1 / 4
Gros & Delettrez
84
-
MANUSCRIPT. [General Mathieu DUMAS].
See original version (French)
84
-
MANUSCRIPT. [General Mathieu DUMAS].
See original version (French)
Estimate €300 - €400
Voluntary lot
Description
MANUSCRIPT. [General Mathieu DUMAS].
Letters from General Dumas to His Serene Highness Prince Joseph during the Grand Army’s campaign in 1805.
No place, no date (1805 as the earliest date).
Quarto, (3) folios including half-title, title page, pp. 1–56, (4) folios containing a handwritten map, pp. 61–128, (3) blank folios, (1) folio of Table of Contents and a few quires of blank folios. Contemporary red half-basane with corner pieces, smooth spine highlighted with gilt fillets, gilt title (slight wear, spine rubbed but the interior remains in good condition).
An interesting manuscript, unpublished in this form, particularly concerning the Battle of Austerlitz.
A copy of correspondence and notes for personal archives, with annotations by the general himself, dating from the period or slightly later.
Divided into two parts. Fine, legible handwriting in brown ink, approximately 22 lines per page on fine laid paper with a watermark (a single shell in the watermark), text ruled in pencil, pages numbered by hand, left-hand margin. A hand-drawn map of the area where the battle took place, with detailed place names.
Promoted to Major-General in 1805, Minister of War in Naples under Joseph
Bonaparte, then Grand Marshal of the Palace and Grand Dignitary of the Royal Order of the
Two Sicilies, General Mathieu Dumas (1753–1837) was made a Count of the Empire in 1810. It was he who proposed the creation of the Legion of Honour.
The first part comprises three long letters from the general to Prince Joseph Bonaparte, with corrections by the general himself, describing the events of the Battle of Austerlitz and forming a single chapter. It recounts ‘the development and conclusion of the first part of the vast plan of invasion that the Emperor dared to undertake [ ]’. A richly detailed account of the positions and actions of various generals during the battle.
The second part includes a map of the theatre of operations preceding the account entitled ‘The Battle of Austerlitz, or Notes on the Final Phase of the Grand Army’s Campaign in 1805…’
It describes the remainder of the battle, punctuated by several marginal notes which form chapters (see Table at the end). In these, the general indicates, for example, the positions and locations of generals and soldiers, thereby facilitating a better understanding of the account. It concludes with a brief paragraph describing the effects of the ‘mission of the Prince of Lichtenstein’.
The text of this manuscript does not appear in full either in the *Précis des événements militaires de 1799 à 1807* or in the *Souvenirs du lieutenant-général comte Matthieu Dumas, 1770–1836*.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
You may also like