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GOURGAUD (Gaspard, General)
See original version (French)
21
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GOURGAUD (Gaspard, General)
See original version (French)
Estimate €400 - €600
Voluntary lot
Description
GOURGAUD (Gaspard, General)
Frankfurt, 1 March 1821.
Autograph letter signed ‘Gourgaud’ to John Jackson.
3 pages in-4, address with postmarks on the fourth page, traces of wax seal.
The harsh exile of a hero of the Grande Armée.
In this letter, written two months before the Emperor’s death, Gourgaud pours out his heart to his English friend, John Jackson, who was living in Hamburg:
‘If I do not write to you more often, look for the reason only in the fear that every unfortunate person has of boring others with the tale of his sorrows and griefs. […] If I die here of boredom and sadness, it is at least a consolation for me to see that my friends in Hamburg are enjoying themselves. So let us speak of your pleasures. You tell me that you are constantly at parties, balls, and all that sort of thing. That is all very well – life is short and one must enjoy it as much as one can.”
He does, however, reproach her for devoting herself to criticising Mr Méliles.
Referring to his own activities, he states: ‘I am also working on a book which I shall title *Military Memoirs of St Helena*. As soon as I decide to publish it, I shall hasten to send you a few copies. ”
Finally, his situation as an exile may not find a favourable resolution in the immediate future. He has, in fact, “had my petition sent to the Chamber of Deputies via my elderly mother. The composition of the tribunal that is to decide on it does not give me much hope. […] If I am still unable to return to France, I do not know where I shall settle, but I assure you that I shall leave Frankfurt; I am far too bored there and the inhabitants are far too ‘Frankfurtian’—that is to say, selfish, petty, foolish and shallow. ”
General Gourgaud put his devotion to the Emperor into action by following him into exile on Saint Helena. Unfortunately, this life in exile, which clashed with his temperament as a man of action, as well as the forced interactions with the Emperor’s other close associates (notably Las Cases), did not suit him. He resolved to leave the island on 14 March 1818 and, having been barred from returning to France, took refuge in England and began writing his memoirs. Those written with Montholon were published in 1822.
He remained loyal to the Emperor, despite the latter’s very harsh words about him (“He’s a madman. He was in love with me. Good heavens! I’m not his wife and can’t sleep with him”), he submitted a petition to the Chamber of Deputies demanding that England return Napoleon’s remains. Nearly twenty years later, he accompanied the Prince of Joinville to St Helena to ensure the return of Napoleon’s ashes.
The paper is slightly browned; there is a tear with a gap obscuring around ten words.
Provenance
Jean A. Bonna Library (auction in Paris, Pierre Bergé et Associés, 26 April 2017, lot 177).
Bibliography
Bondeson, Lars; *Napoleons sista strid – Fångenskapen på St. Helena* [Napoleon’s Last Battle – Exile on St Helena], BoD, Sweden, 2022, p. 213.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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