‘Yes, sire. Once I had all three of my divisions in line, I could see that the Prussians were still disorganised, and I decided that our best chance of survival lay in attack, so I ordered the corps to advance in the direction of Auerstadt. As we marched forward the enemy cavalry counter-attacked. But they could not break our squares, and for some reason they did not bring any guns or infantry forward to support their cavalry. By contrast, I kept our guns as far forward as I could and each time we encountered any attempt by the Prussians to make a stand, our guns cut them down and scattered their formations.’ Davout paused and rubbed his brow. ‘So it continued through the afternoon, as I was determined to push them back as far to the south as I could while my men were still capable of advancing. But by four o’clock it was all over. The Prussians were in full retreat. I could not mount a pursuit, sire. The only fresh units I had by then were three regiments of cavalry.’ He broke off and took a deep breath. ‘If Bernadotte had joined us, then it might have been different.’
‘Yes. I can see that,’ Napoleon said quietly. ‘But still, you tell an extraordinary story, Davout. It’s as fine a victory as any French general has achieved since the revolution.’
Davout bowed his head.‘Thank you, sire. On behalf of all my officers and men.’
‘There is only the question of the butcher’s bill now. I can imagine your losses were severe.’
‘Yes, sire. Gudin’s division suffered worst. Nearly half his men have been lost. In all my corps has lost perhaps as many as seven and a half thousand men.’
‘And the enemy’s losses?’
‘When I set off from my headquarters we had accounted for a least ten thousand killed and three thousand prisoners.And we have captured over a hundred cannon.’
‘A fine result, Davout. I am proud of you and your men. I am sure that France will be equally proud when news of the victories at Jena and Auerstadt reaches Paris. Now I imagine you need some rest.’
‘Once I have attended to my wounded, fed my men and gathered weapons from the battlefield, sire.’
‘Of course, but at least enjoy your coffee and a quick meal with the other officers downstairs before you go. I am sure they will be as enthralled by your tale as I was.’
‘Yes, sire.’
Once Marshal Davout had left the room, Napoleon’s expression hardened and he stared at the opposite wall until there was a knock and Berthier entered. ‘Sire? Do you wish me to summon the staff for the morning conference?’
‘In a moment. First, send a message to Bernadotte. Tell him the Emperor demands an explanation of his conduct yesterday. Marshal Bernadotte is required to justify the fact that his corps did not fire a single shot in anger yesterday when the rest of the Grand Army was inflicting a great defeat on the Prussians.’
The Grand Army set off in pursuit of the enemy later the same morning. Murat’s cavalry led the way, followed by the columns of Ney and Soult. The shattered men of Davout’s and Lannes’s corps were permitted a day’s recuperation before they had to march swiftly to catch up with an advance column that had set off round the flank of the retreating Prussians in order to cut them off from Berlin.The only men fresh enough to lead the flanking force were those of Bernadotte’s corps and Napoleon reluctantly handed him the responsibility for the task. So it was over a week later before Napoleon finally caught up with the advance column and rode into Bernadotte’s headquarters. He swiftly dispensed with any formal greetings and offers of hospitality and demanded an interview with Bernadotte alone. As soon as the other officers had cleared out of the marshal’s office and closed the doors behind them, Napoleon took off his mud-stained cloak and tossed it one of the ornate couches that Bernadotte took with him on campaign, eased himself into the marshal’s chair and for a moment stared hard at his subordinate.
Bernadotte stood stiffly, hands clasped behind his back, head slightly aloof and gleaming boots shoulder width apart. He was clean shaven and his uniform was spotless. It was dark outside and the room was lit by the candles burning in several gilded candelabras. Despite the heat of the fire in the grate and the comforting hue of the candlelight there was no warmth between the two men. Bernadotte returned the Emperor’s hostile gaze unflinchingly.
‘I assume this is about your request for an explanation of my actions at the recent battle, sire.’
‘No,’ Napoleon replied flatly. ‘I seek an explanation of your inaction. And I don’t request it, Marshal Bernadotte. I demand it. Why did you disobey Davout’s instruction to come to his aid?’
Bernadotte smiled faintly.‘I am of the same rank as Davout. I am not obliged to obey his instructions.’
‘Yet I specifically directed you to take orders from him.’
‘A direction is not an order, sire. In any case, I was already obeying your orders in advancing towards Dornburg.’
‘That was written the previous day,’ Napoleon snapped back. ‘And it was superseded by the order to obey Davout.’
‘The order did not reach me until after I had set out for Dornburg.’
‘You dissemble, Marshal. Only your advance elements had begun to march.The rest of your corps had not even left their encampment.’
Bernadotte frowned irritably. ‘I judged that it would be best to continue with my existing orders rather than cause any delay in my corps’s movement by rerouting the line of advance towards Davout. It was a professional judgement, sire. If you wish to hold me accountable for anything, then let it be for making an unfortunate decision for the right reasons.’
Napoleon stabbed a finger towards him. ‘There was nothing professional about your judgement.You disobeyed an order.You endangered Davout and his entire corps and the snail’s pace of your advance towards Dornburg makes even the Prussians look quick-witted by comparison.’>
Bernadotte shrugged dismissively. ‘There were certain difficulties along the route.’
‘That is a lie. I have had an officer retrace the route and he can find no explanation for the tardiness of your advance.’
‘The officer was not there on the day, sire. What could he know of the difficulties faced by my men? The roads were narrow and we were obliged to halt frequently to drive off enemy scouts.’
‘Good God, man! If the army stopped to fight every scout it encountered we would never advance far beyond the borders of France.’ Napoleon slapped a hand down on the table. ‘Your excuses are feeble, Marshal Bernadotte.You are guilty of a gross dereliction of duty and I can tell you that there is a widespread feeling in the army that you must be called to account, and punished severely.’ Napoleon reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a document and placed it in front of him. ‘Do you know what this is? An order for your court-martial. I have already signed it.’
Bernadotte stared at the document and for the first time his arrogant composure slipped and Napoleon saw a flash of anxiety in his expression.
‘You mean to court-martial me?’
‘The army is expecting it,’ Napoleon replied coldly. ‘You deserve no less. I dare say that any trial before your peers would find you guilty.The other marshals would support such a verdict, and order that you be shot.’