MANUSCRIT. AUSTERLITZ. - Lot 5

Lot n° 5
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Estimation :
800 - 1000 EUR
MANUSCRIT. AUSTERLITZ. - Lot 5
MANUSCRIT. AUSTERLITZ. [General Count Mathieu DUMAS]. Lettres du général Dumas à S.A.S. Le Prince Joseph Pendant la Campagne de la Grande Armée, en 1805. S.l.n.d. (after 1805). In-4, (3) ff. of which faux-titre, title, pp. 1-56, (4) ff. with a handwritten plan, pp. 61-128, (3) blank ff., (1) f. of "Table des matières" and a few quires of blank leaves. Contemporary red half-basane, smooth ornate spine (slight wear, spine rubbed but inside fresh). Very interesting unpublished manuscript, notably on the battle of Austerlitz. Copies of correspondence and notes for personal archives with annotations by the general, from the period or slightly later. Divided into 2 parts. Fine, legible writing in brown ink, approx. 22 lines per page on fine watermarked laid paper (one watermarked shell), text ruled in pencil, pages numbered by hand, left side margin. A handwritten map of the area where the battle took place, with detailed names. Promoted to Major General in 1805, Minister of War in Naples under Joseph then grand marshal of the palace and grand dignitary of the Royal Order of the Deux-Siciles, General Mathieu Dumas (1753-1837) was made a Comte de l'Empire in 1810. It was he who proposed the creation of the Légion d'Honneur. The first part comprises 3 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 chapter. It recounts "the development & conclusion of the first part of the vast plan of war of invasion that the Emperor dared to undertake [...]". A richly detailed account of the positions and actions of various generals in the action. The second part, with a map of the theater of operations, precedes the narrative entitled Bataille d'Austerlitz ou Notes sur la dernière partie de la Campagne de la grande Armée en 1805... It describes the aftermath of the battle, punctuated by several annotations in the margins, forming chapters (see Table in fine). The general indicates, for example, the positions and locations of generals and soldiers, making it easier to understand the narrative. Concludes with a brief paragraph describing the effects of the Prince of Lichtenstein's mission. The text of this manuscript does not appear in extenso in the Précis des événements militaires de 1799 à 1807, nor in Souvenirs du lieutenant-général comte Matthieu Dumas, 1770-1836.
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