Lot 20453 – 1812 (Nov 1) Entire letter from Smolensk, red “Bau. CENTRAL/GRANDE ARMÉE”

1812 (Nov 1) Entire letter with sender’s endorsement “Le Commandt. le 2e Bat. du Train des Equipe.” from Smolensk to Milan, with unit cachet on back, struck on front with fine red “Bau. CENTRAL/GRANDE ARMÉE” two-line handstamp, “L.R. 4” (range 4 for letter coming from Germany), charged on receipt with “30” decimi (including 27 decimi for a distance over 4,000 km. and 3 decimi for the single weight). The text in the letter stating: “The excessive cold, the poor nourishment caused by the total loss of the cattle, together with the service demanded from us (…) The forage totally lacks, and in order to have it in small quantity, it is required to walk for eight or nine leagues to search it with a discrete number of armed men. No money is received, so the accounts continue to look the same”, also stating the disconnection with the 4th Corps and the lack of the announced supplies of men and muskets. A very rare mail from the Italian troops.

Note: After leaving Moscow on 19 October, the first troops arrived to Smolensk 20 days later. Napoleon was also thinking about the pursuance of the campaign the following year, and one option was to retreat to Smolensk; he will arrive on 9 November and leave on the 14th. As it can be confirmed in this letter, the lack of supplies played a fundamental role in the Campaign of Russia.