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Scarce ALS in French, signed “Buonaparte,” one page both sides, 7 x 9.5, dated "14 Thermidor" [August 1, 1795]. Handwritten letter by Napoleon Bonaparte at a crucial moment in his young military career. After the siege of Toulon, and the abandonment of his plan for an expedition to Corsica, Bonaparte was removed from the artillery corps and appointed to head an infantry brigade in the Vendée. Having returned to Paris, he tried to present his views on upcoming operations to General François Aubry who dismissed him.
Unwilling at any cost to go to the Army of the West, Bonaparte arranged to be placed on sick leave, waiting for the reorganization of the general staffs (June 13) and the departure of Aubry from his post and his replacement by Doulcet de Pontecoulant (August 2). Under threat of being removed from the army lists, Bonaparte would succeed, on August 18, in getting appointed to the Topographic Bureau of War, where he would quickly become the government’s adviser on campaign planning. When the events of 13 Vendémiaire (October 5) occurred, he was immediately called upon by Barras to command the Army of Paris and crush the insurrection.
In part (translated): "I am sending you the report on the military commissaries, which may be of interest to you. You will see that Chauvet is listed as a war commissary, and that Boinaud is not included. I hope, before leaving, to get both of them changed. I am waiting for Aubry to step down, as he only seems well-disposed toward the Chouans [royalist insurgents in western France]. It is likely that this report will not pass as it is.
You will see in the section on the War that they’ve listed me in the line—that has been changed. Cervoni is not included, whereas Casalta is, and that Point, and many other fools, are also included. It would have been hard to produce a more poorly done report...
I did not speak up for my brother, who I believe doesn’t care—he wasn’t included because he didn’t submit his service record."
He goes on to describe the atmosphere in the capital: "Very calm, very cheerful—luxury, pleasure, and a sense of security have returned as much as possible. People no longer remember the Terror except as a nightmare that briefly suffocated them...I will remain in Paris for another month. Everything is very expensive here. However, peace with Spain has boosted the value of assignats [revolutionary paper currency], and the harvest will lower the cost of labor. A young man can’t live here on less than 10 livres per day. 40,000 men have been ordered to move from the Pyrenees to Nice. Let’s hope they will restore the honor of our arms." In very good to fine condition, with overall creasing, and short splits to the ends of the intersecting folds.
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