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January 15-16, 2013 - New York, NY
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550 Napoleon I - French Emperor (1769-1821, ruled 1804-15); emerging in the late stages of the French
Revolution, he would conquer or control most of continental Europe until his final defeat at Waterloo
in 1815. Manuscript Order Signed “Nap,” 1 page, 4to, Paris, March 3, 1809. He directs Minister of War
General Henri Clarke to reorganize fusilier companies in the Army of the Rhine at Strasbourg in order
to form a Battalion of March of the Fourth Battalion of the Army of the Rhine. These join grenadiers
and votigeurs that have already been assigned to that army, and will create a battalion alongside that of
General Nicolas Oudinot. In VG/Fine condition. Just a month after the emperor signed this order,
Austrian troops crossed into French-controlled Bavaria, initiating the War of the Fifth Coalition. After
initial Austrian successes against Napoleon’s disorganized subordinates, the emperor took charge of the
war, and won a costly but decisive victory at Wagram in July. General Oudinot’s bravery in the campaign
led to his being named a Marshal of France, and Austria ceased to be a threat to French control over Europe.
A choice one-page document ideal for prominent display. (photo) Est. 1,000-1,500
551 Napoleon I - Manuscript Document Signed “Nap” as Emperor, 1/2 page, 4to, the palace at Fontainbleu,
October 13, 1810. With one (undeciphered) interpolation in his hand. Napoleon directs Minister
of War Henri Clarke, the Duc de Feltre, to “Order the 4th Regiment of Line that is in camp at Boulgone”
into garrison duty. Follow-up note pinned to lower left corner. In VG/F condition. In late 1810,
Napoleon was reaching the height of his influence over Europe. Though England continued to thwart
him on the Iberian peninsula, France controlled Spain, Italy, the western German states, Switzerland, and
Poland; and made subordinate allies of Austria, Prussia, Sweden, and Denmark. Only when he dared to
invade Russia in 1812 would Napoleon face an overpowering enemy: the bitter Russian winter. A few
years earlier, Boulogne had been the staging point for the abandoned French assault on the emperor’s
most implacable foe, England. An excellent one-page document ideal for display. (photo) Est. 1,000-1,500
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