With Many Great Battles Behind Them, Napoleon, the Great “Benefactor,” Sends One of His Longtime Soldiers Home to His Family

A portrait of the relationship between soldier and commander, to whom he stayed loyal to the end.

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French soldiers serving between the American Revolution and the Napoleonic Era did so amidst a sea of change and quickly evolving loyalties. Navigating those loyalties was a challenge, as a soldier could end up in service, in command, in jail, or some combination of the three. Those who began in service to...

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With Many Great Battles Behind Them, Napoleon, the Great “Benefactor,” Sends One of His Longtime Soldiers Home to His Family

A portrait of the relationship between soldier and commander, to whom he stayed loyal to the end.

French soldiers serving between the American Revolution and the Napoleonic Era did so amidst a sea of change and quickly evolving loyalties. Navigating those loyalties was a challenge, as a soldier could end up in service, in command, in jail, or some combination of the three. Those who began in service to the King quickly found themselves serving the Republicans, the National Convention or the militia under Lafayette, only to find this supplanted by the Jacobins, Robespierre, the Directory, and then Napoleon himself. Conflicts were internal among the French factions and external as well, keeping France’s disapproving and covetous neighbors at arms length.

Napoleon was a master at climbing this swaying ladder.  A Corsican by birth, he was French and non-French at the same time and this required its own dexterity. His initially halting command of the language itself seemed to belie that.  Schooled under the monarchy at the Ecole Militaire, he purportedly witnessed the storming of the Bastille, was promoted under the Robespierre government, then later took a leadership role under the Directory, which led to his ultimate assumption of military authority.  He was first and foremost an artillery expert and excelled in that. During this time, mixing service with extended periods of leave, Napoleon helped care for his family, often financially supporting them.

Napoleon’s appeal to his men is legendary.  More than almost any other person, he embodied the nationalism of the 19th century; his soldiers revered him and for generations after he was studied for his populist leadership. He was a man of the people and never forgot it.

Jean Baptiste Faivre was a soldier from Gray, France, east of Paris.  He was older than Napoleon and began his service after the French and Indian War.  Both men were artillery commanders, and both saw great change in France.  In 1799, Faivre was nearing 50 and ready to leave military duty.  He wanted to return home to his family.  He wrote a personal appeal to Napoleon, itself a remarkable testament to how approachable his men saw him, and a vivid demonstration of the life of a Napoleonic era soldier.  We have never seen such a description of military service by a French soldier on a document signed by Napoleon, and it clearly shows a recognition that Napoleon was grateful for and empathized with the sacrifices his men made.

Document Signed, December 14, 1799, the first portion being Faivre’s account of his life in the military, his sacrifices, and his personal appeal to be given a position away from active combat.  Faivre enlisted at age 17 in 1768, beginning his “services as a cannonier’s apprentice.”  He worked with such artillery, like Napoleon himself, until 1792, when he was promoted under the National Convention, and “engaged in the campaigns of 1792, 1793 and with the army of the Rhine, found himself at the siege of Mayence,” with the French Revolutionaries.  He served in the Army of the Pyrenees in the war with Spain. Then he was attached to the Army of Italy, where he was wounded in the Battle of Rivoly in 1797 in Napoleon’s campaign against Austria. This is just some of what he writes.

The right side contains his appeal to Napoleon, with its testament to the progress made and nationalist appeal.  “The fortunate hour has arrived where the man who loves his country, being slave only to the just law, dares to appeal [to you]….”  Faivre notes the approval of Generals Moreau, Victor, and Perignon for his desired return home.  “I appeal now to you, believing that seeing my position, you will be the benefactor of the head of a family, and that you will sense my gratitude to share my Respect.”  He signs his heartfelt appeal “Faivre.”

Reading this Napoleon obliged the aging soldier in this Document signed, December 14, 1799, “Sent to the Minister of War to place him Second in Command at Les Invalides, due to his injuries, in place of someone who commands there and who is not injured.  Bonaparte.” 

The story between these two does not end there.  On March 27, 1815, just 7 days after his return from Elba and during the Hundred Days, Napoleon met up with Faivre.  The soldier, then 64, recounted his banishment for refusing to take off his Napoleonic eagle emblems during the Restoration of the Monarchy.  “If this is true,” said Napoleon, “then you shall work for me.” Ultimately, of course, Napoleon was buried in the Invalides, the very place to which he had appointed Faivre in 1799.

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