JOYEUX NOEL!
Welcome to the festive newsletter! It is now less than a month to the AGM at the Chequers hotel in Newbury. 14 January, meeting starts at 14.15. Dinner at 18.15. Let Duncan know if you have anything you want brought up or you have any ideas to add to the evening's entertainment. Also you need to get your food choices in by the end of this month.
A training event is proposed for the weekend of 25-26 February in Worcester and Brian Bullock would like to know numbers and if anyone requires crash space at his or Mike Bentley's place. Get in touch if you know you are attending.
That is about all the news! being the off-season, but there is plenty of mentions of snow and ice and booze and cakes to mark the time of year...
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Napoleonic Christmas.
Christmas was certainly not such a big event in the Napoleonic period as it is today, the English and Germans had a special Church service and some degree of merry making but celebration was very much about the season instead of being centred on just one day.
As I'm sure you are aware most modern Christmas customs were imported from Germany in Victorian times, as Prince Albert led the way and made them popular. The French put a lot more effort into celebrating new year than they did Christmas. In regency times evergreen leaves or wreaths were brought in and this would eventually lead to whole Christmas trees.
Christmas certainly went underground during the years of the revolution when the Church and religious rites were all but done away with. A festival in November 1793 celebrated thus and churches were renamed Temples of reason or put to other state use;
“The first festival of reason, which took place in Notre Dame, featured a fabricated mountain, with a temple of philosophy at its summit and a script borrowed from an opera libretto. At the sound of Hymne à la Liberté, two rows of young women, dressed in white, descended the mountain, crossing each other before the ‘altar of reason’ before ascending once more to greet the goddess of Liberty.
One festive cake was la Galette des Rois 'The kings cake' often eaten on the sixth of January, during the revolution this was re-named 'Equality cake' so it is quite possible a lot of other traditions carried on under an acceptably egalitarian and secular guise.
25th December of course had ceased to exist under the revolutionary calender which was not abandoned until Napoleon re-instated the traditional calender and allowed for a return of religious expression.
An officer of the 43rd in the Peninsular left this scene in his memoirs;
"Just before dark whilst passing a Corporal's piquet an officer and myself stood for a few minutes, to contemplate a poor woman, who had brought her little pudding and her child from distant quarters, to partake of (Christmas) with her husband, by the side of a small fire kindled under a tree.'
For the soldier in the field it would have been observed as a religious festival and celebrated with whatever could be scrounged together, or maybe with some hoarded food and drink being broken out, music and songs would, as ever, have played a key role as the main entertainment.
Here for the first time in the Peninsula we kept Christmas. Every man contributed some money, meat or wine. A sheep or two were bought and killed. Pies and puddings were baked, etc. Plates, knives and forks, were not plentiful, yet we managed to diminish the stock of eatables in quick time. For desert we had plenty of apples; and for a finish, two or three bandsmen played merry tunes, while many warmed their toes by dancing jigs and reels.
Christmas for soldiers at home was a lot more comfortable, as it was for this militiaman doing 'home service' in 1793.
I would not have imagined it would have been much different for the French. British army accounts mention Christmas trees being put up by their German comrades and a member of the Kings German legion in Spain is reported to have decorated a lemon tree with lights and oranges. We can imagine the French must have experienced similar as their German comrades in the numerous confederation of the Rhine regiments would have done the same.
This illustration shows a Norwegian soldier taking part in a ski jumping competition, I would like to imagine it was combined with mid-air marksmanship but probably not.
A tradition from Scotland and Wales often observed at the time was that of 'First foot', the first person through the door on new years day was meant to be a sign of the year to come.. if a respectable, well dressed, dark haired man called round bearing gifts which might include salt or coal.. it suggested a great year ahead.. but a hard up fair haired woman was a bit of a disappointment. I don't know if you could just tell people to come back later until Mr Darcy turns up with some truffles.
In Serbia and Georgia a very similar tradition held but was observed on Christmas day instead of New year's, in America this got a bit confused as migrants from different countries held to one date or the other. British officer's in Canada during the war of 1812 were often invited to local houses on Christmas morning as such a distinguished guest was obviously a great portent.
