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In this week's letter...
we have a brand new object of the month for you: a breastplate from the Battle of Waterloo, complete with damage from the fatal cannon ball that killed the soldier who wore it. The breastplate is currently on display at the Musée de l'Armée in Paris (France) as part of the exhibition Napoléon et l'Europe. We also have details of some upcoming Napoleonic events, both stateside! First up is the Napoleonic Historical Society conference, which looks to be an exciting weekend of diverse talks and an excursion to George Washington's former house. Next, there is the French Festival taking place in Cape Vincent, New York, in which Napoleonic re-enactors will take centre stage. Waterloo has been in the news again this week, with the British government revealing their plans to contribute to the cost of restoring the battlefield - you can read details of this as well as the restoration plan below. As usual, we have a selection of new publications for you: this week, a new book about the creation of the Grande Armée, and a DVD about the 95th rifle regiment who fought in the Peninsular War. We also have a video from the Waterloo commemorative re-enactment last week and a blog post about wargaming the Battle of Lützen in Seen on the Web. Enjoy!
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Object of the Month
A Carabinier's Breastplate from the Waterloo Battlefield
This breastplate, pierced by a cannon ball attests to the violence of the fighting. Given to the Musée de l'Armée at its creation by Colonel de Liechtenstein, it is one of millions of objects that were found on the Waterloo Battlefield and taken as souvenirs or relics by those who visited. It is testimony to the bloodshed of the battle, echoing Alexander Mercer's description of it flattening “men and horses like blades of grass under the reaper's scythe”.
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What's On
Napoleonic Historical Society Conference 2013, Alexandria, USA
The 2013 Napoleonic conference will be held in historic Alexandria from 13-15 September. There will be talks on a variety of subjects, including actor Mark Schneider on his role as Napoleon, Doug Cohn on Austerlitz and Philippe Montanari on Napoleon and the Latin American Revolutions. There will also be a tour at Mount Vernon, George Washington's former home near Alexandria.
Cape Vincent French Festival, Cape Vincent, USA
A festival of all things French in Cape Vincent, New York (USA), including French arts and crafts, as well as a Napoleonic parade and re-enactment. There will be a celebratory mass (said in French) and a parade, including musicians, led by Napoleonic re-enactors. The day will be rounded off by a fireworks display.
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Napoleonica. La Revue
Don't forget, the new issue of Napoleonica. La Revue is now online. Subtitled 'The organisation of power: law, government and the Emperor's Household', this issue features articles on a huge range of subjects, ranging from the training of jurors in the First Empire (Alan Desrayaud) to three previously-unseen letters from Joseph written in 1817 (by Vincent Haegele). It also includes book reviews and articles by Pierre Branda (on the Emperor's household), Peter Hicks (on Lazare Carnot) and Thierry Lentz (on Napoleon and his ministers).
All past issues of La Revue are also accessible online, too!
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Waterloo - Restoration of the Battlefield
Last week we brought you news of events taking place to commemorate the battle of Waterloo. This week, Waterloo was in the headlines once again, as the British government debated its role in commorating the 200th anniversary of the battle. It was decided that they would donate a substantial amount to the restoration of the battlefield. You can read the full article from the Daily Telegraph, and read about the full conservation project.
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200 Years Ago
The French Army begins to leave Spain
In the days following the British victory at Vitoria, the regime of Joseph Bonaparte in Spain very quickly fell apart. Suchet ordered the evacuation of the garrisons at Levante and Aragon, and Clausel led the two divisions under his control back to France. In the Basque regions, French troops left garrisons in Pamplona, San Sebastian and Santona, and on 2 July 1813, a large part of the French army crossed the Bidassoa river into France. The French troops who remained were stationed in Catalonia, to the east, where Suchet had enough men to hold his own. The British troops continued their advance to the Pyrenees, though were soon to be bogged down around Pamplona and San Sebastian.
150 Years Ago
Plans for the Great Exhibition
In le Moniteur of 1 July, 1863, a ‘report on the Emperor' by Eugène Rouher was published about the necessity of organising the Great Exhibition in 1867 in Paris. Returning to the huge success of the last Great Exhibition which took place in London in January 1863, the minister of Agriculture, Commerce and Public Works expressed his desire to match that success. He underlined ‘the moral and industrial benefits of the Great Exhibition', among them the technological exchanges for French industry, and the potential gains for Paris from a large number of visitors, as well as the ‘healthy competition' with England in succeeding it as host country. Rouher, who became presiding minister of the Council of State on 23 June, 1863, was successful in convincing Napoleon III, as le Moniteur published a decree by the Emperor, dated 22 June, announcing that the Great Exhibition would take place at the Palais de l'Industrie from 1 May to 30 September, 1867.
Why not revisit our Focus on the Universal Exhibitions here.
Peter Hicks and Andrew Miles
Historians and web editors
THE NAPOLEON.ORG BULLETIN, N0. 677, 28 JUNE - 4 JULY 2013
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© This Napoleon.org weekly bulletin is published by the Fondation Napoléon. Reproduction or all or part of this bulletin is forbidden, without prior agreement of the Fondation Napoléon
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OPERATION ST HELENA
The Fondation Napoléon and the Souvenir Napoléonien, in association with the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, have announced the prolongation of its international fund-raising campaign to restore and save Napoleon I's residence on the island of St Helena. All the details regarding the campaign as well as donation forms and advice for donating from outside France, can be found on napoleon.org
You can still donate online to the project via the Friends of the Fondation de France in the US here
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'NAPOLEON ET L'EUROPE' AT THE MUSEE DE L'ARMEE
- Visiting the exhibition? Buy your tickets online.
napoleon.org-related content:
- Painting of the Month, from the exhibition: Napoleon's Consecration or Coronation
- Interview with E. Robbe, Director of the Exhibition
- Object of the Month, from the exhibtion: A Rifler's Breastplate from the Waterloo Battlefield.
- Publications from the exhibition: Napoléon et l'Europe Exhibition Catalogue
MAGAZINE
Just Published:
- The Peninsular Collection: 95th Rifles - 1809 to Salamanca (DVD)
- Forging Napoleon's Grande Armée: Motivation, Military Culture and Masculinity in the French Army 1800 - 1808, by Michael J; Hughes
Seen on the web (external links)
- Wargaming the Battle of Lützen
- Video of the Waterloo Re-enactment 2013
Press Review
- Review: Comedy, Caricature and the Social order 1820-50
- The Daily Telegraph: What Price the Battle of Waterloo?
EVENTS
On now and coming up
A selection of events taking place now or in the coming weeks, taken from our What's on listings.
Re-enactments
- Cape Vincent French Festival [USA 12/07/2013 - 14/07/2013]
Conferences
- Napoleonic Historical Society Conference 2013 [USA 13/09/2013 - 15/09/2013]
NAPOLEONICA.LA REVUE
Available free on Cairn.info
NAPOLEONICA ARCHIVES ONLINE
Napoleonica Archives is now online!
THE BIBLIOTHÈQUE MARTIAL-LAPEYRE FONDA T ION NAPOLEON LIBRARY
The new library opening hours are:
Monday and Tuesday 1pm – 6pm and
Thursday to Friday 10am – 3pm.
Closed Wednesday.
Online catalogue
Digital Library
Contact
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