January 16th, Paris:

1812

(To the Prince of Neuchâtel and of Wagram.) My Cousin: Everything that belongs to your staff and to general headquarters must be assembled at Mainz between the 15th of February and the 1st of March.

24th. I propose having 2016 carts, 4 battalions totalling 2424 carriages, 4 battalions of ox teams making 1224 carts, one battalion of ox teams for the kingdom of Italy with 306 carts; grand total 17 battalions with close on 6000 vehicles, and carrying 5500 to 6000 tons, equal to one million rations of flour, or enough to supply an army of 200,000 men for two months.

February 18th. (To Marshal Marmont.) You are superior to the enemy, and yet instead of taking the initiative you accept the defensive. You are constantly moving your troops and fatiguing them. That is not the art of war. The capture of Ciudad Rodrigo is a check for you.

19th. (To Marshal Bessières.) Start the 3d regiment of the grenadiers of the Guard to-morrow, the 20th, for Metz, without going through Paris. The regiment will take its guns and wagons with it. Order the Polish light horse to Compiègne to-morrow. Keep the secret, so that the Poles shall not know where they are going. Take good care to make these movements at night and that the troops do not know their destination.

21st. Order for the Prince of Eckmühl to begin his movement immediately.

24th. (To the Emperor Alexander.) After the arrival of the courier sent off by Count Lauriston on the 6th of this month, I decided to have a talk with Colonel Tscher nitchef on the unfortunate events of the last fifteer months. It lies entirely with Your Majesty to settle everything. I hope Your Majesty will never doubt my anxiety to display every proof of my highest regard.

March 28th. (To Prince Eugène, Viceroy of Italy.) Get everything ready for a start, as in three or four days I will send for you to come to Paris, and it may be that from Paris you will proceed directly to Glogau, and from Glogau to your army corps. I must not leave you in ignorance of the fact that I concluded an alliance with Austria several months ago, and that she will make common cause with me, and furnish me with a contingent of 40,000 men.

April 23d. (To the Prince of Neuchâtel.) We are getting closer to war, and must increase in firmness and vigilance. Here are my instructions: It is in conformity with the spirit of the treaty that no Prussian general or officer should command in Berlin; there must be no Prussian troops in the city; it must be under the control of a French general. The best way of insuring the tranquillity of Prussia is to leave her incapable of making a single movement.

The Duke of Belluno must always show the greatest respect for the King and the Prussian government; this may be carried to the point of affectation on all ceremonial and similar occasions.

May 4th. (To Berthier.) On Tuesday you may hand over to the Minister of War all business relating to the

armies in Spain, so that you can be ready to start on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday.

21st, Dresden:

I arrived here day before yesterday with the Empress, and the Emperor and Empress of Austria. I expect to remain several days. My whole army is on the Vistula. As yet there are no new developments. Hostilities have not yet begun.

26th. I may possibly open war operations on the 6th of June, without being at war, however, as I shall have six or eight days' marching in the territory of Prussia and the Grand Duchy.

June 5th, Thorn:

(To General Clarke.) It would seem that people in Paris view the army as the end of all things, and try to find excuses for not joining. Recall all officers on leave and send them to the front.

The fortress of Thorn appears to be in a state of anarchy.

The Guard is concentrating here. I expect to parade it to-morrow, to settle some questions of administration, and to push on to Marienberg and Dantzig.

6th. (To Jerome.) I believe I have already told you how best to open the campaign: first, make a show of entering Volhynia, and hold the enemy there as much as possible while I outmarch them on their extreme right, and gain twelve or fifteen days' march in the direction of St. Petersburg. I shall cross the Niemen and take Vilna, which is the first objective of the campaign.

When our manœuvre is unmasked, the enemy will

decide on one of the two following alternatives: they will either retreat into the interior so as to concentrate for battle, or they will take the offensive.

8th, Dantzig:

(To Josephine.) It will always be with the greatest interest that I hear from you, dear friend. I hope the waters will do you good, and I look forward with pleasure to seeing you on your return. I will attend to all the matters you refer to.

10th, Dantzig:

To-morrow I start for Koenigsberg, which I shall reach at 2 A. M. on the 12th.

13th, Koenigsberg:

(To Berthier.) I send you a letter of to-day's date from Commissary Deschamps which reveals the bad situation. of the 2d corps for provisions. It is entirely the fault of the Duke of Reggio and of the commissary. Tell the Marshal that it is most important he should have his supplies assured.

15th. I am inclined to think the first shot will be fired on the 22d or 23d. To-morrow I shall carry my headquarters to Wehlau.

16th. (To Berthier.) Write to the Duke of Elchingen that his corps should not leave the route marked out for it, and that it is carrying devastation everywhere.

17th, Insterburg:

(To Eugène.) Stop your advance until further orders, for above all things you must have provisions. Let me know what amount of bread you had on the evening of the 19th. I shall decide then whether to order you forward. In this country bread is the chief thing.

(To Davout.) I assume you have supplies for twenty

five days.

22d, Imperial headquarters, Wilkowyski:

(Proclamation to the Grand Army.) Soldiers! The second Polish war has begun; the first ended at Friedland and Tilsit. At Tilsit Russia pledged an eternal alliance with France, and war on England! To-day her oath is broken. She refuses all explanations of her strange conduct unless the French eagles recross the Rhine. Fate draws Russia on; her destiny must be accomplished! Does she then think us degenerate? Are we no longer the soldiers of Austerlitz? She places us between dishonour and war; can our choice be in doubt? Forward, then, across the Niemen, and let us carry the war on to her own soil!

The Emperor orders the marshals and generals in command of army corps, of divisions and of brigades, and colonels, to take all measures for maintaining the strictest discipline and for preventing the disorders that are beginning to ravage the country.

24th, Kovno:

(To the Prince of Neuchâtel.) Tell the King of Naples that until he reaches the steppes he had better not encumber himself with too much cavalry; he must use the cuirassiers as little as possible; he only has to brush aside the enemy's light troops, and to try for news in the direction of Vilna.

29th, Vilna:

We entered Vilna yesterday; the enemy had evacuated the town after burning the bridge and immense quantities of stores.