There have been a lot of events since last time, Cheriton, our man in Almelo, a larger foray to Ligny, Horsham, Dover and Cannon hall.
Soon we have the expedition to Veere followed by Hole park and September looks to be a busy end of season with a third outing to the low countries for some. I'm sure we are all hoping for an indian summer.
HORSHAM
Horsham's French market saw the town square full of Gallic goodies as well as classic cars, a band, ourselves and some Sappeurs with a static display and marching through town. Also on hand were the Children of the revolution and their guillotine display.
The professor takes class, with a musket handy to deal with critics.
It was a friendly crowd for a small English town but I suppose they were all there to enjoy a day of French celebration although Roy and a couple of others did make themselves scarce when one local started expousing his views on France and 'Those Europeans'. Bite tongue. Move along.. we've got a volunteer for the guillotine!
The drill proved too successful as the revolutionary forces were cruelly shot down before the benefits of an egalitarian socialist system could be properly explained to the kids!
Madam De Stäel.
One of the great voices of the age.
The young lady, barely twenty years old with dark, curly hair and recently married to an ambassador, was here at the royal court to be formally introduced, amongst others, to the King and Queen of France. She curtseyed once, twice and then.. tripped over her own dress and went slap, face first, into the floor, requiring several courtiers to disentangle her foot whilst placing her back in an upright position.
To some this would be the beginning and end of moving in high society, but this was no ordinary women, this was Madam De Stäel and legend has it she recovered with such grace and good humour that her face plant actually won her much admiration.
New to court, she was certainly not knew to society having grown up with regular attendance at her mother's salons.
She who would be famous for her wit, politics, literature and salons developed her skills even as a child, her ability to argue and spar with the learned on any subject was noted, here at such a young age she became a celebrity and basked in the glow of praise for her intellect and drive. Both admirers and critics hold this period up as what moulded her into the socialite that she would become.
Her first fleeting taste of exile came during the gathering storm of the revolution as her father, a minister of finance, was dismissed for suggesting less exuberance and more austere spending as people went hungry, Mary Antoinette hated her father but the people loved him and demanded his recall, this surely helped the family when the guillotine rolled out although during the terror they fled France for three years and lived for a time in England. When they returned Robespierre was dead, and everyone seemed to be talking about a man called Bonaparte.
The name Anne would come to be known as came from her husband, the Baron De Stäel, the Swedish ambassador, it was a tepid marriage but certainly opened doors to society and soon the salon was open although the Ambassador would pass away in 1802.
She later wrote of her encounters with the first consul;
Far from recovering my confidence by seeing Bonaparte more frequently, he constantly intimidated me more and more. I had a confused feeling that no emotion of the heart could act upon him. He regards a human being as an action or a thing, not as a fellow-creature. He does not hate more than he loves; for him nothing exists but himself; all other creatures are ciphers. The force of his will consists in the impossibility of disturbing the calculations of his egoism; he is an able chess-player, and the human race is the opponent to whom he proposes to give checkmate. His successes depend as much on the qualities in which he is deficient as on the talents which he possesses. Neither pity, nor allurement, nor religion, nor attachment to any idea whatsoever could turn him aside from his principal direction. He is for his self-interest what the just man should be for virtue; if the end were good, his perseverance would be noble.
One of the rare occasions She was left speechless was when she enquired what was the greatest acheivement a women could make to society, Bonaparte allegedly shrugged as if the answer was obvious; have babies!
..The critiscm continued on his doorstep and so Napoleon banished her. She went to Coppet, in Switzerland, which would become a regular retreat and home to a new salon which attracted literary and political thinkers from all across Europe. She travelled much and in 1807 published 'Corinne', largely concerning travels in Italy with much in depth descriptions in an age where travelling a far was not common. The book was a huge success.
The follow up 'Germany' was passed for publishing by the French censorship office but when Napoleon learnt of it he ordered every copy destroyed and the manuscript seised. Fortunately a rough copy was given over. Certainly one of Germaine's great talents was making Napoleon look like a bit of a petty tyrant.
Wishing to distance herself from Napoleon's reach having been in exile since 1804 despite many appeals, She was refused permission to travel to America and instead passed with her two children, through Austria, meeting Metternich, and to Russia, twice meeting the Tsar Alexander even as the Grand armee was marching on Russia, then to Sweden and Bernadotte whom she hoped might become the constitutional monarch of France, then to England where she was warmly received and met Byron. Tragically her eldest son, serving with the Swedish army, was killed by a Cossack officer in an arguement.
In 1816 after a return to Coppet she returned to Paris despite failing health and met the Duke of Wellington whom she convinced to reduce the size of the army of occupation. Further failing health left her housebound and she died in July 1817.
