoleon was considered a good patriot and upon his appointment by Salicetti he Journeyed to Toulon. On his arrival to the republican canp near Ollioules, Bonaparte reported to General Oarteau: in order to receive his authorisation as cellander of the artillery.6 Hapeleon described Oarteaux as a haughty and incompetent am who asserted strenuously that he needed no assistance in retaking the city, but that Hapoleon could share in the glory of burning Ionlon once it was recaptured.7 However, this overconfident air was speedily deflated when Oarteaux was faced with the cold realisation that rouion was not going to fall before the 5 Hapoleon Bonaparte. W (Purim n-M. PP- 20-30- 6 Ollioules is situated approxiaately 35 ailes northwest of Toules. Bee Nap, p. 1%. 7 Count De Las Gases, wig; De Saints Helene: Jgggg. g; the Privgtg e O versati s t ererll ceo at 8a tH London, 1823 , I, pt. 1, 190-141. Hereafter referred to as Las Cases. ravioli 114 L733 -LL 4&1 1 \ OULE 9 W H é///////// Q M PlMtew ///-'./’..'r \<:" s 'M I! k [E I :01 {It‘s ’luzul'tglfius' .' Ltv L MILES A LL'ES FR‘NCH '...'....I..... HARD-R fawn! vvs to U VBALA‘ooIR .5 es La HA5 ens / ‘ I“ W 1" fr PNAh" OUTER HARBOR CEPET erncu BA-r'rsmss: I. CeuVENT'loN :1. Fame like 3.PouORléRE 5‘. Race 5- Mourns/~16 é. Sens CeuLs-r'rss 7. aunvft Monume- 9.6Acaalns 7. Hanna's Sans PEI/R IO'CHASE Cocucus ”-GRANDE RADE 12.543L5-rrcs 13. FAUBRE’cns MAP TAKEN FROM JW. FcRTESuve, A Herrekr of THE BEN-5H ARI-1y; NAILS— (Lenses, HIS),IE', PT: I, 15 onslaught of sheer numbers. More than likely, he becane less ads-ant in his declarations of refusing aid fron others and became no great barrier to the young artillery officer's activity. On Septenber 17, 1793, Napoleon erected his first battery. The next day he ordered this battery to be fired on the ships of the allies in the inner harbor near the port of i'eulon.8 The allies retaliated by concentrating gun fire on this battery and destroying it my tines. Nevertheless, Bonaparte nerely ordered it to be reconstructed tine and $111.9 His tenacity no further demonstrated by his order to have another battery erected on the 20th of Septenber.:"0 With these batteries firing continually on the British fleet three significant events were brought about. First, the British had to raise anchor and take their ships to the outer harbor.ll Second, Lord Hood had to withdraw his floating battery since it had received extensive damage by Napoleon's battery fire.12 Hood perceived that the Republican artillery was getting the better of the fight because it could hit tangible targets, whereas the British floating batteries had to 8 Charles James rox, Iapglcon Bonapgte g rho siege 9; £03,193 (Washington, D. 6., 1902 , p. 19. Hereafter referred to as Box. 9 Mingires Du Duc De Lame De 1.222 ; l8}; (Paris, 1857), I, 40. Hereafter referred to as Haguse. Haguse did not arrive until December, thus it must be assumed this portion of his memoirs was gained by accounts of other officers or from Bonaparte himself. 1010:, p. 19. 1J’Hslguse, I, 1+0. 1210:, p. 20. 16 contend with partially hidden land objectives. Moreover, the shots which did not hit the land structures ended up harmlessly on the sandy ground nullifying any possibility of dmage by ricochet. third, Hood declared that if the Trench took possession of the high ground dominating the roadstead between the inner and outer harbors, the fleet would be driven from the harbor of Toulon. Hence, Admiral Lord Hood ordered Lord Hulgrave to take a sortie of 500 men to the heights of La Grease and construct a fort there. his fort, reasonably dubbed l'ort Mulgrave, commanded the top of the promontory which overlooked the narrow strait between the inner and outer harbors of Toulon.13 To the northeast of Toulon, the hills and the mountain position also forced the allies to establish and maintain a string of forts and defense posts. the British high command had correctly apprehended that the new could easily devastate i‘oulon if such positions were seized and converted into artillery posts. By the end of September the Irench on the eastern front had struck on a plan of seizing one of these heigts. General Lapoype, commander of the eastern sector, conferred the execution of this schene on Victor, an able officer who later becane one of lapoleon's aarshals during the period of the hpire. The plan was to ascend the cliffs near the Pas de La Masqu‘ and overwhelm a small British piquet located in that area. The 13 J. I. J‘ortescue, A History of fie EULM (10350119 1915). 1', pt. 1, 163. Hereafter referred to as lortescue. 17 original 800 men were then to be reinforced by a contingent of 1000 trusted soldiers.“ Because of the excellent coordination of this plan, the allies were taken completely unawares and were driven from the critical positions of lount heron, Pas de La Masque and 0roix de Pharon. Ihe allies, in a high state of consternation, becmse of the loss of these critical spots, quickly retool: the overrun areas within the same day. Lord llulgrave led the allies in this determined and successful counter-attack.” Hapoleon has been mentioned by one historian as being present and participating 16 However, such an assertion has no in the attack by Victor. support either by contemporary witnesses or official reports. Rather, it appears that lapoleon concentrated his efforts on the western sector only. He may have visited the eastern front on many occasions, but this is only conjecture. Irom the beginning lapoleon had discerned, as Hood did, the importance of the land heights of La Grasse as the point where the land dominated the sea on the western front. Bonaparte asserts that “fortune, IV , 16+ 15Edwin Sidney, 12:93.! (London, 1M5 e P. 16. Here 16'111183 James, :3; Han; Higtggz 21 Grgt Brigg, Ira g. D c arati of War b l‘r co in to e Accessi n f 31 (London, 1886), I, 79. Hereafter referred to as James. the use of the Dictiongire gistgrim, IV, 131, by Jases is of questionable advisability since this work appears to be the official trench version of history. after referred to as H111. after reconnoitering the area for a month, he proposed the plan of attack which would reduce the city of Toulon. The engineer officers had been advocating a realar siege, but he declared that this was unnecessary. All that had to be done was to occupy a position where mortars, artillery, and red hot cannon balls could be used to shell the enemy ships. If such a plan was effected, then the entire garrison would be blockaded. he points which he felt most favorable for such a design were Baleguier and Eguillette which were on the tip of the promontory called La Graces. Napoleon added that the British had become sensitive to the importance of these spots, prompting them to risk a landing there and constructing rort Mulgrave. His plan was to attack Bert Mulgrave by forming batteries mounted with 24 pounders and mortars which would destroy the wood epsnlements, break down the palisades, and shower the fort with shells by continuous fire. After two days, he predicted, i'oulon would be won after pounding it and the vessels in the harbors incessantly. lven if this last proJect could not be accomplished, the plan could be considered constructive since the engineers had accepted it as the necessary preliminary to a regular siege by a strict blockade. Such a restrictive measure could only be done by acquiring control of the promontory." * 17 Gourgand, I, 13-15. For supporting accounts of Bonaparte's memoirs dictated to others at St. Helena see Barry I. O'Keara, m gage: Or a Voice {ppm St, Helena (How York, 1853), I, 127, hereafter In the latter book referred to as O'Meara, and De Chair, pp. 16—17. the memoirs are a conglomeration of the dictation by Hapoleon to Gourgaud and to Hontholon placed in sequence. 