SÉGUR (Philippe-Paul de). Autograph letter... - Lot 46 - Osenat

SÉGUR (Philippe-Paul de). Autograph letter signed [to the naturalist Georges Cuvier, according to an old note in ink]. S.l., March 19, 1830. 3 pp. in-4. SUPERB LETTER CONCERNING THE RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN IN 1812, in which Philippe-Paul de Ségur participated as a general, and about which he published in 1824 a famous work, Histoire de Napoléon et de la Grande Armée, pendant l'année 1812. "Here is a note addressed to me by Mr. le g[enéra]l Dumas, intendant g[énér]al of the army in 1812. I thought it might be useful to you. I will add that THE ORDERS, GIVEN FROM TOO FAR AWAY AND IN A DESERT COUNTRY, WERE SO OFTEN MIS-executed, that it was the rough and indecisive shock of Malo-Iaroslavetz which suddenly decided on THE RETREAT, and that NECESSITY AND THE ENEMY, PLOTHER THAN THE WILL AND THE PREVOYANCE OF THE EMPEROR, DICTRATED THE DIRECTION; that there was therefore no time to prepare all that would have been indispensable, on such a long road, for such a long passage; that moreover, the distribution of provisions, in the small number of towns where we found them, was done incompletely, irregularly, and that they could not be better, since the regiments had lost their unity. Indeed, who could deliver them, when the largest number of soldiers of all arms marched in confusion, in a jumble, and could only receive help from the stores by looting them. Moreover, the retreat was often so precipitated that from SMOLENSK, and especially from VILNA and KOWNO, a large part of the stores fell into the hands of the enemy. One can say that while retreating as well as advancing, we did not take advantage of the supplies gathered by the care of Messrs Dumas and Daru, because we went too fast. Would you allow me... to remind you in this regard of the end of chap[iter] 4 of the fourth book of my history of the campaign of 1812, chapter 14 of the ninth book, the 2d and 3rd paragraphs of chapter 2d of the 3rd book... I sincerely hope... that this information will be agreeable to you, it will prove to you that neither Mr. le g[enér]al Dumas, nor Mr. le c[om]te Daru can be accused of our misfortunes. THE ENTERPRISE WAS SUPERHUMAN BY ITS SIZE, BY ITS RAPIDITY, AND BY THE NATURE OF THE COUNTRY: DISORDER, OF ALL THE MOST CONTAGIOUS EVILS, HAVING SET IN AMONG THE TROOPS, THE ADMINISTRATION COULD NOT PRESERVE ITS EMPLOYEES. One of our greatest difficulties was the infinite length of these great roads, either deserted or devastated by the two armies, their sometimes sandy and sometimes marshy nature; but the administration, which could not march without dragging large and heavy convoys after it, overcame some of these obstacles. Let us also note that the corps remaining in the second line, such as those of Baraguay d'Hilliers and the duke of Bellune, devoured the best part of these supplies as they arrived; that the magazin of Minsk was taken from us, just as we were about to reach it, by the bold march of Tchitchakof; that finally, the lack of forage, of ice ironing, of rest or of stays, that THE ALTERNATIVES OF FREEZING AND FROZENING, THE MOVEMENTS OF THE ENEMY, AND THE NEGLIGENCE OF THE MAJOR STATE, CAUSED FROM OUR FIRST STEPS THE LOSS OF THE MOST OF OUR FORGIVES. Chapters 7 and 9 of the ninth book, chap[iter] 2d of book ten, indicate these causes of our disasters..." Attached is an autograph letter signed by Isabelle of Orleans.