NAPOLEON BONAPARTE (1769-1821) The "Little Corporal" whose brilliance in the field of battle and as Emperor of France has made him perhaps the most important figure of post-Renaissance Europe. Superb content early D.S. "Bonaparte", 1p. 8" x 11 1/4", Cairo, Nov. 24, 1798 in French, an order that all camels and provisions be prepared for the use of 600 men and fifty horses to proceed on an expedition through the desert. Here Bonaparte may well have been preparing a scouting expedition for his upcoming assault on Syria. In February of 1799, Bonaparte marched at the head of 13,000 men towards Syria, where the Syrian leader, Djezzar Pasha had organized a huge army to attack Egypt. On 28 March, Bonaparte launched an assault that succeeded in getting inside the walls of Acre, but a counterattack by Djezzar Pasha threw them out again. A man with no mercy, Djezzar - "the Butcher" as he was known - then proceeded to slaughter hundreds of Christian prisoners inside the city. On May 8th Gen. Jean Lannes led a heroic assault that penetrated the walls, only to discover that a second line of defenses made going any further impossible. Bonaparte gave up his plans to take Syria, returned to Egypt, and soon abandoned his army and returned to France. Simply framed so that both sides are visible, light foxing, else very good. $2,000-3,000