On the 18th June 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte was
defeated at The Battle of Waterloo by Arthur Wellesley, The Duke of Wellington
and the Prussian General Blucher, who arrived later in the day with a force of
30,000 troops, causing Napoleon to split his forces. The battle commenced at
11.20am and was finished by 8.30pm. A day later, on the 19th June, Napoleon abdicated and was taken
into custody by the British and exiled to the remote island of St Helena,
situated in the middle of the South Atlantic, thousands of miles from Europe
and any sort of civilisation.
Two years later, in August of 1817 a young Royal Naval
officer, called Captain Hall, arrived on St Helena on board HMS Lyra which was
transporting Lord Amherst, the British Ambassador to China, back to the United
Kingdom. Captain Hall made every attempt to gain an interview with Napoleon who
was living in a house called Longwood high on the island. Eventually Napoleon
did grant him an interview after much negotiation. At first negotiating through
the Governor of St Helena, Sir Hudson Lowe, seemed somewhat futile. Lowe and
Napoleon did not like each other. Captain Blakeney, who was Napoleaons guard, proved
a better approach. Blakeney and Napoleons physician, Dr D’elleara got some
response, however, Napoleon was either too tired after a walk or about to do
some task and a meeting always seemed inconvenient. Captain Hall visited Marshal Bertrand and his wife Countess Bertrand in their house close
by Napoleons residence. Hall and Bertrand got along very well and Countess
Bertrand sympathised with Captain Hall in his request to meet Napoleon.
Marshall Bertrand himself made overtures to Napoleaon about the possibility of
a meeting but Napoleon apparently ignored his friend’s suggestion. As an aside,
Captain Hall mentioned to Dr D’elleeara that his father, Sir John Hall,
had visited and spent some time at Brienne, the French military academy, when
Napoleon was there himself, as a student. Dr D’elleraua immediately replied that
Hall should have mentioned this before. Apparently, Napoleon had great respect
for officers who had attended courses at Brienne. He himself had promoted many
officers to his own staff from the Brienne academy. This news was relayed to
Napoleon and Napoleon was all too pleased to then receive Captain Hall.
Captain Hall recorded his encounter in his journal. He reveals much about
Napoleon as a man and a leader of men.
Longwood, Napoleon's
house on St Helena.
On the 13th August Hall received a message. It
first got to his two colleagues, Captain Harvey and Lieutenant Clifford
and he only heard about it later in the day, because the message had been sent to
James Town, the signaller presuming he would be there. Captain Hall , after
visiting Marshal Bertrand had returned to the Governor’s residence and not to
James Town. Hall immediately felt panic when he received the message.It had
been sent at 1pm. He feared he would be late for the appointed time of the meeting. He rushed to Longwood,
Napoleon’s home on the island. The message had read:
“General Bonaparte
wishes to see Captain Hall at two o’clock”.
Hall stated,
“I lost no time in
obeying the invitation, but galloped over the hills as fast as I could, being
prompted to use all speed lest Bonaparte should think that I had intentionally
kept him waiting.
On being ushered into
the room, I observed Bonaparte standing before the fire. He was leaning his
head on his hand, with his elbow resting on the mantle piece. He looked up and
immediately advanced a pace towards me, returning my bow in a quick, careless
manner. On my going close up to him he asked me in a hurried way “What is your
name?” I answered “Hall”.
From this we can see
that Napoleon was an intense individual.
Upon telling him my
name he said, “Ah Hall, I knew your Father at Brienne. He was then learning
French and reading Mathematics. He was very fond of Mathematics and liked to
converse on the subject. He did not mix much with the young men at the college;
he lived principally with the priests, apart from us.
I expressed some
surprise at his recollecting any individual for so long a time, when his
thoughts had been so much engaged with important affairs. “Oh it is not in the
least extraordinary” said Bonaparte “because your Father was the first
Englishman I ever saw, and I have recollected him on that account during all my
life”.
