AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED BY VÉLITE DESTRET, of the 1st company of the Battalion of the Tirailleurs of the Imperial Guard, TO HIS BROTHER, December 10, 1812. 18855-14
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SIGNED AUTOGRAPH LETTER BY THE VELITE DESTRET, of the 1st company of the Battalion of Tirailleurs of the Imperial Guard, TO HIS BROTHER, December 10, 1812. 18855-14
Remarkable document.
Printed letterhead with a beautiful vignette of the Imperial Arms "IMPERIAL GUARD / TIRAILLEUR BATTALION" "INSTRUCTION BATTALIONS / 1st COMPANY".
With address "To Monsieur / Monsieur Marieux Destret residing in St Paray / Dnt de lardeche" and red ink postal mark "73 FONTAINEBLEAU".
The Vélite Destret, of the 1st Company of the Tirailleurs Battalion, writes this long letter to his brother. It reveals the mindset of the young soldier, but also, in the second part of the text, a straightforward portrayal of the daily life of the Vélites.
Excerpt:
"Fontainebleau, December 10, 1812.
[...] I also saw the rooms of the castle where the Emperor resides ... and truly, there is nothing more curious to see because of a richness and magnificence that nothing can equal; on one side, you see clocks, on another side, paintings of a beauty that nothing can match. In one room, you see the Emperor's throne, in another room, you see statues and finally, in another room, you see the Emperor's ceremonial bed. And finally, I would tell you that I cannot give you an accurate enough description of all the beauty I have seen because ... I could not do it justice ... Fontainebleau is a thousand times more pleasant and beautiful than Valence ...".
In response to a question from his brother, he indicates that it is Colonel Christiani who is in command: "[...] he is the first to command the school and he is also Colonel of the Imperial Guard, as are all the captains, sergeant-majors, sergeants, corporals, and as you see, we cannot call the place I am in a school, but rather a barracks because we are treated like soldiers. We cook for ourselves, we sleep in pairs, we have a ration of bread for two days, which I found very difficult at first to get used to eating this black bread like the chimney, but now that I am accustomed to it, I could easily eat it in a single day, we only have two meals a day, one at 10 o'clock and the other at 5 o'clock in the evening. [...] So, you must see that we are not treated very well, and if I hadn't had a little money to go have a drink at the canteen and eat a little piece, I would have had a hard time getting used to it...
Give a big hug to Papa and Mama, tell them that I am doing very well [...]".
Double sheet. 4 pages of writing, with the recipient's address.
Beautiful handwriting. H 23 cm x 18.4 cm.
Good condition, foxing, a tear with loss on the 4th page.
* Charles-Joseph Christiani, born on February 27, 1772 in Strasbourg and died on April 6, 1840 in Montargis, in Loiret, was a French general of the Revolution and the Empire.
At that time, he was commanding the School of Instruction of the Battalions of Fusiliers-Sergeants, Tirailleurs-Corporals of the Guard in Fontainebleau.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT:
The vélites of the Imperial Guard were created by Napoléon Bonaparte towards the end of the Consulate to allow volunteers from affluent backgrounds to quickly reach the rank of sub-lieutenant. To achieve this, one needed to have an annual income of 800 francs.
Remarkable document.
Printed letterhead with a beautiful vignette of the Imperial Arms "IMPERIAL GUARD / TIRAILLEUR BATTALION" "INSTRUCTION BATTALIONS / 1st COMPANY".
With address "To Monsieur / Monsieur Marieux Destret residing in St Paray / Dnt de lardeche" and red ink postal mark "73 FONTAINEBLEAU".
The Vélite Destret, of the 1st Company of the Tirailleurs Battalion, writes this long letter to his brother. It reveals the mindset of the young soldier, but also, in the second part of the text, a straightforward portrayal of the daily life of the Vélites.
Excerpt:
"Fontainebleau, December 10, 1812.
[...] I also saw the rooms of the castle where the Emperor resides ... and truly, there is nothing more curious to see because of a richness and magnificence that nothing can equal; on one side, you see clocks, on another side, paintings of a beauty that nothing can match. In one room, you see the Emperor's throne, in another room, you see statues and finally, in another room, you see the Emperor's ceremonial bed. And finally, I would tell you that I cannot give you an accurate enough description of all the beauty I have seen because ... I could not do it justice ... Fontainebleau is a thousand times more pleasant and beautiful than Valence ...".
In response to a question from his brother, he indicates that it is Colonel Christiani who is in command: "[...] he is the first to command the school and he is also Colonel of the Imperial Guard, as are all the captains, sergeant-majors, sergeants, corporals, and as you see, we cannot call the place I am in a school, but rather a barracks because we are treated like soldiers. We cook for ourselves, we sleep in pairs, we have a ration of bread for two days, which I found very difficult at first to get used to eating this black bread like the chimney, but now that I am accustomed to it, I could easily eat it in a single day, we only have two meals a day, one at 10 o'clock and the other at 5 o'clock in the evening. [...] So, you must see that we are not treated very well, and if I hadn't had a little money to go have a drink at the canteen and eat a little piece, I would have had a hard time getting used to it...
Give a big hug to Papa and Mama, tell them that I am doing very well [...]".
Double sheet. 4 pages of writing, with the recipient's address.
Beautiful handwriting. H 23 cm x 18.4 cm.
Good condition, foxing, a tear with loss on the 4th page.
* Charles-Joseph Christiani, born on February 27, 1772 in Strasbourg and died on April 6, 1840 in Montargis, in Loiret, was a French general of the Revolution and the Empire.
At that time, he was commanding the School of Instruction of the Battalions of Fusiliers-Sergeants, Tirailleurs-Corporals of the Guard in Fontainebleau.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT:
The vélites of the Imperial Guard were created by Napoléon Bonaparte towards the end of the Consulate to allow volunteers from affluent backgrounds to quickly reach the rank of sub-lieutenant. To achieve this, one needed to have an annual income of 800 francs.
Reference :
18855-14
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