Bertrand Syrian Campaign. A Manuscript.

PAULIN, JULES-ANTOINE.

Book ID: 35092

£1,500.00

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4 pp., double leaves folded in 4, hand written beautiful text as told to him by his uncle, General Sanson (1824). Paulin gives to his son General Bertrand the copy of one of his letters addressed to his father in 1824 before his departure for Martinique to rectify some inaccuracies... Autograph signed letter to Henry Bertrand (the son). Paris, 30 April 1844, + 1 page of facsimile info on Paulin.

Synopsis

Jules-Antoine Paulin (1782-1870), nephew of General Sanson, ADC to General Bertrand, Colonel of the Corps of Engineers in 1814, given a Barony by Charles X, Field Marshal under Louis-Philippe and Commander of the Defences of Paris. Autograph signed letter to Henry Bertrand (the son). Paris, 30 April 1844. Correspondence as “Field Marshall of the Engineers, Member of the Defence Committee” on the subject of a correction to be inserted into the Accounts of the Emperor on the capture of St John of Acre; beautiful text recounting the event according to the memories as told to him by his uncle, General Sanson (1824). Paulin gives to his son General Bertrand the copy of one of his letters addressed to his father in 1824 before his departure for Martinique to correct some mistakes; (…) Several accounts of the Egyptian campaign which in various details are traced in such a way as would leave one to believe that at the siege of St John of Acre, my uncle, the Count General Sanson, then head of the Brigade of Engineers charged with reconnoitring the state of the counter-scarp, opposite the breach, realised it was made of earth (…). This error was attributed as much to the blackness of the night as to the serious wound sustained by his uncle; I owe it to his memory to put right their mistake (…) In order to carry out his reconnaissance, Brigadier Sanson had furnished himself with a string (…) He dragged himself on hands and knees to the point where he should have engineered his descent into the ditch; it was having arrived there that, lying flat on his tummy on the edge of the counter-scarp, trying to measure its height (…) that he received from one of the embrasures of the 2nd floor of the tower opposite, a shot which passed through his right hand (…) an accident which made it impossible for him to determine this height. From this exposure, he evidently came out since if this officer could not give an exact indication about this last point, at least, he could scarcely doubt that the counter-scarp was lined and give erroneous intelligence (…). For if one were to suppose that such a perilous operation as the descent into the ditch would not have been a surprise attack (…) I would say with General Sanson that it was rather an act of daring heroism, such had been seen often in the campaigns of this era, an act like those in previous times had been manifest at the siege of Jaffa (…).

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