19 One contemporary strove to show that Napoleon, although a good officer, had little to do with the actual planning of the scheme to retake Ioulon from the allies. This man, General Paul Barres, asserts in his memoirs that he needed an intelligent officer for the Job of reconnoitering and also for the task of erecting battery placements. He intrusted those responsible missions to Bonaparte who fulfilled them punctually and promptly. Because of this exemplary conduct, Barres promoted Napoleon to the rank of Captain.18 It is clear that Barras, by intimation, attempted to place credit upon himself by showing that he was active in the artillery branch of the army. Furthermore, Napoleon's role at foulon is pictured as that of a subordinate officer who executed orders in an approbatory manner. {these are Barras' words concerning Bonaparte at Toulon: i‘he taking. prisoner of General O'Hara, attributed to Bonaparte, the British ship he is alleged to have sunk, the plan of campaign in which he is said to have participated, are so many mendacious assertions drawn from the imagination of the man who later was to fabricate still other statements, to be repeated by his flatterers when the day dawned that he had money wherewith to buy them. Bonaparte gave proofs of his military talent, then beginning to 19 develop itself, but he only played a secondary part on this occasion. is will be shown later, Napoleon's version is, by far, the more supportable. 1'8 Barrae, I, 129. According to Iircheisen, p. 35, napoleon had been promoted to captain in August, 1792. 19 Barres, I, 148. General O'Hara will be discussed later. his supposed sinking of the British ship is not mentioned by any source other than Barres. 20 In the meantime, General Garteaux was becoming anxious and worried because of his inability to retake foulon in a swift manner. He was receiving additional troops from various Republican araies. l‘or instance, after the fall of Lyons on October 9, 1793, approximately 3000 troops were dispatched to Ionian.20 Ihe Army of Italy withdrew many corps from its ranks in order to bolster the forces at feulon.21 Yet, a successful attack was wanting from the French connender. According to Napoleon, Gasparin, a representative from the lational Convent ion, decided that Garteau: should devise a general plan of attack which would reduce the city of Ionian. Garteanx devised a scheme in which the artillery was to batter Toulon for three days, and at the end of this period Cartoon: would then attack and carry the city. he engineer committee in Paris was not persuaded by this scheme, considering it more humorous than wisa.22 1'he allies also were having their trials and tribulations. Despite Lord Hood's rosy outlook, the strategic position of Toulen became increasingly less tenable. Although the allies were successful in repelling the french during the month of October, reinforcements of any substantial quantity were not being sent to Toulon by any of the :' .‘At. t (mil, . s . I. 113- 2 Les cases, I, pt. 1, 142-110. 2 allied nations. Hood, an able sea captain but a fledgling in military lend tactics, was deceived by the initial failures of the Republican forces, and. sent misleading reports to the home officer in England. on October 28, Nader General O'Hara arrived from Gibraltar to assuue the positions of Governor of Toulon and con-aneu- of the combined ground forces of the Allies.23 O'Hara readily perceived the pre- cariousness of the Toulon garrison and the overly Optimistic views of Admiral Reed. In a letter to flood, dated November 11, 1793. he pointed out the weaknesses of the Ioulon defense. some posts, he epined, had been fortified inJudiciously and means to improve them were quite inadequate. Jurthernore, stations such as Balaguier and Gaps Cepet could be communicated with by water only and insurmountable difficulties would occur in trying to maintain these posts airing the winter. The men at these outposts numbered 7000 which O'Hara felt was not substantial. In O'Hara's opinion, the only way to keep Ioulon secure was to have an army in the field which would cover a considerable section of the surrounding countrysidefiu In strength, the Branch 2 3 Rose, Degensg g; T231“, pp. 59-60. Hood retained his position as supreme conander of the allies. 2“ Bose, W pp. 11+9-l50. This letter is in Appendix I entitled Lord Hood's correspondence. outnumbered the allies by an almost two to one margin. By lovenber l, 1793, the allies totaled 16,912 misreas the Republican forces stood at 33. 000 .“e 25 With this great advantage in numbers, Garteaux still was unable finally, orders came from Paris which transferred to make any headway. General General Garteaux to the Amy of the ilps on lovember 3, 1793. Dugouier was named general in chief of the Army of Italy and charged specially with the responsibility of the siege of Toulon. for some inexplicable reason, General Doppet had been named by several prominent historians as Garteanx's successor who was in turn replaced by Dugommier. Yet, in the same order naming Dugonnier as the one in charge of the siege of Toulon, Doppet's position is clearly stated as general in chief of the Arm of the Pyrend'es-Orisntales.” It is without doubt then that Doppet was merely a temporary commander at Toulon, holding this 25 James, I, 81-82 26 WW (Pane. 1913). mm, 223. Hereafter referred to as Archives Parliamentggs. The W Parliamentaires are a compilation of the debates, discussions, and decrees made by the national legislature from 178? to 1860. 27 AW mvm. 223. 23 position until the new general in chief arrived at foulon.28 Along with Dugommier came General Jean Phillipe Duteil who 2 replaced Bonaparte as the commander of the artillery. 9 Just how much Duteil contributed to the events on the western front is quite hazy. It is conceivable that, as one contemporary said, Duteil came to improve the artillery on the western sector, but seeing Napoleon exercising such sound decisions in that area, he left him there and betook himself to another portion of the front where his services would be more critically needed.” General Duteil had met Napoleon before. while commander of the Artillery School at Annonne in 1788, Duteil had recognised readily the extraordinary talents of Napoleon as an artillery officer and had favored him over senior officers.31 28 In Kircheisen, p. 1&5, Doppet is described as an ineffective commander who finally had to be replaced by Gmeral Dugommier on November 16, 1793. That Napoleon's fury toward the bungling Doppet was responsible for Doppet's transfer is the theory put forward by Rose, fhg Life of Napolggn I, I, 62. See also De Chair, p. 19, and Barras, I, 130. In these memoirs Napoleon and Barres both attempt to show that the Committee of Public Safety had Doppet replaced, Barres claiming that the committee did so on his and Salicetti's recommendations. Dappet admits that he was only a temporary commander and cites a letter from the ministry which in effect said as soon as Dugommier arrived to relieve him, he was to convey himself to the Am of the Pyren‘es-Orientales. This is in M ir P it s at Hi i 93 Gang-g, 95mg; (Paris, 1821+), p. 206. Doppet . 29 The able Jean Phillipe Duteil is not to be confused with his younger and less gifted brother Jean, also a general who spent some time at the siege of Ioulon. 30 name. I. 39. 31 Iircheisen, pp. 23-24. Hereafter referred to as has, five years later, Dateil encountered again one of his favorite prote'g‘s. Umheeitatingly, Deteil delegated the hidily responsible task of artillery head on the western sector to the capable Corsican. Napoleon was free to continue his favorite project of seising J'ort Hulgrave. Re constructed batteries against this location and continued the secret building of la Poudridre near l‘ort Nelhousquet.32 l'he latter battery was to be unveiled at the proper time in an effort to deceive the enemy into believing that a general attack was to be made on J'ort Halbeasquet. Napoleon also had a large battery established near l'ort llalbousquet called the Battery of the Convention. a counter-battery which Baguse described as one constructed for diversion while other batteries were established in various positions Ihis was close to the redoubt of Nguillette which was to be the true point of attack.33 It can be assumed that Napoleon's scheme was as follows: the allies seeing the construction of the counter-battery Convention would be diverted in their attention from l'ort Helgrave and the critical points of lguillette and Balagaier. When the secret battery, la Poudriere, opened fire, the allies would suspect a general attack on rort llalbousquet and rash troops to that vicinity. Then the true attack would be made, that on rort Malarave. When this post was overrun, the points on the promontory. lguillette and Baleguier would 32 Iort Nalbousquet was located about 1 mile west of foulon. 