The Memoirs of François René Vicomte de Chateaubriand sometime Ambassador to England. volume 5 (of 6): Mémoires d'outre-tombe volume 5Chateaubriand, François-René, vicomte de
History
The Memoirs of François René Vicomte de Chateaubriand sometime Ambassador to England. volume 5 (of 6): Mémoires d'outre-tombe volume 5
Chateaubriand, François-René, vicomte de
Chateaubriand, François-René, vicomte de, 1768-1848
Charles X. set out in the evening for Rambouillet with the Princesses
and M. le Duc de Bordeaux. The new role played by M. le Duc d'Orléans
gave rise to the first ideas of abdication in the King's head. Monsieur
le Dauphin remained with the rear-guard, but did not mix with the
soldiers; at Trianon he ordered what remained of wine and food to be
distributed among them.
At a quarter past eight in the evening, the different corps set
forward. There the fidelity of the 5th Light Regiment expired. Instead
of following the movement, it returned to Paris: its colours were
brought to Charles X., who refused to accept them, as he had refused to
accept those of the 50th.
The brigades were all confused, the several arms intermingled; the
cavalry outpaced the infantry and halted separately. At midnight, on
the 31st of July, a stop was made at Trappes. The Dauphin slept at a
house at the back of the village.
The next morning, the 1st of August, he started for Rambouillet,
leaving the troops bivouacked at Trappes. These broke up camp at
eleven. A few soldiers who had gone to buy bread in the hamlets were
massacred.
On its arrival at Rambouillet, the army was cantoned round the Palace.
During the night of the 1st of August, three regiments of heavy
cavalry went back to their old garrisons. It is believed that General
Bordesoulle[309], commanding the heavy cavalry of the Guard, had made
his capitulation at Versailles. The 2nd Grenadiers also went off on
the morning of the 2nd, after sending in its colours to the King. The
Dauphin met these deserting Grenadiers; they formed in line to do
honour to the Prince, and continued their road. Strange mixture of
disloyalty and good manners! In this three days' revolution, no one
betrayed any passion; each acted according to the idea he had formed of
his rights or his duties: the rights conquered, the duties fulfilled,
no enmity and no affection remained. The one feared lest the rights
should carry him too far, the other lest the duties should exceed their
limits. Perhaps it has only once happened, and perhaps it will never
happen again, that a people stopped within reach of its victory, and
that soldiers who had defended a King, so long as he seemed to wish
to fight, returned their standards to him before abandoning him. The
Ordinances had released the people from its oath; the retreat, on the
field of battle, released the grenadier from his flag.
Charles X. retiring, the Republicans withdrawing, there was nothing to
prevent the Elected Monarchy from moving forward. The provinces, always
sheep-like and the slaves of Paris, at each movement of the telegraph
and at each tricolour flag perched on the top of a diligence, shouted,
"Long live Philip!" or, "The Revolution for ever!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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