A History of the Coldstream Guards, from 1815 to 1895Ross, J. (John)
History
A History of the Coldstream Guards, from 1815 to 1895
Ross, J. (John)
Great Britain -- History -- Victoria, 1837-1901; Great Britain. Army. Coldstream Guards
Baines, _Wars of the French Revolution_ , ii. 517. It appears that
these ordinances did not evoke dissatisfaction from the British
Government, for Lord Liverpool, writing to Mr. Canning on the 4th of
August, says, “One can never feel that the King is secure upon his
throne till he has _dared_ to spill traitor’s blood: it is not that
many examples would be necessary; but the _daring_ to make a few will
alone manifest any strength in the Government” (_Supplementary
Despatches, etc._ , xi. 95). On the other hand, they raised much
indignation on the part of the friends of the incriminated persons,
and several letters were written to the Duke of Wellington, to implore
his powerful intercession in their distress. Apparently he could do
nothing for them, except in the case of General Lobau (_ibid._, xi.
59, 101, 273). Marshal Davoût was not included in the list of
proscribed persons, but he wrote to the War-Minister, Marshal Gouvion
St. Cyr (July 27th), to protest energetically against the injustice,
which he alleged had been done to such men as Gilly, Grouchy, Clausel,
Laborde, and others, whose only fault was that they had carried out
orders, which he had given them as Minister of War. He maintained that
his own name ought to be substituted for theirs, and he drew attention
to the assurances given by the King, that if the army made its simple
and unconditional submission, His Majesty would show clemency and do
more than was desired (_ibid._, xi. 70). Davoût was then near a
somewhat exasperated and only partially converted force of
Imperialists, south of the Loire, and, had his arrest been
contemplated, the attempt to carry it out might have been accompanied
by unpleasant consequences to the ultra-Royalists. Among the
proscribed, there appeared the name of Carnot, colleague of Fouché in
the Provisional Government, and like him a regicide and a man of the
Revolution. Upon what principle Carnot should have been banished, and
Fouché should have been made a Minister under Louis XVIII. is
difficult to determine; but such was the policy of the reactionary
party. Carnot, naturally indignant that he should have been marked out
for vengeance by his colleague, wrote to him, “Où veux tu que je me
retire, traître?” while the latter replied with equal brevity, “Où tu
voudras, imbécile.” Fouché did not long survive the fate of those he
had betrayed; driven from power in September, he was appointed
minister at Dresden, but shortly afterwards he was exiled by a decree
which was fulminated against all who had voted for the death of the
unfortunate Louis XVI., and thus fittingly terminated his career of
intrigue and treachery.
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