NAPOLEON I — SIGNED 1808 LETTER DIRECTING NEWSPAPER REPORTS OF EXPEDITIONS TO IRELAND AND SICILY
Imperial Camp at Benavente, Spain, December 31, 1808. Two-page French manuscript letter signed “Np,” addressed to General Henri Clarke, Minister of War. Written in a secretary’s hand, with Napoleon’s large abbreviated signature at the conclusion.
A revealing military dispatch in which Napoleon combines detailed troop movements with instructions to influence foreign and domestic newspapers.
Napoleon orders the divisions of Saint-Cyr and Legrand toward Paris and surrounding cantonments as a reserve corps, places Corsican and Piedmontese battalions under General Oudinot, and specifies positions for the divisions of Boudet and Molitor. He directs commanders and administrative personnel to remain ready to move immediately upon receiving further orders.
The letter’s most striking passage is heavily underlined:
“Take measures to have it inserted in the newspapers of Germany, Hamburg, and the interior of France, with appropriate elaboration, that the Paris corps is destined for Ireland and that of Lyon for Sicily.”
This juxtaposition of operational readiness and publicized overseas destinations offers compelling evidence of Napoleon’s use of the press for strategic misdirection. Written from his headquarters during the Spanish campaign, the letter reveals his continued attention to military preparations and information reaching audiences elsewhere in Europe.
The text is recorded in Napoleon’s Correspondance générale, volume 8, letter no. 19635.
Condition: Light age toning, storage folds, creasing, and ink show-through. Dark ink marks and localized surface disturbance appear along the upper portion of the first page, with minor edge wear. The text, extensive underlining, and signature remain clearly visible. A separate marginal annotation appears on the second page.
An especially engaging Napoleon letter connecting military command, Ireland, Sicily, and the deliberate management of newspaper reports.
Imperial Camp at Benavente, Spain, December 31, 1808. Two-page French manuscript letter signed “Np,” addressed to General Henri Clarke, Minister of War. Written in a secretary’s hand, with Napoleon’s large abbreviated signature at the conclusion.
A revealing military dispatch in which Napoleon combines detailed troop movements with instructions to influence foreign and domestic newspapers.
Napoleon orders the divisions of Saint-Cyr and Legrand toward Paris and surrounding cantonments as a reserve corps, places Corsican and Piedmontese battalions under General Oudinot, and specifies positions for the divisions of Boudet and Molitor. He directs commanders and administrative personnel to remain ready to move immediately upon receiving further orders.
The letter’s most striking passage is heavily underlined:
“Take measures to have it inserted in the newspapers of Germany, Hamburg, and the interior of France, with appropriate elaboration, that the Paris corps is destined for Ireland and that of Lyon for Sicily.”
This juxtaposition of operational readiness and publicized overseas destinations offers compelling evidence of Napoleon’s use of the press for strategic misdirection. Written from his headquarters during the Spanish campaign, the letter reveals his continued attention to military preparations and information reaching audiences elsewhere in Europe.
The text is recorded in Napoleon’s Correspondance générale, volume 8, letter no. 19635.
Condition: Light age toning, storage folds, creasing, and ink show-through. Dark ink marks and localized surface disturbance appear along the upper portion of the first page, with minor edge wear. The text, extensive underlining, and signature remain clearly visible. A separate marginal annotation appears on the second page.
An especially engaging Napoleon letter connecting military command, Ireland, Sicily, and the deliberate management of newspaper reports.