33 nguse, 1, Au. 25 accordingly be seised. Artillery would be rushed up to these points and Napoleon would direct fire upon the allies fleeing from the shore of the promontory. Later, mortar and artillery fire would be pointed at vessels in the outer and inner harbors and upon ioulon itself. A different interpretation of Napoleon‘s activity is put forth by Baron Joseph Duteil who wrote on a portion of the life of General Duteil. It is asserted that the new General of the Artillery, Duteil. recognised the exemplary direction of the siege operations made by Napoleon and consequently kept him close by as his second in command?“ Duteil's biographer attempted to place much credit on the old general. ror instance, he was described as quite active by beginning again the completion of the battery of la convention, and had laid out simultaneously a second redoubt which he called the battery of la Poudribre.” Whether Duteil was as active as this on the western sector is dubious. No report of an official nature mentions him as the initiator of la Poudribre. Napoleon was described by one historian as the officer who had set up two new batteries, la Iarinibre 36 and la Poudri‘ere. Ivan Barres intimates that Napoleon constructed 3“ I Joseph Du foil, N e' It s ' '2 (Paris, 1897), p. 168. Hereafter referred to as Detail. 35 Duteil, pp. 171-172. 36 Ron. W pp- 66-67 26 some batteries, although it is, as usual, in a derogatory manner. Napoleon, says Barras, was temporarily in command of the artillery. but Dugommier had to change the artillery placements which had been poorly placed, leaving the French at a disadvantage.37 Another contemporary, General Doppet, appears to corroborate the idea that Napoleon had constructed many batteries by stating that he saw Duteil applauding all the measures the young artillery officer had fashioned. and that Napoleon united with his many talents a rare intrepedity and indefatigable activity. Puppet further asserts that he had always found Napoleon at his post, and when the Oorsican needed rest he placed himself on the ground and slept near his batteries.38 Besides constructing many batteries Napoleon also recommended a plan for the capture of foulon which was amalgamated with one sent by Dugenier. Salicetti, dispatched by the committee of Public Safety to urge the speedy recapture of foulon by the Republican forces, placed before the Committee of Public Safety the two plans. Carnot, the director of military operations. examined them closely, studied the advantages of each and then decided that both plans should .be combined and authorised as the method of taking |io'alon. 'fhe committee also felt that it was proper to delegate the conand of 37 Barras. I. JAG-1&2. Barres does not specify these batteries. 38 Puppet, pp. 206-207. 27 that portion of the attack which Napoleon had suggested. Furthermore, since he was only a captain, it was necessary to promote his immediately to under so that he would have a rank which warranted the command of so important an Operation.” Jrom the memoir cited, two significant items can be discerned. First, hapoleon was merely a captain when he arrived at Toulon. Second, it can be deduced that the portion of the plan which Napoleon had recommended was the seizure of the Fort Hulgrave and consequently the points Eguillette and Balaguier. His purpose was to bring up artillery and shell the enemy from these strategic locations. Apparently Dugomier's portion of the plan concerned the seisure of the Mount Pharon area, an expedition which was to be silultaneous with the taking of Fort Mulgrave. However. as commander of the army, Dugonnier more than likely delegated his scheme to one of the subordinate officers located on the eastern front and continued to direct operations from his headquarters on the western sector. Much to Napoleon's dismay, his plan was foiled temporarily. Some of the representatives fron Paris had inspected the front and, upon discovering the hidden battery la Convention, summarily ordered the artillerymen to open fire.“0 The firing from a hitherto unknown 39 “Elfin" 9f 3.1.th Bag-8:9, trons. De V. Payen-Payne (London. 1396). 11. 112-113. Hereafter referred to as Bardre. Bardre was a masher of the Committee of Public Safety. He claimed he sea the inner workings of the Committee of fortifications which was studying the plans submitted for the conquest of Ioulon. M) Gourgaud. I. 16. battery caused the allies to determine a sortie in order to destroy the battery. Major General O'Hara organised this sortie and placed Major General Dundee as the commanding officer of the 2300 men who set out at 4 Lil. on the morning of November 29. this attack completely surprised the 6000 defenders who could do no more than save their lives by fleeing from the artillery smplacements of la Poudriire and probably la rum)”. Soon the redoubts were securely in the hands of the allies. Some Trench pieces were spihsd and all seemed to work like clockwork efficiency to the well prepared plan of O'Hara. then disaster hit the allies. llated by their sudden success and flushed with the desire for more, the troops from most of the columns spontaneously broke ranks and charged the fleeing henchmen. Ihe pnrsuers. said Hood, looked like so many foahounds.’41 General O'Hara arrived at the redoubt greatly displeased with the behavior of the troops in abandoning the hill. He tried to reform them and sent one of his lieutenants back to bring up artillerymen to spike the guns and destroy them as completely as possible.“2 In the meantime General Dugommier began formulating his plans for a counter-attack. hen the disorganised allies exhausted them- selves in the senseless pursuit of the l'rench, Dugommier gave the “1 no». W. p. 156. #2 Hill, pp. 17-18. his is taken from a passage quoted from Lord 3111' s private papers. 29 order for the advance. the allies had no other alternative but to retreat. In the process many were left behind. The British casualties alone amounted to 200 soldiers, and altogether the allies lost over 700 of the original 2300 men who had debauched from Fort lialbousq‘cilat.h':3 Among those captured was General O'Hara. Why he was captured and who accomplished this feet are points of controversy. For instance; J'ortescue indicates that O'Hara may have gate up to the captured batteries in the hope of meeting his death.“ Another version is that O'Hara intentionally allowed himself to be captured in order to negotiate with the Trench since the allies saw the inability to hold foulonfw Still, a third view is that O'Hara was tslcen prisoner by his own despondency and inactivityflé None of these opinions is correct, however. O'Hara had remained at the end of the sortie even though he had promised Lord Hood he would not 3 outside of Fort llalbousquet. When the disaster became apparent by the disorganized pursuit of the allies, O'Hara could not stand by in a passive manner and hurried up to the redoubt in an effort to reorganise the allies}? “'3 Iortescue, 17, pt. 1. 169, and Rose, Dgfensg of Tgulgn, p. 68. M l'ortescue, 17, pt. 1, 170. “5 M. Z. Pans, Mfiirgg Pm Sgrvir A L'gigtgirg D; L; 7.1.112 D: W Paris, 1825), pp. 136-137. “6 2g! JM 9; Elisabeth lag: glad, ed. Earl of Ilchester (London, new York, Bombay, and Calcutta, 1908), I, 113. “7 km. W p. 155 and p. 67. 