First Empire of 1812 to 1813

First Empire of 1812 to 1813

1812

The January 26th 1812, the Catalonia, formed in four departments, is joined together with the France.

The March 13rd according to, a senatus consult divided in three banns all the subjects of the Empire which are in a position to carry the weapons, and which are not active soldiers.

The war with the Russia, the England and the Sweden is imminent. Napoleon leaves Paris the May 9th 1812, and goes in Germany. A solemn meeting of crowned heads takes place with Dresden; the empress Marie-Louise of Austria, the emperor and the empress of Austria, the king of Prussia and several sovereigns of lower row form part of it. Napoleon is the president, the supreme director of this assembly.

However the Count de Narbonne had been sent at Alexandre to determine it, with the help of some concessions, to support the continental system , realizing, what peace would not be disturbed, the negotiator fails in his mission.

Napoleon, scorning such threats and always counting on his fortune, goes on the Niémen, solved well to walk ahead, in spite of the opinions that gave him of the considered and tested people. Somebody said to him with a courageous frankness that the Campagne of Russia could decide fate of its dynasty and its own existence, like future from France.

Countryside of Russia

Return of Russia

While France and Europe believe Napoleon buried in snows of North, they learn that in less than fourteen days it crossed the Poland, the Germany, and that it reached banks of the the Seine (December 18th 1812).

The shortly after its arrival in its Palate of Tileries, of the artillery salvos announced its presence in the capital. On all sides, one hastened to attend his rising, the accustomed harangues of the Senate, the Council of State, the legal bodies, the large Master of the University, took again their course.

What afflicted especially Napoleon, which affected it perhaps more than the disaster of Moscow, it was the Conspiration of Malet (October 23rd 1812), of which it took note thorough.

1813

However its heart, retempered by the reverses, had redoubled energy and of activity; it chaired the every day several committees to regulate, to lead the businesses as well external as interior of its vast empire. The January 11th 1813, a lifting of 250.000 men is issued by the Senate. In the previous month, it had made its peace with the pope, whom it held captive with Fontainebleau. He wanted, by this species again legal settlement, to go the favorable catholic populations, and to wash the spot that, for devout eyes, pontifical excommunication had printed on its face.

A senatus consult of the February 5th determines the form of regency during the minority of the Emperor; the king of Rome could be crowned and crowned the alive one of his father; consequently, the son of the Emperor will be crowned as soon as possible; his/her mother, the empress, has undeniable rights to regency. Napoleon did not have anything in heart so much than to ensure his posterity the heritage and the reversion of his immense capacity. By letters of the March 30th according to, the Marie-Louise empress is declared regent of the Empire.

The February 14th, the Emperor made solemnly the opening of the legislative Body. After having given an account of the reasons and calamities for the countryside of Russia, it continues

The 25 of the same month, the Minister of Interior Department returns account to the legislative Body of the situation of the Empire. One sees by this talk that since 1804 until the 1^er January 1813, it was spent 683 million in various work, such as bridges, channels, roads, ports, embellishments of Paris, deposits of begging, palate, churches, etc the productions of the ground and industry were singularly increased, and in spite of continual wars, the population of old France which, in 1789, was from 24 to 25 million, is now of 28 million 700 thousand individuals.

However the Prussian general York had passed on the side of the Russians with 20.000 men. The English negotiated secretly with the cabinet of Vienna, whose auxiliary body, ordered by Schwartzenberg, had been put completely in a state of neutrality; Louis XVIII, on his side, had launched Château of Hartwell, in early February, a proclamation

An enemy of Napoleon, well differently dangerous, worked the Germany, it was the company of the Union of the Virtue (Tugend-Bund). The purpose of this company was to make the war national, and to deliver the Germanie at all costs yoke which weighed on it; let us add that king Murat, after having given, the January 27th, with prince Eugene, general command of the troops stationed in the North, whose Emperor had invested it, left of his own movement and without consulting it, the general headquarter of Posen, and, disguised as a German traveller, had taken the road of its States; from there, sharp reprimands. The Emperor wrote to him

Irritated by these reprimands, which are somewhat abusive, Murat will count soon with the number of the enemies of its benefactor and his brother-in-law.

Napoleon had thus to fight, at midday, the Spain and the Portugal; in the west, the England supported by its powerful auxiliary the Ocean; in north, the Sweden with Bernadotte, the Russia, the Prussia; in the east, the Austria already staggering, and everywhere the hatred of the many populations which it had pressed. It had enemies in the center even of its Empire; the conscription had become unbearable, and the attempt at Malet had revived the hopes of the republicans.

