an old handwritten letter with a black ink writing on a piece of paper
OUEST ENCHERES PUBLIQUES NANTES & RENNES

60 - [The Dreyfus Affair] Gaston de GALLIFET (1831–1909); a gener…
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Estimate €300 - €400
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Description
[The Dreyfus Affair] Gaston de GALLIFET (1831–1909); a general who was best known for his brutal suppression of the Paris Commune in May 1871. He ended his career as Minister of War in 1899–1900; in this capacity, he pursued a policy of appeasement during the Dreyfus Affair, of which he was a belated and pragmatic defender, seeking above all to preserve the army and republican order rather than to uphold a clear-cut moral stance on the matter. A fine autograph letter, signed, of 6 pages, undated and undated [1901]; (recipient unknown) addressed to an ‘old and faithful friend’. [He is] ‘in a self-imposed and beneficial isolation’ following his resignation on 29 May 1900 from the Ministry of War. He writes: “A faithful account of the last eleven months (…) resolute only at the outset and in the midst of frightened colleagues, a slave-trader turned into Scylla! and many other spectres, whilst, once the danger had passed, everyone had regained the courage to engage in folly. I shall repeat the confidences of my colleagues who told me, as recently as six weeks ago: ‘Yes, you were right when, alone and without our knowledge, you sought an appeal on Dreyfus’s behalf to pardon him and disarm him for the future; when you opposed and refused to yield to any pressure on the court-martial and the government commissioner in Rennes; when you treated the High Court’s resolution and the bills on associations and against freedom of education as a joke. We were wrong not to listen to you. It was neither the shrewd Millerand, nor the sectarian Baudin, nor the lackey Lanessan, nor the JOC member Decrais who told me all this, but I shall surprise many people—and Waldeck-Rousseau himself—when I quote this admission he made in a moment of lucidity, rare amongst those he has spent in power (…)’. “As for the army, speaking of everyone from the old generals right down to the colonels, nothing will make them compromise their principles (…)”. He then vehemently criticises the attitude of his former political colleagues, including Waldeck-Rousseau, ‘infatuated with a restless and ambitious woman, who grants him no peace unless he does everything she wants’, pushing the latter to resign ‘(…) so I had to leave. The government-aligned *Figaro* insisted, on orders, on my illness!!! which does not exist! (…)”. A fine copy. Dimensions: 11 x 17.5 cm. Appraisal carried out by Pascal GUILLEBAUD. Lot from a voluntary sale.
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About the sale Manuscripts, Philately and Bibliophilia
Auction location
Auction time 06/30/2026 at 2:00 PM
Lot description modified on 06/18/2026 at 5:09 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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