30 During this effort the counter-attacking Republicans overran the redoubt. At this tine O'Hara was wounded in the are and loss of bleed forced hie to lie down. Who captured hin is another fascinating question. Napoleon tried to show that he was responsible for the capture of O'Hara. One of his accounts goes in this manner. After he had led a battery of grenadiers through a bayou hidden by braables, causing the eneq to be unaware of its presence, he ordered the troops to fire upon the lritish. hagining this fire to be originated by aistaken friendly troops, O'Hara hurried over to inform the: of their error, but he was wounded instead, a lusketball hitting hie in the hand. A sergeant then seized hill and dragged hia into the bayou as prisoner.“8 But this version of Napoleon's aenoirs is contradicted in part by another accent. In this description, lapoleon goes further and asserts that he actually captured the English-an. The same plot is used as in the version above. but when O'Hara advanced toward the troops, he was wounded in the arm by the fire of a sergeant. Napoleon then seized him}'9 But no sources support such a claia. hrtheraore, it is acre likely that Napoleon was the prise never of the artillery ’48 Gourgaud, I, 17-18 “9 O'lleara, I, 126-127 31 instead of taking part in any infantry attack.50 It is the Opinion of the writer that O'Hara was captured by french soldiers after the skirmish had ended. L aagazine article, which is the hacheysd version of the Napoleonic legend, makes a gross error in asserting that the battery Homes Sans Pour caused the English to attack, and that the battle was centered around this particular locality.51 The battery Holmes Sans Pour did not figure in the battle of Novenber 29 at all. Furthermore, this battery was several miles south from the real point of attack centered around the batteries of la PoudriEre. la Iarini3re, and la Convention. Kore than likely Bonaparte's activity ran in this vein. when the encounter began, he hurried to the artillery redoubts nearest those being attached which would have been la Bade or the Batterie de Bragallion consisting of the two saplaceaente called Sans Gulottes and 1a Montague. All of these were located between a ails and a ails 5° Balicetti, in a report to the Committee of Public Safety, stated that Mouret, Garnier, and Bonaparte had conducted themselves in a distinguist manner: Agghives Parligentaires, 1.1111, 33. Dugenier reported that O'Hara was wounded in the right arm and taken prisoner. Ihose who aided hin the nest to rally and advance were the citisens Bonaparte, commandant of the artillery, Arena and Oervoni, adJutants- general; mhives Pagianentgizgs, L m1, 33-34. It will be noticed that Dagoamier does not credit anyone in particular for the capture of O'Hara, aereover lapoleon is aentioned in relation to artillery. 51 Geraain Bapet, 'Oaptain lapoleon Bonaparte at foulon', my; MW. Lmvn (January. 1891;). 210-211. 32 and a half from the overrun batteries. Here, probably he ordered, without hesitation, artillery and mortar fire on the sites conquered by the allies. When word was received that the allies were being pushed back beyond la l‘arini‘ere and la Poudribre, he proceeded, in all likelihood, to these spots and directed, upon the retreating enemy, all of the fire he could muster from the unspiked.pieces. ‘After the disaster of November 29, 1793, the allies smarted under the steadily decreasing fortune for them at Toulon. The Toulonese were becoming alienated toward the allies and began view- ing them as strangers meddling in domestic feuds. Also a latent spirit of national sentiment surged in the ranks of the citizens. Early in December, Hood decided to disarm the town tr00ps as a precaution against possible treachery. This in itself caused more suspicion and estrangement between the french citizens and the allies. Ihe Republican troops, on the other hand, were bolstered by the emergence of this sudden zeal of national sentiment. Furthermore, Dugommier was incited to more strenuous measures when the Committee of Public Safety sent a suggestive message signifying that he should capture Toulon or merit the regrets of the (lemmit’cee.52 .Between the first and fifteenth of December, few clashes between the allies and the Republicans occurred. The allies clinged to a false hope that reinforcements would soon be following when, on December 16, a captain 52 Rose, Dgzgpsg o; raglan, p. 71. 33 and 50 artillerymen arrived with news that two regiments were being rushed to Toulon. In reality, the regiments were delayed by fortuitous circumstances and did not approach Toulon until a fortnight after the evacuation of the allies.5 The Republicans now had.h0,000 soldiers. leon menaced Toulon with a threatened direct The redoubts of Jacobins, Napo attack by his batteries of la Poudri'ére and 1a Iariniere. Hommes Sans Pour and Ghasse-coquins Opened fire on Iort Mulgrave. Little Gibraltor, or Fort Mulgrave, had a poor defense set-up and the con- struction of its defense was still in the process when the Republicans began a steady bombardment of it on December 15-16.54 The French forces were new prepared for the final push against the allies. Napoleon's portion of the master plan was effected in the early hours of December 17, 1793. A.force of 7000 men was ordered to begin the attack against Fort Mulgrave. The garrison of allies, con- put up a determined and effective resistance sieting of only 700 men. 55 which made the Republican plan appear precarious for the moment. Three columns were formed. Victor commanded the first one which had the task of proceeding along the coast of the promontory and attacking the fort from the right in order to cut off any help from either Balaguier or Eguillette. The second column under the leadership of __ 53 Rose, Defense of Toulou, P- 70- 5“ 3°". W. p. 72. 55 Gourgaud, 1, 2h. 34 Brule was to march against the front of the redoubt.56 Darkness caused this column to become disorganized and forced Dugommier to se The bringing up ad for his third column held in reserve by Bonaparte and Muiron. of this third force turned the tide. However disinclined, the allies Finally, the Republicans pursued the allies nts Eguillette and Balaguier. were impelled to retreat.57 58 into the sea after forcing them from the poi At the same time, the attack from the eastern sector succeeded. The l'rench seized the mountain of Pharon by a prodigious bit of fortune in which a group crossed over an escarpement which had appeared inaccessible. l‘ort Malbousquet was also in an inferior there if it was seized like Eguillette The allies, fearing that position and not desiring to be and Baleguier, evacuated the fort. The french occupied that post immediately after its evacuation.” There, Napoleon ordered field pieces to shell the town with howitzers and later with mortar fire. promontory on which Iort Mulgrave stood, Iapoleon trusted subordinate Deguse. Before leaving the gave the command of the artillery to his his officer shelled the inner harbor, setting three ships ablaze and opening ten embrasures. At 3 PJL , the allied ships were forced to move out of range of the shells which enabled the French to attain an 56 1'01, p. “'9. 57 so... 13,1ng 91 53mg. p. 73. 58 10:, p. 50. 59 Baguse, I, 43. 6° Gourgmud, I, 23-29. 35 effective blockade on Talon.“ Lord Rood held a council of war on the afternoon of the 17th of December. It was decided that the outer forts and posts were to be evacuated. All ships not used in the retreat were to be burned along with stores in the dockyard. Sir Sidney Smith was in command of the destruction party in Toulon. However, such an operation was hindered the panic which arose in the allied camp.62 Because of extent, and greatly by the lack of wind, the damage was minimized to a great eight of the thirteen ships which escaped destruction at this time were later to become the bulwark of Bonaparte's eastern expedition to the lile in 1798.63 In the throes of the continuous shelling emd fire, reulon became ablaze. An occasional explosion was heard and then the sight of debris flying in all directions was viewed by the beseigers. When the doors were flung open, the population seemed to have dis- appeared from the port city.