"Recrutement de la garde imperiale 1814" Topic

Hi Friend,

Here another intersting document, all the errors in the transcriptions are mine, do not forget that the French is a foreign language for me too and the document is handwritting ;)

SHD , Box: XAB-10 ( Garde Imperiale, Infanterie , Generalites 1804-1814)

Ministerie de Guerre
Bureau de la Garde Imperiale
RAPPORT A l´EMPEREUR ET ROI
Du 20 janvier 1814

M. le Directeur Gral de la Conscription me a fait connaître que 2651 conscrits de la levée des 300.000 hommes que les depts du Nord voit fournir pour le recrutement de la garde imperiale n´onts que la taille de 5 pieds 3 lignes.

J´ai pensé que dans les circonstances actuelles votre Majesté ne tendrait pas rigoureusement a ce que les hommes , qui doivent être admis dans le garde eussent la taille qu´on exigeait précédemment.

En conséquence, j´ai done l´ordre á M Le Gral. D´Hastrel de faire sur le champs diriger sur Paris les 2651 conscrits du Depts du Nord.

Je prie votre Majeste de vouloir bien me faire connaître si elle approuve cette disposition.

Le Ministre de la Guerre

Duc du Feltre

( at the margin there is an annotation: aprov.(approuve) Paris 21 janvier 1814)

The Director-General of Conscription has let me know that 2,651 conscripts of the levy of 300,000 men, whom the departments of the North envisages providing for the recruitment of the Imperial Guard, have a height of only 5 feet 3 inches.

I have thought that in the current circumstances your Majesty would not hold rigorously to that whereby men who are to to be admitted to the Guard must have the height previously required.

In consequence, I have given the order to General D´Hastrel to have the 2,651 conscripts of the Departments of the North directed towards Paris.

I pray your Majesty kindly to let me know if you approve this disposition.

Linguistic note: in French, is "majeste" always feminine even if the "majesty" in question is male? If not then the above letter was sent to the Empress rather than to the Emperor.

Interesting – so in 1814 the height requirement for admission to the Guard was relaxed.

Hi 4th Cuirassier,

Well, I will check the spelling in reference to what you mark me with the word Majeste.

And yes, the requirement was relaxed because if you pay attention to the date of the rapport (20 January 1814 ) the armies were campaigning across France, only a few days before Bar-sur-Aube.

Regards,

Manuel

Linguistic note: in French, is "majeste" always feminine even if the "majesty" in question is male?

Yes, ist is always female: la majesté, sa majesté (which can mean both: his or her majesty).

In French the grammatical sex of a word can be male or female, regardless of the biological sex of the person who is denominated by it. Often, of course, they coincide. It is the same in German.

Hi Oliver

Yes, in French the example with which I was familiar was personne where it's always la personne even if the personne is a man.

What I hadn't come across was the idea that there is no masculine / feminine form of majesty.

So we cannot, as I had hoped, determine whether the letter was written to Napoleon or Marie-Louise from that word!

Et le chou devient la choucroute…

Is that just over 5ft 5" modern British measurements?

Mollinary

I would note that this communication refers to lowering the height requirements for conscripts which should be for the Young Guard only.

I have never read anything that said the Old or even the Middle Guard received conscripts.

Tom

So, I guess for 1814 only we can mix our 15 and 18mm young guard figures?

No, Murvihill. This means we get to build our Young Guard regiments TWICE--and that Napoleon's Battles will produce a separate set of statistics for them each year.

On the gender of nouns, read Mark Twain's "The Tale of the Fishwife and its Sad Fate."

Garryowen,

I find this letter that, perhaps confirm that , in difficult times, the guard was fed even of replacements

XAB-10

Ministère de Guerre
Bureau de la Garde Impériale
RAPPORT A SA MAJESTE l´EMPEREUR ET ROI
Du 16 Février 1814

Votre Majesté a ordonné de incorporer dans la Garde Impériale une grande partie des conscrits de la levée de 120,000, et de celle de 300,000 hommes que devaient être diriges sur ses dépôts de régiments d´infanterie de ligne stationnes sur le Rhin.

Votre Majesté a aussi décidé que leurs conscrits de 1815 levées dans les (?) départements de l´ouest recevraient la même destination.

Plusieurs s´étant fait remplacés, leur suppléants font partie des détachements diriges sur les dépôts de la Garde.

Une décision de Votre ne permet pas de admettre des remplaçants dans la Garde.

Mais je ai pensé que cette disposition ne devait avoir lieu que dans temps ordinaires, et que les circonstances actuelles semblaient exiger en faveur de ces remplaçants, l´exception accorde par Votre Majesté en janvier 1813 al égards de 400 suppléants qui avaient été dirigés sur la Garde par les cohortes.

En conséquence, j´ai autorisé le General Comte Ornano , à ces remplaçants dans la Garde et , j´ai informer de cette mesure le Directeur General de la conscription.

Je prie votre Majesté de vouloir bien me faire connaître si elle approuve cette disposition.

Le Ministre de la Guerre
Duc du Feltre
( at the margin there is an annotation: approuve, ¿ Nangis ? a 18 février 1814)

And, this my opinion, both letter where sent to Napoleon ( Rapport to Sa Majeste L´Empereur) and this second report was "approuve" a Nangis, where Napoleon were campaigning, but it is only my opinon.

Regards,

Manuel

My college French is a little rusty to say the very least, but I don't see any reference to conscripts being destined for the Old Guard. I know they went to the Young Guard.

Tom

Miraculously, just after I posted the above, my computer gave me the option of having the whole thread translated. I accepted.

Now I realize Hussar's last post dealt with not the height requirement, but with the acceptance of substitutes into the Imperial Guard. As these are obviously substitutes for conscripts, I think they are still for only the Young Guard portion of the Imperial Guard.

I really should review The Anatomy of Glory by Lachoque and Brown again about conscripts for the Middle Guard. No time right now. Maybe they got some.

Very interesting thread Hussar. Thanks for posting it.

Tom