84 - MANUSCRIPT. [General Mathieu DUMAS].

MANUSCRIPT. [General Mathieu DUMAS]. Letters from General Dumas to H.S.H. Prince Joseph During the Campaign of the Grande Armée, in 1805. No place, no date (1805 as the earliest date). In-4, (3) folios, including half-title, title page, pp. 1–56, (4) folios with a handwritten map, pp. 61–128, (3) blank folios, (1) folio of Table of Contents, and a few quires of blank folios. Contemporary red half-basane with corner pieces, smooth spine highlighted with gold fillets, gilt title (slight wear, spine rubbed but interior remains fresh). An interesting manuscript, unpublished in this form, particularly regarding the Battle of Austerlitz. A copy of correspondence and notes for personal archives, with annotations by the general himself, from the period or slightly later. Divided into 2 parts. Fine, legible handwriting in brown ink, approximately 22 lines per page on fine laid paper with a watermark (a single shell in the watermark), text ruled in pencil, pages numbered by hand, left-hand margin. A hand-drawn map of the area where the battle took place, with detailed place names. Promoted to Major General in 1805, he served as Minister of War in Naples under Joseph Bonaparte, then as Grand Marshal of the Palace and Grand Dignitary of the Royal Order of the Two Sicilies, General Mathieu Dumas (1753–1837) was made a Count of the Empire in 1810. It was he who proposed the creation of the Legion of Honor. The first part consists of three long letters from the general to Prince Joseph Bonaparte, with corrections by the general himself, describing the events of the Battle of Austerlitz and forming a single chapter. It recounts “the development and conclusion of the first part of the vast invasion plan that the Emperor dared to undertake [ ].” A richly detailed account of the positions and actions of various generals during the battle. The second part includes a map of the theater of operations preceding the account titled *The Battle of Austerlitz, or Notes on the Final Phase of the Grand Army’s Campaign in 1805*... It describes the remainder of the battle, punctuated by several marginal notes that form chapters (see Table at the end). For example, the general indicates the positions and locations of generals and soldiers, facilitating a better understanding of the account. It concludes with a brief paragraph describing the effects of the “mission of the Prince of Lichtenstein.” The text of this manuscript does not appear in full either in the *Summary of Military Events from 1799 to 1807* or in the *Memoirs of Lieutenant General Count Matthieu Dumas, 1770–1836*.