“ It was inevitable that some Toulonese would be, convicted,” traitors to the nation of Irsnce. The most ‘1 legume, I, us-ua. 62 John Darrow, L O rres o S I Siting Smith G.C.3. London, 1% , I, 155. of S r J , ed. 63 Rose, D se T p. 81. In London, 1901+), I, #243, Sir John Moore relates that both Generals Dundee and O'Hara had felt that Toulon should have been abandoned long before. Dundee asserts that Hood chose to follow his own opinion which resulted in the failure to destroy the fleet and arsenal completely. .1. Il'. Maurice 6“ Baguse, 1, Mt. 36 reasonable estimate of the number executed is approximately two hundred.“ kactly what was lapoleon's position at Toulonr the young artillery officer would have us believe that he alone took Toulon. ror instance, has Gases says: It will be seen that it was he, and he alone, who took the fortress... the emperor never looks back to this period without pleasure, and always mentions it as the happiest portion of his life. !he taking of foulon was his first successful achievement and it naturally excites the fondest recollect ions . Bonaparte even claims that he might have become general in chief before the seige was over since Dugommier was delaying too long. 1'he repre- sentatives of the people sought Napoleon, but he refused to accept the command. Rather, so lapoleon claims, he went to his beloved general and persuaded him to attack Little Gibralter. But Dugommier was too fatigued, consequently Napoleon took possession of the town and then counselled Dugonier to rest himself.67 However, Barres states that Napoleon only played a secondary role at Ionlon and that Dugommier was the actual captor of the tew'.u.68 It is quite certain that Dugommier 65 Iircheisen, p. #7. In James, I, 89, the Dictionnaire Histogiggg is again cited to back the assertion that thousands of Toulonese, ro- gardless of age, sex, or political insignificance, were slaughtered by the order of the committee of Public Safety. It is inconceivable why James used this source as authority. 66 Las Gases, 1, pt. 1, 139. 67 Les Gases, I, pt. 1, 1158-159. 68 Barres, I, 11-98. 37 was not in such a state of fatigue as Napoleon depicted, and that he was able to direct the Operations against Toulon. But Napoleon played more than a secondary role. Bertrand Bardre, a member of the Convention, brings out the significant points that Dugommier directed the operations and Bonaparte headed his gunners in a brave manner. Moreover, from the sources studied, it is also patent that Napoleon did participate quite significantly in the actual Operations even to the point of heading a reserve infantry column against Iort Mulgrave. However, Napoleon's activity as the director of artillery overshadowed any contributions made by him in the infantry branch. Concerning the plan for the conquest of Toulon, Bonaparte was a highly significant figure. Some historians disagree with this contention. lbr instance, Paul Cottin says that Napoleon was not the only one to calculate the proper method of attack. He cites a certain.Brunet as having declared that Balaguier and Eguillette must be carried. Paris, dated October 22, 1793. Also on September urning the fleet, and that This letter was sent to b, 1793, Gasparin wrote a letter Speaking of b on September 10, 1793. GaSparin, Salicetti, and Albitte declared to the Committee of Public Safety that measures had been taken for firing the English fleet or forcing it to retreat. Moreover, the true role of Napoleon was in obtaining the artillery for the army.70 Another historian, fox, asserts 69 Barere, II, 113. 70 Paul Cottin, nglon gt Les Anglais en 1223 D'Apres Des Documents Igedits (Paris, 1898). pp. 208-209. 38 that Napoleon is not entitled to any great credit for having discovered the vulnerable point of Toulon since any well schooled officer would have done the same. Furthermore, his great merit ry which played such an lay in the fact that he alone organized and commanded the artille important role at Toulon.71 At least both of these writers are in agreement that Napoleon was invaluable in the field of artillery. As for the declaration made by the representatives on September 10, 1793, it must be kept in mind that there is quite a difference between the words, measures, and plan, a point which Cottin overlooks too easily. Brunet's letter, dated October 22, 1793, was sent more than a month after Napoleon had been at Toulon. In Napoleon's own words; after reconnoitering the area for about a month, he preposed the plan of 2 attack which would reduce the city of Elfoulon.7 Thus, his plan preceded any letter, (if such a letter was sent) of Brunet's, which, in itself, may have been an adaptation of Napoleon's verbal recommendations to the superior officers of the Army of the South. 10:, in claiming that any well schooled officer would have discerned the weakness in the Toulon defense, assumes a truth which is obviously relative and also unprovable. 71 J'ox, p. 102. Of course Napoleon cannot be trusted either. But his claim of formulating the plan is at least supported by Bartre. On the other hand, the enigmatic figure of Brunet is not mentioned by anyone except Cottin in relation to the plan of attack on 'Ioulon. 72 Gourgand, I, 13-15. 39 Joseph Duteil brings out with considerable acumen that Bonaparte's plan was nodified by the ninisters who d whereas Napoleon had advocated ecided to have two sinultaneous attacks on Ilalbousquet and higrave, successive attacks.73 this indicates that Napoleon's idea was based on deception. Apparently he desired an attack on would becoae convinced that the Bopublicans Halbousquet as a feint. When the allies were planning to conquer Ioulon by a land attack and would in turn rush troops to this area, then the plan of Napoleon was to begin the advance on the true point of attack, n-ely Little Gibralter. More insight is brought out by Duteil when he states that huge-ier asserted (1 taking of foulon was by an attack on the English redoubt an that the 74 at the sane tine on Haunt Pharon. In other words, a general attack. thus, it can be seen that Dugolaier's portion of the analgesated plan ne of an all out effort including an advance on the On the other hand, was essentially o eastern sector principally around Mount Pharon. lapoleon had advocated, only, the need of seising rort Mulgrave which would enable then to gain possession of the pronontory on which the points lguillette and leaguier were located. and i'oulon would be bombarded, and eventually the allies would Iron these spots, the harbors 73 Duteil, p. 170. 7“ Duteil, p. 171. rm. is quoted fros Dugenier's nenoirs found in Gaston, II, 247. General Duteil was quite impressed by lapoleon's activity at loulon and in a letter, found in the Archives de la Guerre, he stated that he lacked the expressions to portray the nerit ef gifts which the ninister Bonaparte, an extraordinary officer with any of war should devote for the glory of the Republic. 