From Exile in Elba, Napoleon Organizes His Royal Stables and Carriages

A rare letter of Napoleon in exile, written to the Comte Bertrand, one of his great generals

Napoleon’s fall from power was hastened by his staggering failure in Russia, where his Grand Armee bled itself into near oblivion. He returned to France a weakened ruler, and the other powers, alarmed at his bravado to invade Russia and emboldened by his weakness, came at him in unison, defeating him in October 1813 at Leipzig, Germany. There, a coalition consisting of Russia, Prussia, Austria, and Sweden gave Napoleon his first definitive defeat of his Empire. In 1814, this defeat was followed by an allied invasion of France, one which Napoleon could not repel. In April he was forced to signed the Treaty of Fontainebleu, which specifically named him as the sole obstacle to peace; and under the treaty’s provisions he was exiled to the island of Elba, obliged to abdicate and agree that neither he nor any of his family would hold power again. In return his family received a pension. For reasons that today are unfathomable, he was not merely a prisoner at Elba, but was given rule of the island, and allowed to take with him a personal escort of 400 armed men, a staff that included four generals and other military officers, and Grand Marshal the Comte de Bertrand, his long time chief of staff. The allies derisively now called him the “Emperor of Elba.” However, Europe had not seen the last of Napoleon, as he was free to plan and act in his small domain.

In May, Napoleon arrived on Elba while his wife and son took refuge in Vienna. Saying “I want to live from now on like a justice of the peace,” Napoleon worked hard to improve Elba, and to all observers it seemed as though he was content with a life of relative retirement. All the while, however, he was plotting his return to Europe. Visitors came from afar to see the Emperor and he received letters from around the continent, many from well wishers. He surrounded himself with men who believed in him. The atmosphere at Elba was not one of resignation, but of activity.

The Count of Bertrand was one of Napoleon’s great generals, and he went on to fight at Waterloo the next year. On May 29th, Napoleon’s guard arrived. On June 22, he had his cavalry inspected to see that they were to his satisfaction. In July he was organizing his horses, men and buildings to apparently settle in for his stay there. He talked of making Elba a place of arts and culture even as he was plotting his next steps.

Letter signed, Porto Ferrajo, Elba, July 2, 1814, to the Comte Bertrand. “I order you to choose 8 Polish horses to augment my stables. We shall make 2 hitches of four horses with large harnesses, so that I will have in my total service 2 harnessed teams of 4 horses, 2 harnessed teams of 6 horses and one of 2 horses. Independent of that, there remain 2 harnesses for 2 coaches, which will make 7 harnessed vehicles. These two additional coaches are necessary, be it for the service of my buildings or that of my artillery. It is also necessary to bring from Parma 2 horses to replace the two that died.

“Please test to see how much brick or lime a smaller trolley harnessed to a mule can carry. These cars, being extremely light, 5 trolleys, harnessed to 5 mules, might be able to carry more than one regular trolley harnessed to 6 horses.”

Napoleon’s carriages were gilded and marked with Imperial arms. This seemed a process of self-deception, where he might envision he was again Emperor, but became more when this organization was used to help his escape.

In February 1815, Napoleon escaped Elba. His letters from Elba are uncommon, particularly those relating to his setting up what then appeared to be his permanent living situation there.