PART EYE-WITNESS ACCOUNT OF THE BURNING OF MOSCOW IN RED "No...

Estimate

£220 - £300

PART EYE-WITNESS ACCOUNT OF THE BURNING OF MOSCOW IN RED "No.45/GRANDE-ARMEE" COVER; Undated E (probably of early 1813; badly stained by old repairs and parts of flaps lost) with unsigned contents and a mainly very fine red "No.45/GRANDE ARMEE" mark (last 2 letters affected by stain) nicely placed on the front. It was addressed to a Miss Berthier care of Mrs. Mosle "Directrice des Diligences" in Montbard charged "6" and "9". The extraordinary contents [with almost full manuscript transcript + partial typed transcript with translation] seem to be a reminiscence of the writer's recent experiences in the Russian Campaign with mention of the Battle of Borodino and with a gripping first-hand account of being in Moscow from the very start (13th Sept. 1812) when the fires were set by the Russians. Inc.; “…of Moscow I will never forget anything... the cold and the famine that have harvested many people in such a short time and in a manner equally terrible and equally unfortunate. We were all far from believing as we marched on this beautiful city of Moscow, gaining the advantage every day over our enemies, notably at the famous Battle of Mosaic [Borodino] which took place on September 7, which the French had been forced into... [then the] retreat; we were all greatly deceived because according to the rapid progress... [of our] army, we only had a glorious peace to achieve, but with our entry into this... [city?] on the 13th of September, raised our hopes of taking... this [most] beautiful city of this vast country which was abandoned... Until the famous Prince Constantine who was the governor & who... released all the convicts [from prison?]... under a clear promise [of pardon?], and who reduced this city to ashes... there is said that there were 3,000 houses & 700 palaces on fire... [they] were of rare beauty. This fire was fuelled by a very violent wind. I slept two nights; the second of the houses I found started [to burn] so quickly that during the night I was obliged to dislodge three times & each time I moved away from the fire always 150 steps...". If only the whole letter had survived and we knew who wrote it...! Cross Reference: FRANCE, RUSSIA