3ee Duteil, p. 186. be forced to withdraw. rm Barere speaks of the anelgamation of the plans of Bonnier and Bonaparte, it beoones certain that napoleon not only organised and dirooted the artillery, but he also was one of the under contributors to the downfall of Toulon by'his astute plan to capture the promontory on which.rort Mnlgrave rested. #1 chapter 111 . Interlude Ior the valuable services rendered at ten Jon, napoleon was elevated to the rank of general of brigade. his was affirned by a provisional decree fro: the Oomissioners of the Convention dated Decenber 22, 1793, and was later confined by the committee of Public Safety:L llapoleon was then charged with the arning and defense of the coasts of the lediterranean.2 to this appointed task, lspoleon applied his characteristic enthusiasn and efficiency. lle fortified the coasts of Provence and the Isle of Hyeres which had been recently evacuated by the lnglieh. In every town, he had A to encounter public officials who attempted to persuade his that it was essential, for the defense of Trance. that a battery site be established near their city.3 Sons cities, lapoleon regarded, were or the highest llportance to the defense of the Mediterranean coast. Toulon, for instance, was one such city. Another was Marseilles. it the latter nunioipality, Napoleon aroused the ire of the citizens by his conscientious efforts to secure than from lnglish attack. Iith General Lspoype, another officer who had participated in the Toulon siege, lapoleon began the rebuilding of a fort which had been ruined by the people in imitation of the destruction of the Bastille on I Journier, pp. “3-“. Rogue 1, 1+7. 3 De Ohaierp. 26-27 NH t2 July 14}, 1789. he two generals were denounced by the public, and a written petition was carried to the Lssenbly by the residents of Marseilles. Bonaparte and Lapoype were both seasoned to Paris to explain their behavior. However, I-apoypo was the only one to arrive and present the reasons for the rebuilding of the fort. fie emlained that Napoleon alone was chargeable for the repairing of the fort, but that his only thoudit was to couplets the defense of the town against the lnglish. Garnet then initiated an order free the oonnittee specifying lapoleon to establish batteries along the coast fron Marseilles to Oette as protective neasures. fhis enabled the connittee to continue the utilisation of Napoleon's services and also took his free Marseilles. The connittee of Public Safety suspended the rebuilding of the llarseilles stronghold. The Assembly did not pursue the issue any further since it appeared useless to do so.“ France, at this tine was embroiled in conflicts with the major powers in lurope. lhe defeat of the allies at loulon was an oninous sign of things to come. Iverywhere the surprising strength of Republican hence had contained its foes. his day of Italy, to which Iapoleon was assigned in larch, 179*. after he had concluded the fortification of the lediterranean coast, was engaged with the allied forces of Austria and Sardinia. However, the tray of Italy appeared to have difficulty dislodging the allies who were enoanped It Bardre, II, lit-155- “3 on the heights of the Appenines. Wasting no tine, lapoleen soon devised a plan designed to drive the Sardinian eneay beyond the Alps. it a council. at which Ricord and the younger lobespierre attended. his plan was unaninously approved. On April 8, 1794. part of General Iassena's any debauched into a portion of Piedaont to effect Napoleon's schene. The I’iedaontese soldiers. alarmed by this sudden nove and fearing to be cut off or destroyed, abandoned the city of Saorgio with its valuable supply depot.5 Another plan of Napoleon's was one which, if successful, would put the Irench in possession of the upper chain of the Alps. However, it was necessary to borrow sons of the territory of the Republic of Genoa which could have aroused political objections. Yet, it was rationalised that the allies had borrowed Genoese territory when the Piedncnt garrison had advanced to Qoulon in 1793. On April 6. 1791+, the plan was put into successful operation by having IMOOO nan set out on the nission.6 he he he Baguse described the first caspaign in this nanner. Three columns were sent out, Baguse being in a group sent in reconnais- sance above the town of Oneille. This town was entered April 9, 179%, without a fight. The sane thing occurred at Loans. Meanwhile, the division of Massena. winning in its struggle, advanced toward Baorgio. Ibis operation was conceived by Bonaparte and was ended in less than 15 days. How the any was in a position to enter Piednont in order ‘5 De chair, pp. 28-29. 6 De Chair, pp. 30-32. an to operate against Genoa.7 0f the second scheme, Raguse again states that the plan was node by Napoleon. The proposal was to enter Piednont at the point of the Apennines which attached itself to the Alps. The enemy was met and defeated on September 21, 1791+ near Cairo. The representative ilbitte, however, became alarmed and feared for his personal safety. is a result of his unfounded apprehensions, the any was obliged to retreat to Savonne and Yado.8 In the meantime Napoleon had been sent on a mission to Genoa by the representatives of the people in order to confer with the Genoese government. his mission took place around July 13, 17910.9 The ostensible purpose of this visit was to gain satisfaction fron the govern-eat of Genoa on such matters as provisions, but in reality it was made to study and learn the positions and obstacles which had to _be overcome if a seizure of the city was considered necessary. lapoleon traveled with several officers, the Due De Baguse being one of then. After remaining in Genoa for 5 days, during which time all the information they had come for was collected, the party of henchmen returned to lice.1° Shortly thereafter, the 9th of Thermidor, July 27, 1794, occurred in which the Jacobin party in Paris collapsed. !he 7 lapse, I, 50. 8 hence. I. 57. 9 Bourrienne, I, 20. 1%..9 Is 519520 “5 The new deputies, Albitte and Salicetti, were given an exaggerated picture of lapoleen‘s allegiance to Jacobinisn. By consequence, napoleon was suspended from his rank, arrested on August 9, and arraigned before the co-ittee.n the Justification for these actions, besides lapoleon‘s affinity to the fallen Jacobins, was his trip to Genoa which undoubtedly was depicted as a plot of the Corsican. Honoleon defended himself in rather strong language and vindicated hinself by showing that the trip to Genoa had been ordered. fhe representatives then decreed his conduct above suspicion and he was given his liberty and rank back within 10 am of the arrest.“ I'he tireless and undeterred Hapoleon mediately flung himself into new military ventures. Paoli had allowed Corsica to become British territory. i'he Republicans reacted to this by planning a maritime expedition against Corsica in which Napoleon participated. However, the British fleet encountered this eqedition and caused the French to abandon the seisure of Goreica.13 11 Bourrienne, I, 21. 12 hence. I. 55. 13 larch-1m. r. so. 3.. also lose, Warnings}. 1. 55. and l‘ournier, p. 1+8. the Due De Raguse gives an interesting but unsupported view asserting that this naritine venture was directed against Tuscany. This was a scheme formulated by Napoleon. How- ever, the British ruined this operation by sinking two of the french vessels in the waters of Genoa; Raguse, I, 58. 1+6 The occupation of Corsica by the British caused many Corsicans to arrive in the vicinity of the Army of Italy. The government of house was determined to eliminate this concentration of questionable patriots. Corsican officers were no exceptions to the rule. Conse- quently, lapoleon was transferred to the Army of the Vend‘e with the rank of general of infantry}!+ He rejected this transfer vehemently on two grounds. First, Napoleon felt that area unworthy of his talents. Second, he regarded the transfer to the infantry as an indignity and pleaded officially on this basis.” Realising the futility of seeking recourse within the Army of Italy, the young Corsican decided to go to Paris where he could personally plead his However, Aubrey, the member of the Committee of Public Safety case. who had the power of staff appointments, refused to aid Napoleon in his petition.“ Though a small consolation, Bonaparte succeeded in obtaining a job as a manber of the topographical board, since he knew the terrain of Italy well and could supply the Committee of Public Safety with information on the positions of the army.“ In a letter to his brother Joseph he mentions this office but appears to overstate his importance by asserting that he was the director __ 1“ Baguse, I. 59. 