Lot 77
Napoleon I, Partly-printed Document Signed ("Napoleon") as Emperor, vellum, in French, 17¼ x 22¾ inches, Dreule (France), September 27, 1812. Granting a full pardon for "Gerard Caillou rifleman in the Battallion of the National Guard operating in the department of Gers condemned…to three years of community service and a 1500 franc fine for the crime of desertion…." Light scattered foxing on verso and minor edge creasing. An exceptional Napoleon document, for its size, condition, and for the full signature with which Napoleon boldly signed.
Napoleon's diastrous invasion of Russia would begin on June 23, 1812, one month and four days after this pardon was issued. Surely the pardon was motivated by the knowledge that he would need every able-bodied soldier available, but like Hitler, some 130 years later, an over-confident Napoleon would ultimately be defeated by Russia. We don't know if Caillou survived the Russian campaign. Of 610,000 members of the Grande Armée who entered Russia, only 100,000 left.
Estimated Value $4,000 - 6,000
|
| |
| Realized $3,300 |
