Campaign in Russia. LETTER FROM BARON DOMINIQUE-JEAN LARREY*, Chief Surgeon of the Grand Army, TO HIS WIFE, THE BARONESS LARREY IN PARIS, Mainz, November 17, 1813. 18906-13(Note: *Larrey was one of Napoleon's most distinguished surgeons, renowned for his contributions to battlefield medicine during the Napoleonic Wars.)
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Russian Campaign. LETTER FROM BARON DOMINIQUE-JEAN LARREY, Chief Surgeon of the Grande Armée, TO HIS WIFE BARONESS LARREY IN PARIS, Mainz on November 17, 1813. 18906-13
Beautiful signed autograph letter with recipient's address "To Madame la Bne Larrey Cul de Sac de la Monnaye Paris" and countersigned by Larrey. He informs her of the harshness of the Campaign but mentions that he is among the few who have survived the dangers and also that he has lost a lot of clothing.
"Mainz, November 17, 1813.
I have just received a little note from you which saddens me as it informs me that you are ill, my poor friend. I understand that the various news have shaken you deeply. However, you should have reassured yourself knowing that I am among the few who have escaped the dangers and vicissitudes of this last Campaign and that I am in good health. I would already be near you if I had obtained the approval of the higher authority. Now my request is in the hands of the ministers and H.S.H. the Prince of Neufchâtel... It is up to you, if you can, to quickly arrange for my Leave. 24 hours after I will set out on the journey; [...] No doubt, my poor Friend, I have lost almost everything, especially the clothing that I have worn or that has been stolen from me piece by piece. I only have... one complete uniform left. The things I would need the most are shirts or pocket handkerchiefs but do not worry about anything, I will always have enough... Besides, I am used to wearing the same shirt for three, four, or five days... And now the sisters must be with you... On the road to Metz, my sister Benoiste must be more worried about the fate of her children who might be made to march. If that should be the case, he should be entered into the Imperial Guard where I can recommend him... As for the horses I have left, I would have already sold them if I had found a reasonable price but I am offered the value of one for five or rather the half of one... By the 25th of this month, I will have completed all my work and I will have sent to H.E. the Minister the general supervision of all the Army Surgeon Officers... It is fortunate or unfortunate that my letter (from Russia) never reached you as it predicted all the misfortunes that we experienced during this Campaign. I hope that after this fateful year 1813, we will be happier...
Goodnight, my good friends, I reluctantly leave you... I am forever your friend...".
Two-page document, three handwritten pages, remnant of red wax seal. Browned paper.
H 20.7 cm x 12.5 cm.
Fair condition.
BIOGRAPHY:
Dominique-Jean LARREY, Baron Larrey and of the Empire, was a French military physician and surgeon, known as the father of emergency medicine, born on July 8, 1766 in Beaudéan in the province of Bigorre of the Ancient Regime, currently in the Hautes-Pyrénées, and died in Lyon on July 25, 1842. As Chief Surgeon of the Grande Armée, Dominique Larrey accompanied Napoleon I in all his campaigns. He was a pioneer in providing care for the wounded on the battlefields, providing early treatment on-site through mobile surgical ambulances.
Beautiful signed autograph letter with recipient's address "To Madame la Bne Larrey Cul de Sac de la Monnaye Paris" and countersigned by Larrey. He informs her of the harshness of the Campaign but mentions that he is among the few who have survived the dangers and also that he has lost a lot of clothing.
"Mainz, November 17, 1813.
I have just received a little note from you which saddens me as it informs me that you are ill, my poor friend. I understand that the various news have shaken you deeply. However, you should have reassured yourself knowing that I am among the few who have escaped the dangers and vicissitudes of this last Campaign and that I am in good health. I would already be near you if I had obtained the approval of the higher authority. Now my request is in the hands of the ministers and H.S.H. the Prince of Neufchâtel... It is up to you, if you can, to quickly arrange for my Leave. 24 hours after I will set out on the journey; [...] No doubt, my poor Friend, I have lost almost everything, especially the clothing that I have worn or that has been stolen from me piece by piece. I only have... one complete uniform left. The things I would need the most are shirts or pocket handkerchiefs but do not worry about anything, I will always have enough... Besides, I am used to wearing the same shirt for three, four, or five days... And now the sisters must be with you... On the road to Metz, my sister Benoiste must be more worried about the fate of her children who might be made to march. If that should be the case, he should be entered into the Imperial Guard where I can recommend him... As for the horses I have left, I would have already sold them if I had found a reasonable price but I am offered the value of one for five or rather the half of one... By the 25th of this month, I will have completed all my work and I will have sent to H.E. the Minister the general supervision of all the Army Surgeon Officers... It is fortunate or unfortunate that my letter (from Russia) never reached you as it predicted all the misfortunes that we experienced during this Campaign. I hope that after this fateful year 1813, we will be happier...
Goodnight, my good friends, I reluctantly leave you... I am forever your friend...".
Two-page document, three handwritten pages, remnant of red wax seal. Browned paper.
H 20.7 cm x 12.5 cm.
Fair condition.
BIOGRAPHY:
Dominique-Jean LARREY, Baron Larrey and of the Empire, was a French military physician and surgeon, known as the father of emergency medicine, born on July 8, 1766 in Beaudéan in the province of Bigorre of the Ancient Regime, currently in the Hautes-Pyrénées, and died in Lyon on July 25, 1842. As Chief Surgeon of the Grande Armée, Dominique Larrey accompanied Napoleon I in all his campaigns. He was a pioneer in providing care for the wounded on the battlefields, providing early treatment on-site through mobile surgical ambulances.
Reference :
18906-13
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