Partly printed DS on vellum, in French, signed in full, “Napoleon,” one page, 22.5 x 17, May 27, 1812. Uncommon and beautifully preserved military pardon, issued to Gerard Caillou. Document reads, in part, “We have received the plea from Gerard Caillou fusilier at the National Guard Battalion in operation at the Gers Department who was condemned by the Special war Council judgment session at Figuiere on January 27, 1812, to a 3 year sentence of community work and a 1500 F fine for crime of desertion, held at in order to obtain our Reprieve; and having recognized that various circumstances could bring Us to make him feel the effect or our clemency…wanting to prefer mercy over the rigors of the Laws, we have declared and are declaring granting full and wholehearted pardon to the called Caillou…We inform and order that the present Reprieve, sealed with the Empire stamp be delivered by our public Prosecutor in the said Court, in open court, where the applicant will be taken, to hear the reading, standing and head uncovered, in the Officer commanding the police force presence at that the said Reprieve be transcribed right away on your registers, at the same public Prosecutor’s requisition, with these deed of judgment annotation minutes in margin.” Impressively signed, in full, at the conclusion in black ink by Napoleon, and also countersigned by several of his ministers. In fine condition, with moderate intersecting folds, some light edge rippling and wrinkling, and some mild foxing along vertical fold, not affecting Napoleon’s signature. An outstanding, unusually bright, beautifully preserved example!
Perhaps it was not so much a desire for mercy but a need for troops that motivated Napoleon, as at the time of this pardon he was preparing his plan to invade Russia. To be sure, a pardon was not in the cards for most deserters of the era. With brutal beatings often doled out for minor military infractions, a deserter knew his punishment would most likely be death. Over time, however, military commanders found they had no other option than to pardon deserters as the need for trained manpower during wartime overshadowed the desire for punishment.
This may have been the thinking employed by Napoleon as well. In May 1812 he took command of the multinational Grande Armee assembled in Poland and in June crossed into Russian territory. However, the Russian army’s refusal to engage in battle rendered all Napoleon’s plans worthless. His army eventually reached Moscow…after it had been abandoned and destroyed by Russian troops…and Russian winter decimated the Grande Armee so badly that only 100,000 soldiers returned. Gerard Caillou may have preferred a quick execution opposed to the famous suffering in that Russian winter!
A unique signed military document that directly relates to the French invasion of Russia and a turning point in the Napoleonic Wars.
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