The Christmas party had gone too far for Privat Himmelburg.
As mentioned the Germans were already quite big on Christmas, in Bavaria there are four dates called 'Tapping nights' where folk dress up in folkloresque and demonic costumes, being an ancient festival similar to those that have spawned Trick or treating in our own age. Folk on these nights dress in furs and carved wooden masks and go about town to scare anyone they can find.
Sometimes the leader is called Krampuss who traditionally had to frighten children into being good, sometimes dragging them out of the house to be dumped in a snow drift. Krampuss can often be seen these days as one of Santa's helpers.
Goose was the most traditional Christmas dinner in the German states, often with red cabbage and potato dumplings. Mulled wine, Gluhwein, is often thought to have come from Germany although it can be found across Europe.
Nativity scenes are very popular and traditional feature of Christmas in France and given the common skills of whittling and carving amongst soldiers I would imagine most garrisons would have a nativity scene put together by the men. Given some of the remarkable wood and bone carving that came out of prisoner of war camps I think some sets would be quite impressive.
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Christmas battles?
Traditionally the winter had been the off season for warfare as many officers would rather have been at home in bed than out in a cold field at midwinter, Napoleonic principles had shaken that up somewhat but still it was difficult to wage war even for a genious like Le Tondu as roads were often muddy quagmires, there was less food to requisition, men had more to carry and miserable with or without tents (which were a lot of baggage) cold weather and poor conditions were bad for morale as well as bad for health and accounts of being on the march in winter often mention unfortunate souls who perished in the night.
The second siege of Zaragoza went on from 20th December to the 20th of February, 1809, and we can imagine the besieging troops in their frosty earth works and the bells of the city ringing out but as far as I can find no battles were fought on Christmas day in the Napoleonic period.
'Boxing day' however sees the battle of Geisberg between the French and Austrians in 1793 then in 1806 we have actions at Pultusk and Golymin on the same day, both inconclusive battles with the Russians at the opening of what would go on to become the terrible Eylau campaign.
British General Paget fought the French in the Peninsular in 1808 at Sahugun and Benevente on the 21st and 29th respectively and the American ship Constitution gave the British a drubbing at sea on the 29th of December in the war of 1812.
On the 24th December 1800 there was the plot of the Machine infernale, or plot of the rue Saint Nicaise, where unfestive Royalists and catholics tried to blow Napoleon up. Napoleon was apparently having a nap in the carriage and had a bad dream about the Austrians beating him in battle, the carriage driver was also apparently drunk... both recovered their senses when a wagon packed with explosives went up in flames, killing some bystanders but leaving Napoleon unscathed, and he continued on to the theatre where he received a round of applause.
So generally it was peace on earth. Sort of.
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General Eble and the crossing of the Berezina.
Towards the end of November, 1812, the remnants of the Grande armee found itself converging on the banks of the river Berezina and being homed in on, like a wounded animal by hunters, from several directions by the Russians armies.
The freezing conditions had actually thawed somewhat but this itself was the worse that could have happened because the solid ice had become thin or non existent so that only a bridge could save the army, and no such bridge existed.
Enter General Jean-Baptiste Eble, a long serving artillery officer, turned briefly minister of war for Westphalia, then a seige expert in the Peninsula before joining the army in Russia in charge of the Pontooniers, who were part of the artillery organisation.
Eble's first contribution to saving the army was ignoring Napoleon orders. He had been told to abandon his equipment on the road and destroy some portable forges, these were relatively new inventions that Napoleon did not want to fall into Russian hands. They would be instrumental in building the bridges.
Three bridges were planned but proved impractical so it was limitted to two, one for infantry and one for carts and guns.
Many of Eble's men were Dutch as were the closest infantry defending the bridge, and he was joined by engineers from Chasseloup-Laubat's command, although without equipment there was work for all.
Bravery has many forms, it is one thing to march into battle amid shot and shell and take part in the lottery of life and death but for the men who had to stand up to their shoulders in the near freezing water and build the bridges from the bottom up it was often just a matter of time.
That was not the end of the work as the often improvised nature of the bridges and volume of traffic saw them occasionally break down and require repairs.