15 Bourrienne, I, 26. 16 1? Kircheisen, p. 52. De Chair, :9. 35. “7 of the armies, replacing Carnot in that post.18 De Chair credits lapoleon with the design of the Berghetto line for the Army of Italy which saved it from the repeated but fruitless attacks of the enemy. De Chair asserts that Bonaparte was then appointed by special decree to a position of brigadier-general of artillery and attached to direct the military operations of the armies.” this view appears overly eptinistic of lapoleon's status. l'ournier points out that lapoleon's fortune decreased at this time. A special decree, dated September 15, 1795, is mentioned to show that Bonaparte was stricken from the list of bench generals as a result of his refusal to Join the try of the Vende’e. 20 During this time, Bonaparte had conceived, also, the idea of being sent to furhey as general of artillery in order to organise the Grand Seipior's artillery. Sanguinely, he writes to his brother Joseph that this plan was deferred temporarily since the Committee decided he could not leave trance. Instead he is to be reappointed to the artillery and probably will continue to serve the Comnittee.21 18 Cal Ha s lino - A ‘- as: I“): ; 7 " I, ." 3 L :. W In York. 1855 . I. 23 - Her-after referred to as W- De Chair, p. 35. Why he received such a lofty position is not explained. If De Chair's version is correct, it may have been because of his excellent plan of the Berghetto line. 19 2° Ionrnier, p. 53 21 ‘ I C i t C I, 26. Letter dated September 5, 1795. But after his dismissal from the list of french officers on active duty, lapoleon again renewed hopes of the hrkish mission. In another letter to Joseph, dated September 26, 1795, he labors on the proposed scheme saying that it was being talked of more and more . and that it would probably have been approved if there had not been so many disturbances .22 These disturbances, of course. were caused primarily by the proposal of the how Constitution which planned to retain two-thirds of the members of the Convention in the new governmental arrangement. Although Iapoleon was no longer on the list of active officers, he was acquainted with several powerful individuals in Paris. One of those persons was a man he had met during the siege of Toulon. His name was Paul Barres. 22W I. 31. 49 Chapter IV. 13 Vende’miaire - Prelude to llapoleon‘s Rise Immediately prior to 13 Venddmiaire, the condition of the French national government was far from satisfactory. After the fall of Danton and Robespierre in the Summer of 1794, the Convention was governed by successive factions which succeeded in achieving neither influence nor an effective and constructive policy.1 Moreover, there were ramblings of a Boyalist plot in the making. The feeble Convention was to be succeeded on September 22, 1795 (l Vende’miaire, Year IV) by the Constitution of the Year 111. Legislative power was to be invested in two councils namely, the Council of 500 and the Council of Ancients. Executive authority was entrusted in a Directory composed of five mm.2 In order to avoid the same error of the Constitution of 1791, which denied all members of the Constituent Assembly to become members of the legislature, the Convention drew up the Constitution so that it could stay in virtual control for two more years. This Constitution of 1795 was to be moderate in character so that a return to the radicalism of the past few years would be avoided. loreover, it was devised to prevent the accession of a loyalist or malcontent majority in the national legislature. fo accomplish these goals the Constitution of the Year 111 was applied to the present Convention. In this way. one-third of the deputies 1 lontholon, III, 63. 2 Journier, p. 5“. 50 only were to be re-elected while the rest of the numbers were to remain in the forthcoming Councils.3 When this maneuver was made known in Paris, the Sections indignantly refused to recognize the Constitution, and any efforts to impose order or to dismiss the unlawful electoral meetings of the Parisians met with failure. The people were discontented generally because of the existing poor economic conditions. rurthemore, the restrictions on political clubs and societies caused some discontent, and the prohibiting of the Jacobins to reappear at their clubs aroused that faction to resistance. Whether the revolt in Paris was in any way originated or aided by the Royalists and E’hnigré's is a topic which will be discussed more in detail later on. Finally, the Convention passed a cr t c r at c which ordered the many electoral meetings dissolved temporarily. But the police were repulsed in their efforts to enforce the decree. The Section Lepelletier, leader in this revolt, eventually declared itself in permanent session and ordered the drums of the various sections to beat the call to arms.“ In the evening of 12 Vend‘miaire, the insurrectionists aimed several groups of National Guardsmen, to wit, the battalions of —— 3 Ron. W I. 62- “ s De I! v 3 t dmbass r, trans. Frances Jackson (London, 1913), I, 58. Hereafter referred to as Neuville. Heuville was a loyalist who fought on the side of the sectionaries dnring 13 Vende'miaire. 51 Petite Peres and lilies St. Thomas. General Manon, the commander in chief of the Army of the Interior, went out to the Section Lepelletisr, confronted the insurrectionists, and ordered them to disperse. However, a fiery orator advanced and attempted to persuade the general to side with the sectionaries. Menou blundered by hesitating to carry out his mission of dispersing the recalcitrant revolters and eventually he withdrew. This irresolution had an encouraging effect on the Sections and left Menou's loyalty in doubt. The failure of Menou was not the only thing which assured the Sections of a reasonable opportunity for success in their revolt. According to one eyewitness, on 12 Vende’miaire the military attempted to deceive the sectionaries concerning the number of troops loyal to the Convention by having a garrison march continually out of one gets and into another. This abortive ruse only emboldened the sectionary leaders.5 The Convention swiftly dismissed General Menou, but to replace him with a suitable commander was not an easy decision. Irence had several brilliant generals, but these were not available at a moment's notice, they being stationed with the armies on the frontiers of France. Iran the scant choice of military officers in Paris, the Convention finally chose General Paul Barres for the position.6 Being more wise politically than militarily, E 5 W (London. 189“). p- 95. Hereafter referred to as Lavelette. This man later became adJutant and private secre- tary to Napoleon. During the Eupire, Lavelette was made Postmaster- general . 6 Kircheisen, p. 60. 52 Barres began searching for the aid of talented officers in the hope that one of them could implement the defense of the Convention successfully. Barres remembered Napoleon Bonaparte, the young artillery officer who had served the Republican cause at Toulon so well. It is reported by one eyewitness that Barres had visited the Bureau of the Armed .‘l'orces on both 11 Yende’miaire and 12 Yendéiaire, and that Napoleon had likewise been seen there more than once.7 It is indicated also that Napoleon had attended salons, with Barres, several weeks before 13 Yende’miaire. At these gather- ings he probably made the acquaintance of his future wife, Josephine Beauharnais, who at one time was the mistress of Barres.8 Barres placed the name of young Napoleon before the Convention and this request was approved without difficulty.9 Bonaparte claims that he was at the theatre Feydeau when informed of the crisis. He hastened to the Assembly where each member was putting forth his favorite officer to direct the Operation. Some even mentioned his name. Napoleon refused to be considered because he did not want to direct 10 a defense which would be interfered with by officious representatives. The refusal by the ambitious Bonaparte sounds inconceivable. 