The Emperor left Paris the April 15th, and the 29 it was at its general headquarter of Eckartzberg. It had printed on its road an electric movement with the young army to which it had spoken everywhere where it had met it. In the middle of its preparations of war, it was always shown laid out to make peace; the duke of Vicence was charged to follow the negotiations of them to Vienna.

The forces of the French in Germany of 146.000 infantrymen, are divided into 12 bodies, plus 16.000 of imperial guard and 4.000 horses.

The enemies count 225.000 men, including 125.000 Russians and 100.000 Prussians.

Following two combat which were delivered to Weissenfels and the procession of Rippach, where the young soldiers, supported by the Emperor in person, made wonders, the army seized Lützen and all the outlets of the Saale.

Battle of Lützen

See also: Battle of Lützen (1813)

The May 2nd, the Emperor gained the victory of Large-Gœrschen which it called of Lutzen, in memory, undoubtedly, of the famous king de Suède Gustave-Adolphe, whose tomb is in this city. The enemy army, ordered by the general-in-chief Wittgenstein, fought under the eyes of Alexandre and king de Prusse. Napoleon had under his orders prince Eugene, the marshals Ney, Mortier, Macdonald, Marmont; the generals Compans, Ricard. He did not expect to be tackled this day, nor in this position; he was already goes from there on Leipzig, when he learned that the Ney marshal had in front of him all the allied army; to turn back with the gallop and to change the provisions which it had adopted, were the one moment business; it makes wonders to stop the ardor of the Prussians; its young soldiers, animated by his presence, fight like lions; on the two sides eagerness is the same one during more than four hours; then come to put on line the Macdonald marshal and the general Bertrand, with the head of their body. Napoleon seizes this favorable moment to force the victory to decide, in his favor. A battery of 80 parts strikes down the position of Kaya, from which the profit depends on the battle, while 16 battalions of the young guard, supported by 6 battalions of their elder, are launched ahead and unite their efforts with those of the infantry of line; as of this moment, the fate of the day is decided.

This battle was extremely fatal; the villages of Kaya, of Large-Gœrschen were taken and taken again several times at the bayonet. The French Army drew 40.000 blows from gun; she showed a great loss of killed or wounded. Or that of allied from 20 estimates to 25.000 men.

A success so dearly bought was without results of some importance. For lack of cavalry, the winner was in the need for letting the enemy operate his retirement quietly and in good order, protected which it was by its excellent and many cavalry, devastating all that it found on his passage.

The enemy, always continued by Napoleon, stopped in the surroundings of Bautzen. Alexandre ordered in person the combined army; he had his general headquarter with Wurschen; its forces presented a total of 160.000 men. The center of united was supported by the fortifications which one had raised in Bautzen and his neighborhoods.

The French Army counted 150.000 combatants.

The positions of the enemy were successively removed and Napoleon entered Bautzen at three o'clock in the afternoon.

The 21, at five o'clock in the morning, the combat started again by a sharp shooting. Napoleon announced that the general attack would take place at one hour, and that the Bataille of Wurschen would be gained to three, which arrived.

The following day 22, the allies were continued without slackening by the French avant-garde, to the head of which Napoleon walked constantly; but this same day the French tested a failure with Reichenbach. The May 30th, they take again Hamburg. The June 4th, an armistice is concluded with Plesswitz, in Silesia, between Napoleon and his adversaries; it is on the two sides a pretext to save time and to receive the reinforcements that one waits. The June 30th, a convention is signed with Dresden, by which Napoleon accepts the mediation of Austria. A congress must open with Prague the July 5th. The armistice is prolonged until the August 15th. The congress of Prague dissolves without to have concluded anything.

Before the rupture of the armistice, in a secret negotiation, the duke of Vicence had learned from Metternich that peace would be guaranteed by Austria, provided that the Duché of Warsaw would be dissolved; that the towns of Hamburg and Lubeck would recover their independence: that Napoleon would give up year protectorate of the Confédération of the Rhine; that Prussia would be restored and that the Illyrie would be yielded to the Austria. The French Empire preserved thus about all its power; but was Napoleon laid out with these concessions?

Soon Austria made common cause with united and the furies of the war started again with more violence than ever.

Bernadotte, commander-in-chief the army of the north of Germany said in its proclamation of the August 15th, that Europe was to go against France with the same feeling which had armed against it France in 1792. It was to proclaim the proscription of the French and Napoleon.

The August 15th 1813, the Prince de Schwartzenberg, généralissime of the allied armies, counted under its command 603.600 combatants and Napoleon 352.700. Moreover, united fought in friendly countries and could repair their losses, to beat a retreat in all safety.