Description:

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. Fine content A.L.S. "Napole" 1p. 4to., Paris, Jan. 9, 1812, to Henri Clarke, the Duc de Feltre, regarding fortifying the town of Dantzick (Danzig, now known as Gdansk, Poland). In part: "...I have raised the budget for the artillery to 800,000 francs for 1811 for the Dantzick funds. I wish to know the new accessories[?] for the bridge crew. What is the budget for Dantzick for engineering...". Danzig held an important strategic position for Napoleon as part of the then-Prussian territory. It threatened the Grand Armee's security on the river Vistula, occasioning the need for French occupation. Rich natural resources such as grain and powder and approachable only from the west, Danzig was an ideal springboard for attacks to the north and east. Therefore Napoleon lay siege to the town in May 1807, capturing her and granting it semi-independence from Prussia. However, in spite of her so-called independence, Danzig was very much under the French thumb: the city's taxes skyrocketed due to the number of French troops who were fed and lodged there at her citizens' expense, her port was blockaded by British warships, infrastructure projects were ceased and inflation set in, dwindling the once-solid population to just 37,000. Strengthening French forces in Danzig to 23,000, Napoleon initiated the ill-conceived attack on Russia. Danzig played an important role during the campaign as a center for supply. In December 1812, the decimated French army withdrew from Moscow, but nonetheless held Danzig for another year, until they capitulated, in Nov. 1813. Staple holes at bottom left corner, well clear of text, else very good condition.

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May 14, 2009 10:00 AM EDT
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