A battle was taking place in the dawn between the outnumbering Russians and Marshal Victor's corp which was largely composed of German troops who fought on as a rearguard to protect those attempting to cross.
The dwindling 'French' were overlapped and Russian artillery began firing on the bridges. Many stragglers had collapsed on the east bank to await the morning but suddenly a panic enveloped the desperate crowds and tragic scenes were enacted as thousands made to cross at once with many falling into the river and perishing. To make things worse part of the artillery bridge collapsed and those behind kept pushing those ahead so that they fell into the river.
The surgeon Larrey left an account of how he had crossed back over the bridge to the east side just as the Russian attack started and was barred from crossing back, he thought he was going to die and was being pushed closer to the water when he was recognised and a shout went up. Such was the armies esteem for Larrey that he was hoisted up onto the shoulders of the crowd and passed over their heads from one person to the next all the way over to the Western side.
Thousands had escaped over the bridges, though still far from home the river was the last physical barrier between the remnants of the army and friendly soil and psychologically this must have been a boost amidst so much despair. General Eble survived the retreat as far as Konigsberg but his health was broken by the ordeal and he died there on 30 December.
An aid-de-camp to Marshal Oudinot, Le Tellier, left the following description of the work of Eble and his men.
"'When the foundations of that historic bridge, the sole hope of safety offered us, had to be laid in at the Berezina, at the voice of their chief those men of duty and resolution marched silently into the water, never interrupting their work save to turn aside the huge pieces of ice which threatened to cut them in half like a sword. They drove in the piles, the ground work of the construction, and went on striking their blows until the moment when they felt death seize them. Not one came out alive, but others stepped in to complete the work - the work of a day that should leave an immortal memory."
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CHRISTMAS QUIZ!
1) Who did Napoleon describe as 'The only man in Prussia'?
2) The saying 'A big mortar has a short range' was applied to which Marshal?
3) Who were a French soldiers 'Big brothers'?
4) What were 'Le mie de pain' ? (Breadcrumbs)
5) What are you doing if you are 'Grinding peppercorns'?
6) Who did Napoleon liken Murat to when he appeared in one of his latest uniforms?
7) Who told a young (later General) Blucher to 'Go to the devil!'
8) Which action has been described as 'The Polish charge of the light brigade' ?
9) Eble built the bridges at the Berezina to save the army, what nationality were most of his men?
10) What were general Montbrun's last words when hit by shell fire at Borodino?
11) If you saw 'Austrian' troops in blue trousers where would they most likely be from?
12) Which battle in 1812 did the Italian division fight largely unaided?
13) What does the verb 'Raguser' signify in French?
14) How many times was Marshal Oudinot wounded during service?
15) According to Lasalle what age should any good Hussar be dead by?
16) on what noble creature did Napoleon cross the Alps?
17) The 'Onion song' was (probably) composed following an incident before what battle?
18) In winter where did Napoleon keep his armies?
Answers at the end. Reward yourself with a brandy if you got over half as a couple are a bit obscure.
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Westphalia!
I bet Jerome had a bloody good Christmas in Westphalia, surrounded by wine and German beer, cakes and roast geese and mulled wine, and glittery decorations and presents and elfen maidens... actually that was Jerome, 'Konig Lustig', the merry monarch, pretty much all year round.
Westphalia was the model state for the confederation of the Rhine, to the north-west of what we know as Germany, existing from 1807 to 1813, the traditional term Westphalia covered a region only slightly overlapping that which the newly created state covered but Napoleon liked it as an expression. Meritocracy was encouraged, there was no corporal punishment, pay was good, everyone was equal under the law, there was freedom of religion and freedom of politics (as long as it was 'I love France'), pensions and hospitals and art and culture.
Westphalia was the first German state to ever have a parliament, and there would not be another until Frankfurt in 1848.
So why did it go wrong? the army of the state has never been thought up to much yet it was based on the French model and conditions were good for soldiers relative to most continental armies.