7 He'moires du Vice-Admiral Baron Grivel (Paris, 1911+), p. 30. Hereafter referred to as Grivel. 8 Iircheisen, pp. 65-72. 9 Bose, 9Q Lg; of Napglgp I, I, 61+. mks Cases, 1, pt. 2, 168-170 53 A. question arises here whether Barras had anticipated his elevation to the cannand of the Convention troops, and in this expectation he had sought the services of Napoleon beforehand. ll lircheisen intimates that this was a possibility. In Paul Irischauer's, W the words essentially quoted by Iircheisen are also found.” :m. message states that Bonaparte is invited to be at Chaillot at 10 5.11. on 11 Vsnd‘miaire to meet Citisen Director Barras on priority business. However, neither Iircheisen nor Irischauer identify the source for this message which leaves it open to question. The mention of Barras as Citisen Director, moreover, is a misnomer since Barras did not become a Director until after 13 Vend‘miaire. Possibly then, if the message is authentic, which is doubtful, the date is in error and Barras may have sent it much later than 11 Vende’miaire. Exactly what position was obtained for Napoleon has been a matter of dispute. In his m, Barras pictures Napoleon as neither more nor less than an aide-de-camp.13 J'r‘ron, a menbsr of the Convention, spoke of him as the general of artillery whose strategic placements had such favorable effects on the outcoae of 11 Iircheissn, p. 60. 12 (New York, 1938), p. 11+. 13 Barras, x, 295. the battle.14 In the only monograph written on 13 Vendémiaire, the author asserts that Napoleon, although his role was quite active on that day, was neither an aide-de—camp nor second in command, but simply reintegrated into the army and placed at the disposal of Barras.15 But all of these views are quite unsatis- factory and unsupportable. when Barras wrote his Memoigg, he conveniently overlooked his official words spoken to the Convention. In the Moniteur, he is found to have declared that Bonaparte, who was well known for his military talents and great attachment to the Republic, was named by his proposal as second in command.16 Also, at the sitting of the Convention of 18 Vendémiaire, Barras called attention to Bonaparte's prompt and favorable dispositions and demanded that the nomination of Napoleon as second in command of the Army of the Interior be confirmed. This demand was promptly 1“ gaggttg Rationale, 93 Le Monitggr Untzgrsgl, 22 Vend‘niaire, l'an a (October 14, 1795). p. 88. Hereafter referred to as Eggiteur. Why Frdron volunteered this information to the Con- vention is a debatable point. Since he was interested in Napoleon's sister Pauline, it is possible he did so in order to gain favor with the Bonaparte family. There is no definite proof on this matter however. For interesting accounts of .rraron's attraction to Pauline see IredJric Masson, Napglggp, st Sa Famille (Paris, 1904), I, 148-156. Also Joseph Turquan, %hg Sigtgrs g§ Napolggn, trans. and ed. W..R. H. Trowbridge 15.nenry Zivy, Lg 2:11.; Vgpgifiiairg An IV (Paris, 1898). p. 77. .Hereafter referred to as Zivy. 16,!gnigggg, 5 Brumaire, l'an 4 (October 27, 1795), p. 139. 55 passed by the Convention. 17 he interpretation by Zivy hardly seems credible, and to dismiss the problem by leaving Napoleon in a foggy suspended status neither solves the point nor Justifies the con- clusion. J'r‘ron's statement that Napoleon was general of artillery is a very fascinating one. for instance, was the position of second in amend a real military position in the Trench military organisation or was it merely an unofficial title? If it was only a nominal position, then it is possible that Napoleon was general of artillery with an extra official title of second in command. Perhaps the general of artillery was considered, at that time, as automatically second in con-land of the army. Unfortunately, these feasible so- lutions cannot be determined here since no organisational chart of the bench military staff has been located. .‘l're'ron, incidentally, was the first person to direct any credit toward the name of Bonaparte by his statement to the Convention on 18 Vend‘niaire.18 Barras had reported some of the events to the Convention as early as the evening of 13 Tendbiaire, but did not mention Napoleon's name at this time.19 Barras' first reference of Napoleon came on the seas day, but after rrJron had praised Bonaparte for his activity as the general of artillery. 17 m 23 Yende'miaire, l'an 1+ (October 15. 1795). Po 89. 18 m 22 Vende’miaire, l'an 1+ (October 11+, 1795). P. 88. 19 m 17 Vend‘miaire, l'an 4 (October 9, 1795). p. 67. 56 i'hese acclamations by films and Barras of Napoleon's activity on 13 Vende’miaire seem to be linked quite closely. is stated before, l'r‘ron's utterance may have been prompted by his desire for the hand of Napoleon's sister, Pauline. lore than not, Barras' praise appears to be the direct result of J‘r‘ron's speech. In the writer's opinion, the astute Barras realised that he had to confirm or deny the words of Iréron publicly to the Convention. Since he confirmed :l'rlron's words, then rre'ron probably spoke the truth. This does not eliminate, however, the possibility of complicity between Barras and hires to advance the fortunes of Bonaparte. Barras' reason may have been his realisation that Napoleon was a valuable officer whose support might be important in the future. In the writings of contemporaries, as in the official newspaper of the Republic, Napoleon is constantly identified as second in cosmand. Napoleon states that he was appointed second in command.20 However, Bonaparte must be substantiated by others because he, like Barras, is prone to exaggerate his contributions on that dey.21 Baron 20 WW I. 32. 21 In one of his dictations, for instance, Napoleon claims that the committee made Barras general in chief and gave the active command Lac Cases, I, pt. 2, 170. In the of the forces to Napoleon; ngrgs D1 X, L: Cgmte De Vaublgpg, ed. M. 1'. Barriers (Paris, 1888 , p. 303, this idea is supported, Yaublsnc saying that Barras was named the general in chief and he immediately gave the command to Bonaparte. Vaublanc fondlt on the side of the sectionaries, but later he becne an advocate for Bonaparte. 57 Thie’bault, an officer in the army of the Republic brings out quite significantly that Napoleon was second in command. On the morning of the fifth of October, Ihi‘bault had sought General Menou, to his knowledge the commander of the defense, in order to report that several groups of sectionaries were moving toward the Tuilleries He received, in reply to his interrogation, that Barras was now the commander in chief and Bonaparte was second in command.22 area. Another pertinent passage in the memoirs of Thi‘bault refers to Barras' elevation to the high government post of a Director and Bonaparte's promotion. Thi‘bault says: As Barras had become a Director he had to be succeeded in his command by Bonaparte, who from a brigadier—general on half-pay had, in a moment, become Barras' second in command, and having been made a division general almost at once, was in three weeks commangsr-in-chief of the Home Army and of the Paris National Guard. Regardless of this apparent uncertainty of designated military titles, one fact is beyond doubt; the defense of the Convention was weak in both manpower and cannon. 2)" Little could be done in the way of obtaining 22 Wf Bagel: W, trans. Arthur John Butler (New York, 1896), I, 259. Hereafter referred to as Ihi‘bault. This man was considered with high regard by Napoleon, but Thi‘bault did not rise to the peak of military fame because of his frequent acts of insubordination. As a lucid and accurate writer, however, Thi‘bault rates very high. 23 Thi‘bault, I, 267. 21* Best estimates indicate that the Convention had only hooo-sooo men, whereas the Sections had 20,000 - 30,000 troops. See Iircheisen, p. 60 and Thiébault, I, 263. \ \slzm malls; nan) on .u