Certainly a firebrand and as one biography puts it 'The first modern woman' she was nether the less prone to some inconsistencies, her deathbed conversion to catholicism surprised many and whilst an opinionated political agent who pressed for greater recognition of women in intellectual circles she also believed that women should remain the chief domestic in the family household.
As consistent an enemy of Bonaparte as the British we can only wonder how far her influence spread from her salon and those who attended, as well as her meetings with Metternich and the Tsar and many other big players in European politics not to mention the influence of her written works, which endure to this day.
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DOVER.
Our heroes storm the British position, and capture Dover. Next day they said 'Yeah, you can have it back now..'
In close support with pitchforks, pistols and pointy flags, and Oddjobs hat!
The conversation ended badly when Plinny confessed he was too young to have watched Sharpe!
The Duke De Pomme Frite has shares in the Smuggling business and an offshore account!
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LIGNY
Ligny saw a very good turn out from the French brigade and the 45eme and associates were singled out for their efforts, especially turning up on time whenever required, and being early for an extended drill session.
Scorching weather saw a lot of recumbent cantineres and Soldats, tell the Prussians it's too hot to fight! At least an effort was made to keep the troops in the shade as much as possible.
Hot work! Special order.. coats off!
Breakfast before battle.
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Valmy
"Here and today, a new epoch in the history of the world has begun, and you can boast you were present at its birth."
Goethe, who was present in the Prussian army.
The battle of Valmy, a battle honour of the 45eme, is a legend of French revolutionary zeal overcoming a Prussian army that symbolised the old order of Europe and the world, and is believed to have saved the revolution, enthusiasm and ideals beating the stolid, professional Prussians and their aristocratic commanders. The truth of course is not that simple.
The action took place on the twentieth of September as the Duke of Brunswick (senior, not his son who fell at Quatre Bras) intended to invade France, take Paris, and forcefully restore King Louis to the throne.
Blocking his advance was General Kellerman, alongside Doumouiez, in the Champagne-Ardenne region bordering Belgium. The French were actually east of the Prussians and not blocking the advance on Paris but the Prussians did not want to continue with an army blocking their lines of communication, so begrudgingly they moved to destroy the French army at a village named Valmy.
Paintings of the battle usually show the famous windmill but this was actually destroyed by the French who did not want the Prussians to use it as a landmark/aiming point, the windmill today is a reconstruction.
So the Prussians, sons of Frederick the Great, came on, and were met with a barrage of fire from the French artillery. This is one of the most important aspects of the 'unexpected' French success, the gunners were not ameteur volunteers but highly trained regulars. The artillery had suffered far less from desertion, especially of aristocratic officers, because it was professional and hands on but unglamorous and many of its officers were middle class career soldiers. The Gribeuval system of standardized equipment and training also added to the artillery being perhaps the best in Europe. It firstly knocked out most of its opposite number from its commanding position on the ridge.
But the Prussians were tough and well trained? Yes and no. Like most of the continental armies of the revolutionary period they still thought war was to be conducted much as it had in the Seven years war, and soldiering for the rank and file was still seen as a bitter service mostly taken up by the desperate. Then there was the weather.
Rain, rain and mud. It had been a hard march for the Prussians and sickness levels were incredibly high, dysentry was rife, and with a corresponding effect on morale. This was the condition of an army, promised an easy victory over a mob, that was suddenly struck by a tempest of artillery.
The advance wavered. It was at this moment that Kellerman placed his hat on his sword and raised it high shouting 'Vive le nation!'
This was taken up with unbridled enthusiasm and cheering. Some fanciful accounts claim this routed the Prussian army in itself, and it doubtless played a significant psychological part. Eighteenth century armies seldom uttered a word, soaked to the bone and tired and battered by cannon fire this uproarious cheering and shouting from an army arrayed before them may well have broken the armies spirit. The Duke of Brunswick ordered a retreat, probably little imagining the profound effect this seemingly insignificant clash would have.
Brunswick would be severely criticized for his retreat, even receiving accusations of treachery and bribery but nothing was proved and given the condition of his army and strong French position it was, tactically, probably a wise call.
News of the victory caused the convention to declare a French Republic and abolish the monarchy and Valmy is seen as a decisive battle in military history although it was not much of a battle with only approximately 300 French casualties and 200 Prussian, indeed the engagement is often referred to as 'The cannonade of Valmy' other than a battle but regardless it's effect on the war and French history was great indeed.
"Vive le nation!"
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ROGUES GALLERY.
A model soldier amongst thousands!
'Where is everybody?'
Bird is the word for Serge.
Mark defends the display incase anyone else thinks it's a jumble sale!
Alex is pleased that Lawrence can warn her in advance if it starts raining.
Avant! It's June 1815 what can possibly go wrong?
ZzZZzzZZZ.
Next newsletter will be end of season. Still a few more battles to fight! March on! Vive le 45eme!
