Very rare Brevet commission written on vellum signed by Bonaparte as First Consul to Jacques-Marie de Cavaignac, 10th Regiment of Dragoons, conferring upon him the rank of Chef de Brigade. Cavaignac was a favourite of Napoleon, and personally connected to him for almost 17 years since awarding Cavaignac a battlefield promotion at the Battle of Tagliamento in 1797 during Napoleon's campaign in Italy.
Other signers are Berthier, Minister of War, who Napoleon would make marshal of France; and Maret, secretary of state, made Duc de Bassano by Napoleon in the Kingdom of Italy, who would serve the Emperor as his chief diplomat and private secretary.
The document is dated 21 Prairial, the Year 11 of the Republic.
In the Republican calendar this translates to a day in late June, 1803.
Below I give a brief biography of General Cavaignac. Then I transcribe the text of the patent detailing his promotions, campaigns and actions,
and the catalog of his wounds--including gunshots and lance wounds--as well as horses shot out from under him!
Cavaignac was one of a small group of distinguished soldiers and statesmen of the First Empire, and served France from the earliest campaigns of the Revolution up until Napoleon III's coup d'etat.
This document was bought by the present owner from the dealer Charles Bouche of Paris, in 1982.
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General of the Empire Cavaignac Jacques-Marie, Baron de Baragne, Lieutenant General, Commander of the Legion d'Honneur, Chevalier de Saint Louis, was born in 1773, according to the online histories, but 1774 according to this document!He began his military career in the rank of lieutenant in the Regiment of Navarre, later joined a regiment of cavalry in the Northern Army and fought in the first campaigns of the Revolution. He was appointed to the General Staff, served in the armies of the Western Pyrenees and Italy, distinguished himself at the passage of the Tagliamento, and was noticed by General Bonaparte, who appointed him chef d'escadron on the battlefield. Though very young, the command of the 25th Regiment of Cavalry was entrusted to him. He received several wounds to the head and, during the retreat of the Army of Italy under General Moreau, had his leg broken by shot. The First Consul appointed him colonel--the Revolutionary title of Chef de Brigade--of the 10th Regiment of Dragoons in 1803 (documented in this patent offered for sale). The authors of the Biography of Living Men recorded him as having distinguished himself in the passage of Splugen, Garigliano, and especially the Battle of Austerlitz, where his courage and composure earned him the title of Commander of the Legion of Honor, and several other marks of esteem and appreciation of the Emperor. Cavaignac soon became a personal favourite of Napoleon's. In 1806 Colonel Cavaignac and his brother Jean-Baptiste entered the service of Marshal of France Joachim Murat, later King of Naples. Jean-Baptiste Cavaignac had made his name as a member of the National Convention who voted for the execution of Louis XVI and was active repressing anti-revolutionaries for which he, himself, was denounced for cruelty. Colonel Cavaignac was given command of the forces of Calabria, where he dealt harshly with brigands and fended off British attacks. Cavaignac, soon promoted brigadier general by the Emperor, led Neapolitan troops in the comic opera attack against Sicily. He and his forces were the only ones to successfully land at Messina, and after receiving the order to withdraw he narrowly escaped being trapped between British land and sea forces by exhorting his reluctant troops to board their boats and attack an Anglo-Sicilian fleet head on and make their escape. Safely back in Calabria after his misadventure, Cavaignac was embraced by Murat, who showered him with praise, and appointed him first aide-decamp. The king of Westphalia sent him the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Military Realm.In 1810 Murat, the King of Naples, decreed that no foreigner could hold employment there without being naturalized, so Cavaignac re-entered the Grand Army as Brigadier General in time for the invasion of Russia. In Moscow he commanded the cavalry of the XIth Corps, and protected the Grand Army during its retreat from Moscow. He and 1800 survivors reached Danzig, and joined its garrison. In due course it would be besieged by Russian forces for most of 1813, during which time General Cavaignac distinguished himself in frequent attacks, and had several horses killed under him. Their food exhausted, the defenders were allowed to retire if they gave their parole, but the capitulation agreement was rescinded by Emperor Alexander, and Cavaignac was hauled off to Kiev as a POW, only to return to France after the peace of 1814, Cavaignac submitted to the authority of Louis XVIII who appointed him lieutenant-general on October 21, 1814. Eventually he was made a Commander of Saint-Louis, and in 1818 Baron, then Viscount, of Baragne. Finally Louis made him Inspector of Cavalry and made him Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour. The General died in bed in Paris in 1855, age 82.
NAME IMMORTALISED on the ARC de TRIOMPHE
Cavaignac's name was one of the 660 names engraved on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, among which are 557 fellow generals of the First French Empire, those dying in battle underlined. Cavaignac's name is on the South Piillar with 166 other names, facing the Champs Elysees and Avenue Kleber. In the image, it is in the far right column, 4th from the top, enveloped in shade.
TEXT OF THE COMMISSION DOCUMENT
Forgive the high school French errors and omission of accents...
Under "DETAIL des SERVICES":
Ne a Gourdon, Departement du Lot___le 11. Fevrier 1774.
Sous Lieutenant au 6e Regim.' d'Inf.rie___le 1.er Mai 1792.
Incorpere avec ce grui dans au B.ou delo etc. ?????
Sous Lieutenant au 8e Reg.' de Chausseurs___le 22 Mai 1793.
Lieutenant au 14e de Chausseurs____le 26 Mai 1793.
Capitaine au 24e Reg.' de Chausseurs___le 30 Prairial an 2.
Chef d'Escadron nomine par le Gen.al Bonaparte___le 26 Ventose an 6
Confirme dans de Grade_____le 11 Brumaire an 7
Chef de Brigade au 10.e Reg.' de Dragons par arrete du 3 Florial an 8
Under "CAMPAGNES, ACTIONS, BLESSURES":
a fait les Campagnes de 1792. 1793. a l'Armee du Nord en le
Cote de Bresh, on il a serve comme aide de camp en adjoiun a l'Etat
Major, celles de l'an 2. 3. & 4 aux Pyrennees Occidentales, celles
de l'an 5.6. & 7. a l'armee d' Italie. celles 8 & 9 a l'Armee
de Reserve en les Grisons.
a un cheval tue sous lui a l'affaire du Tagliamento.
Blesse a l'affaire de Jemappe d'un coup de feu a la jambe gauche.
a l'affaire de Bassignano le 23. Florial an 7. blesse d'un coup de
lance au Cote ??? recu un cheval tue sous lui.
Sous ??? le 1.er Messidor an 7. recu deux coups de feu
l'un a ??? du genou gauche, l'autre a la partie de moyenne de la
jambe droite.
