#egyptian campaign

[illustratus]

Bonaparte in Egypt, 1798 by Édouard Detaille

[cedyat]

Was supposed to be more but seems like I can't finish anything for some reason currently. Maybe later. Until then feel free to interpret anything you want into what is going on here.

[miffy-junot]

an anecdote about Xraxarane, Junot's Abyssinian mistress

some brief context: this anecdote is told by Laure Junot in the footnotes of a piece of fiction she wrote called "L'Africaine". Xraxarane, also known as "Jaunette" to Junot, was an Abyssinian slave who became Junot's mistress in Egypt. They had a son named Othello, but it is unclear what happened to him. Although she never met her, Laure Junot kept a portrait of Xraxarane and seemed to hold her in high esteem.

The Duke of Abrantès had in Egypt a young slave of copper colour, with a straight nose, long and smooth hair, and ravishing shapes. I saw the portrait of this charming child made by General Bardin, then aide-de-camp to M. d'Abrantès, and currently living in Paris. Xraxarane loved her master very much, who loved her very much too. At that time, the duke was not married... This young girl especially had great admiration for Junot's skill in shooting with a pistol. One day he said to some friends: "You will now see how much confidence Xraxarane has in me!" He calls her, places her at the end of the room, puts an orange on her head, recommends that she not move, stands in front of her, adjusts the pistol, fires, and as the weapon was loaded with powder, the orange remained in place; the child was very surprised. "Why is this orange still there? He never misses his shot!" It was very difficult to make her understand that Junot had wanted to test her, and that, however skilful he was, he was never sure enough of himself to attempt it with a bullet. "But," said the Emperor, who was present at this scene, "you were not afraid at all, at all?" "Oh no!" said the young girl with charming abandon, "if he hadn't been sure he wouldn't hurt me, he wouldn't have tried it. All I knew was that he didn't mean to hurt me." What adorable naivety! What confidence! What a soul!

source

[josefavomjaaga]

Eugène about Duroc

I understand there's some interest in Duroc, about whom there is just not enough information out there, period. This is rather random but maybe it will be helpful to somebody. From Eugène's correspondence I already had the impression that he and Duroc had been very close. Eugène mentions Duroc in his memoirs for the first time during the Egyptian campaign.

Around this time, I began to form a friendship with Duroc which continued to grow right up to the time of his death. At that time he did me a service that I shall never forget. The day after we entered Gaza, and after a most exhausting journey, General Bonaparte gave me the order to leave at midnight to bring movement orders to General Kléber, who was a few leagues ahead, in the direction of Ramleh. In such a case, the brigadier of the post, whose duty kept him on his feet at all hours of the night, had orders to wake the aide-de-camp who was due to leave. He did so, but no sooner had he left than I fell back asleep. Those who have served at an early age know how powerful sleep can be at the age I was at the time [...].

That age being 17.

[...], it is irresistible and capable of making us forget both danger and duty. Duroc, who was older and more experienced than I, realising that I had not left, shook me forcefully and urged me to get up. I resisted, telling him that I couldn't take it any more and that it was impossible for me to move. But he only redoubled his entreaties, adding in the end, with a sort of anger, that this was not the way to serve and that I was going to dishonour myself. This word made me blush and shook me out of my grogginess. I left without an escort, as no one dared to take one unless expressly ordered to do so by the general-in-chief, and, after meandering for nearly five or six hours, I arrived at the very moment set for General Kléber to set his division in motion.

Kléber: Yeah, sorry for being late, Bonaparte. But your aide was asleep in the saddle, and it took his horse a while to find the way...

I love Eugène in this a) because he admits his own weakness and b) because he reminds me a lot of my brother who, at the same age, managed to sleep through an alarm that woke me up in my room on another floor...

[microcosme11]

[usergreenpixel]

Guys, Extra History series about Napoleon in Egypt has dropped!

[joachimnapoleon]

This highlighted line from General Reynier’s State of Egypt after the Battle of Heliopolis was enough to enrage General Destaing (spelled D’Estin here) to the point of challenging Reynier to a duel, during which Reynier shot Destaing dead.