Napoleon was one of
those individuals that can hold everything in their head. He was able to compartmentalise things and give due importance to each.
Upon his asking me
more particularly about my Father’s occupations, I told him that he was
president of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
This furnished him
with a new topic, and he continued for some minutes cross questioning me about
the nature of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
Hall had heard that
Napoleon was interested in the sciences and new ideas of all types. His
questioning proved to show that this was right.
He next asked how
many children my Father had? I said, “Nine alive”. “Ah c’est beaucoup” said
Bonaparte with an air of affected gravity accompanied by a formal sort of bow,
as if he felt desirous of making up for the slighting manner in which he had
just been treating my Father on the score of age.
His next question
was, “Are you married?”, and on my stating that I was not, he asked in a quick
impatient way, “Why don’t you marry?”.
He showed a close
interest in Hall himself and his circumstances. Hall replied to Napoleon's
enquiries about his married status that he didn’t have enough money to marry
yet. Napoleon seemed to understand this situation and moved the discussion on.
Bonaparte now began
questioning me about our late voyage of discovery, of which he had heard
nothing from any of the gentlemen of the [HMS] Alceste who had preceded me.
This was very fortunate for me, because the topic was quite new to him. It
accordingly interested him highly. Bonaparte had been always supposed to have a
strong taste for every thing oriental, and for whatever related to voyages of
discovery in particular.
I can fully
believe that this is correct, for he appeared deeply interested in by the
account which I gave him of what we had seen, and he carried on his enquiries
with a fervour and an anxiety to be informed which I have never seen in any other
person.
He wanted to know all
about Loochoo,an island group south west of Japan where Hall had visited on his
voyages. He interrogated Hall about the people, money, arms, agriculture and
religion. He studied intensely some sketches that had been made of the
people and customs. His questions were incisive and searching. He showed a deep
interest.
Loochoo
Islands off Japan.
It would be in the
highest degree satisfactory to be able to give his questions in the order and
in the very words they were put, but this is unfortunately not in my power.
They were very numerous and sagacious, not thrown out at random, but
ingeniously connected with one another, so as to make every thing assist in
forming a clear comprehension of the subject. I felt that there was no escaping
his scrutiny, and such was the rapidity and precision with which he apprehended
the subject, that I felt at times as if he were as well or better informed upon
it than I was myself, and that he was interrogating me with a view to discover
my veracity and powers of description.
Napoleon was in high
spirits while putting these questions and carried on his enquiry with so much
cheerfulness, not to say familiarity that I was more than once thrown
completely off my guard, and caught myself unconsciously addressing him with
the freedom and confidence of an equal. When I checked myself upon these
occasions and became more formal and respectful, he encouraged me to go on with
so much real cheerfulness, that I soon felt myself quite at ease in his
presence.”
Hall relaxed in his
presence and felt that at times he was lured by Bonaparte’s effusiveness into
being too familiar and overly animated and tried to check himself but easily
returned to being familiar once more.It is known that Napoleon had a close
relationship with his Imperial Guard. He inspired great loyalty. He also had a
close relationship with his officers and it is easy to see how at the height of
his powers he could be the supreme commander. He encouraged not just loyalty
but love and affection .The interview with Captain Hall lasted about twenty
minutes.
In those short twenty
minutes we can see how Napoleon formed a closeness with Hall.
Napoleon was not only adored by soldiers but also by the French people.
He had an open personality ready to encompass everybody and everything.
Hall stated,
“ I have scarcely
discovered a single topic on which Bonaparte did not put some questions. He
spoke deliberately and distinctly and waited with the utmost patience and
attention for answers.”
Captain Hall
was impressed by Bonaparte and through Halls words it makes us feel impressed
by him too.
All the reports
concerning the Duke of Wellington’s personality and his relationships with
people show him to be arrogant, officious, misogynistic and demanding. Two more
very different personalities as adversaries I cannot imagine. I know who I
prefer.
References:
Captain Hall’s journal:
The National Army Museum:
No comments:
Post a Comment