That which redounded most to the fame of Masséna was his gallant
defence of Genoa, in 1800, after the garrison had been reduced to eat
their boots. The defence had made the Austrian army lose valuable
time, and afforded Bonaparte the requisite time to collect sufficient
forces to cross the Alps and crush the Austrians at Marengo. After
that decisive day, the first Consul who desired to return to France,
remitted the command of the troops to Masséna; but only for a while. A
certain feeling of hostility reigned between the Republican General and
the future Emperor. Masséna was envious of the fame of Napoleon, and
resented the distance that separated him from an old comrade in arms.
After the _coup d’état_ of the 18th Brumaire, he was admitted to the
legislative corps, and voted against granting the consulate for life
to Napoleon, and persistently sided with the opposition;—not out of
principle, for of that Masséna did not possess a particle, but because
he was jealous of Napoleon’s greatness and increasing power.
However, Napoleon could not afford to overlook him when conferring
honours, and Masséna was content to accept these, along with the money
granted him to maintain his honours. He was created Duke of Rivoli and
Prince of Esslingen. But he was not grateful, and of all the marshals
of France he showed himself most eager to rally to the Restoration
and to recognise Louis XVIII. He had sufficient keenness to see that
Napoleon’s star was in decline, and all that he really was solicitous
for was to keep hold of his hoarded treasures. He died at Ruel, his
country seat near Paris, in 1817.
This upstart family still flourishes on the accumulated plunder, and
still retains the titles of Duke of Rivoli and Prince of Esslingen, but
is no longer of the Jewish persuasion.
The great square at Nice is called after Masséna, but another square
bears a far more reputable name—that of Garibaldi, who was also a
native of Nice, born there on July 4th, 1807.
General Marceau’s ashes rested for some years at Nice. He fell near
Coblenz in 1796, and his body was burnt and transported, as he had
desired, to Nice, to lie beside the body of his sister Emma, when
it should be her time to depart this life. She died at the age of
eighty-one in 1834, and was laid beside the ashes of her brother.
Marceau had never been shown the smallest token of love by his mother,
and he had been brought up by his sister, to whom he was devotedly
attached. His last words were: “Je ne regrette qu’elle. Je lui dois ce
que je puis valoir.”
It is a pity that his wishes were so far disregarded that in 1889 his
remains were disinterred and transferred to the Panthéon, at Paris.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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