Napoleon banished Reynier to Italy for a while but he later ended up commanding corps in Austria, Spain, and Russia.

[phantom-mp3]

He was so beautiful

[microcosme11]

I love this guy. Glad you noticed and posted him.

This Napoleon was pretty cute

[ontyran]

unlimited internet in Egypt

ا

[illustratus]

Bonaparte and the Sphinx by Amédée Vignola

[cedyat]

A young Napoleon getting acquainted with the Egyptian widlife.

[josefavomjaaga]

Eugène in his memoirs mentions a lack of bread, too.

It was at Ramanieh that we encountered the Mamluks for the first time. From there as far as the Pyramids there was only one slightly significant affair: that of Shebreis; but, during this second part of our march, the army suffered greatly from hunger, and we often lay on piles of wheat without having either bread or flour. The only resource the country had to offer was watermelon, which was neither substantial nor healthy.

Which makes me think that it was mostly a lack of mills that was the problem?

I love Marmont's enthusiasm though. I'm fully expecting him to conjure up bread by sheer willpower now 😁.

French soldiers can't live without bread 🙃

It's distressing but Marmont believes it was ridiculous that people were complaining so much about the lack of bread because soldiers can live without it. He may mention the substitute to bread in later volumes so look forward to that!

[josefavomjaaga]

Eugène about Kléber

This is for @gabrielferaud, translated once again from Eugène's memoirs. The passage continues right where we left off in this post. Timeline: Egyptian campaign, during the campaign into Syria 1799, siege of Acre. (I've broken the text up in two paragraphs for besser readability.)

General Kléber, as impatient as the rest of the army with the length and futility of the siege of Saint-Jean d'Acre, said one day that he did not understand why we insisted on staying in front of this shanty and that, if he were in the place of the general-in-chief, he would have left the camp a long time ago. Somebody suggested that it was a question of the glory of General Bonaparte: "Bah! bah!" he said in his German accent, "it's a nice suit with a spot of dust on it: with a flick of the wrist you can make it go away". This comment, although in essence an honourable one for the General-in-Chief, was distorted and aggravated, as were others like it, in the reports made to him, with the result that he was effectively irritated with General Kléber. But it is impossible to imagine that he was jealous of this general. His rank and military reputation placed him so far above him that this reason alone was enough to prevent him from feeling any jealousy. It is more natural to think that Kléber felt this way about a general younger than himself and whose superiority offended him. It is also fair to say that General Kléber did not lack good reasons for criticising the siege of Saint-Jean d'Acre, which was undertaken rather sloppily and without having assembled the means necessary to push it forward vigorously. Neither the engineers nor the artillery were up to the task, with the result that the bravery and talents of the officers of these two arms were spent in vain.

Now look who’s critisizing his stepdad 😋. But i feel like Eugène tries to understand both sides here. He defends Napoleon against the accusations that had been made against him, yet admits that Kléber’s criticisms were warranted.

[microcosme11]

I don't know the title, but it looks like Napoleon walking past an Egyptian slave market. By Maurice Orange, who also painted Napoleon looking at a mummy.

pinterest

[aquitainequeen]

Ridley Scott: I made a film about two rival officers constantly duelling throughout and in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars, and now I've actually done a film about Napoleon!

Me: Great! Could you also do a film about Baron Dominique Jean Larrey, a vital innovator in European battlefield surgery and triage, often considered the first military surgeon; who pioneered the ambulance volantes ("Flying ambulances") to quickly transport wounded men from the battlefield, effectively creating a forerunner of the modern MASH units; co-led the team that performed one of the first accurately recorded pre-anaesthetic mastectomies in Western medicine; was spotted helping wounded men while under heavy fire during the Battle of Waterloo by the Duke of Wellington who purposefully ordered for his soldiers not to fire in Larrey's direction; and when captured by the Prussians after the battle was about to be executed on the spot when he was recognised by one of the German surgeons, who pled for his life because he had saved the life of Field Marshall Blücher's son some years earlier?

Ridley Scott:

Ridley Scott: Um.

Me: Yeah. Didn't think so.