Firstly it was young and had no traditions, no esprit d'corps, no battle honours and people did not really think of themselves as Westphalians but rather as Hessians or Hanoverians or whatever territory they came from, the army was also a dumping ground for any German speaking recruits who didn't otherwise have a regiment to be put into.
Also two of the territories, Hanover and Braunschweig (Brunswick in English) had people actively fighting against France in Spain in the Kings German legion and Black Brunswickers, the Duke having fought his way to the sea and escaped to Spain with a regiment of men. All of this does not make for good motivation. Some also felt there was too much 'French', organisation was French, the court spoke French, proclamations were printed in French and German, the disliked force of Gendames were all French and had a bad reputation.
Meritocracy was a double edged sword, it would be fair to say the Westphalian army had opportunities for all, a trooper with initiative and competence could be promoted into the officer corp but also anyone turning up and claiming command experience might be given a commision as well. No time to check references now, here have a captaincy. Existing officers were also promoted beyond their experience level. Some of Jerome's old mates from his navy days (not having much to do) turned up and were given good army jobs.
Then there was Jerome himself. King Jerome, Napoleon's youngest brother. He was quite ernest and seemed enthusiastic to better the lot of his new people, at least at first, but it all seemed a bit of a chore. He was also a spend thrift known for excesses, elaborate all night parties and feasts were thrown on the slightest whim and he was keen on fancy troops for his guard. Napoleon complained much of his curassiers, the most expensive troops to raise, and that he should have stuck to chasseurs and lancers, but no, he ended up with two regiments of them. The state was regularly bankrupt and Napoleon refused to bale him out.
'Extravagant, moi?'
In Spain Westphalians had a reputation for desertion, some becoming bandits or joining guerillas or making it to British lines and being recruited into the KGL or Brunswick troops. By 1812 they were better trained but never described as more than average, a whole corp marching into Russia (although Jerome quit and went home) under command of Junot, who himself was not considered a good leader, patchy at most, so perhaps some of the blame may fall on his shoulders for their mediocre performance. Sadly few returned.
Jerome refused to abandon his kingdom in 1813 and stayed with his troops, unfortunately he was much outnumbered and had to await French reinforcements and Kassel was captured by the Russians, however three days later Jerome recaptured the city. It was not to last though and he returned to France.
Had the Napoleonic dream lasted a few more years and Westphalia got a share of the glory and spoils and time to gain an identity maybe it could have flourished into the state it was meant to be but sadly it was a flash in the pan that remains a historical curiosity.
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The following I found and borrowed from an American historical site that claims the original was in an English newspaper around Christmas 1814.
A French Pie
Le pâté indigeste, a caricature of the 1815 Congress of Vienna. The Duke of Wellington, the King of Prussia, and the Emperors of Russia and Austria sit around the table. Napoleon is on it. Louis XVIII is under it.Take a St. Helena Cock past crowing, Bonypart and all, smoke him and baste him; season him with Savory, and a few Malta pickles; of French plums (say Orleans) take as many as you can lay hands on; take from the Chamber of Pears (or Peers) about a dozen that are not sound, hang them up in the open air for a short time, then take them down and cut them in pieces; add a little sour Rhenish wine; and if the whole becomes too tart, sweeten it with a French Berry – be sure to take the Berry out again; let the crust be made of the flower of the late French army; expose it to a hot fire, and it will be a dish fit to set before the King. (2)
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Typical fat British aristocrats not sharing anything!
Poor English. A Frenchman doesn't need mistletoe!
They also have Shiny balls for Christmas.
Hope everyone has a wonderful time and many of us will be seeing each other in about a month's time at the AGM where we can all have a late festive dinner and a tipple to the new year and another exciting season ahead! Where will the boots of the intrepid 45e tread next?
Those quiz answers 1) Queen Louise 2) Mortier 3) Curassiers 4) Fleas 5) Sentry duty 6) King Franconi, the circus master 7) Frederick the Great 8) Somosierra 9) Dutch 10) 'Good shot!' 11) Hungarian or eastern provinces. 12) Malo-yaroslavets 13) to betray (after Marmont) 14) Between 32-34 15) 30 16) a Donkey. 17) Marengo 18) (still) Up his sleevies.
Joyeux Noel!
