Napoleon Bonaparte — January 1800 Cavalry Orders to Berthier, Bearing “Bonaparte” Signature
arly Consulate Military Document Bearing “Bonaparte” Signature — Bibliotheca Lindesiana Stamp
A striking French military document recording Napoleon Bonaparte’s instructions to Minister of War Louis-Alexandre Berthier during the opening months of the Consulate. Dated Paris, 21 Nivôse, Year VIII—January 11, 1800, the single sheet measures 7¾ × 9¾ inches and features a printed allegorical vignette of the French Republic above the manuscript text. A bold “Bonaparte” signature with a sweeping underline appears below.
The orders convey the urgency of Napoleon’s military administration. Berthier is instructed to transmit orders by telegraph directing the 12th Hussars to leave Brussels for Caen, traveling without rest days and making double daily marches. A second directive orders the 13th Cavalry Regiment to the Army of the Rhine, following an inspection and an exact report of its condition.
Issued shortly after Napoleon’s rise to power in November 1799, the text offers a revealing glimpse of his attention to troop movements, rapid communication, and military readiness. Its reference to telegraph transmission concerns the era’s optical semaphore system, not the later electric telegraph.
The order is recorded as No. 100, page 51, in Ordres et apostilles de Napoléon (1799–1815), confirming the historical text, date, and recipient.
English translation
“The Minister of War will tomorrow, the 22nd, give orders by telegraph to the 12th Regiment of Hussars to depart from Brussels on the 24th Nivôse for Caen. This regiment will travel without any rest days and by double daily marches.
“The Minister of War will also order the 13th Cavalry Regiment to proceed to the Army of the Rhine, and will have this corps inspected before its departure so that an exact account of its condition may be rendered to him.”
Provenance
From the personal collection of a prominent private collector, as reported by the present owner. The lower-right margin also bears the crowned “Bibliotheca Lindesiana” stamp associated with the celebrated library of the Earls of Crawford and Balcarres. The intervening ownership history has not been documented.
Condition
Age toning, horizontal and vertical folds, scattered spotting, and minor edge wear. A small folded or torn area is visible at the upper-left corner, with localized discoloration along the upper edge. The text, vignette, and signature remain dark and readily legible. The reverse displays show-through from the front.
arly Consulate Military Document Bearing “Bonaparte” Signature — Bibliotheca Lindesiana Stamp
A striking French military document recording Napoleon Bonaparte’s instructions to Minister of War Louis-Alexandre Berthier during the opening months of the Consulate. Dated Paris, 21 Nivôse, Year VIII—January 11, 1800, the single sheet measures 7¾ × 9¾ inches and features a printed allegorical vignette of the French Republic above the manuscript text. A bold “Bonaparte” signature with a sweeping underline appears below.
The orders convey the urgency of Napoleon’s military administration. Berthier is instructed to transmit orders by telegraph directing the 12th Hussars to leave Brussels for Caen, traveling without rest days and making double daily marches. A second directive orders the 13th Cavalry Regiment to the Army of the Rhine, following an inspection and an exact report of its condition.
Issued shortly after Napoleon’s rise to power in November 1799, the text offers a revealing glimpse of his attention to troop movements, rapid communication, and military readiness. Its reference to telegraph transmission concerns the era’s optical semaphore system, not the later electric telegraph.
The order is recorded as No. 100, page 51, in Ordres et apostilles de Napoléon (1799–1815), confirming the historical text, date, and recipient.
English translation
“The Minister of War will tomorrow, the 22nd, give orders by telegraph to the 12th Regiment of Hussars to depart from Brussels on the 24th Nivôse for Caen. This regiment will travel without any rest days and by double daily marches.
“The Minister of War will also order the 13th Cavalry Regiment to proceed to the Army of the Rhine, and will have this corps inspected before its departure so that an exact account of its condition may be rendered to him.”
Provenance
From the personal collection of a prominent private collector, as reported by the present owner. The lower-right margin also bears the crowned “Bibliotheca Lindesiana” stamp associated with the celebrated library of the Earls of Crawford and Balcarres. The intervening ownership history has not been documented.
Condition
Age toning, horizontal and vertical folds, scattered spotting, and minor edge wear. A small folded or torn area is visible at the upper-left corner, with localized discoloration along the upper edge. The text, vignette, and signature remain dark and readily legible. The reverse displays show-through from the front.
