else, but my family and Talleyrand and Fouche and all the politicians
insist upon it in the name of France.' When the two autocrats parted on
14 October without agreement on this, or indeed anything of real value,
Napoleon's dismay was palpable. One can almost sense the depression
behind his laconic words to Joseph, in a letter on 13 October: 'I've
finished all my business with the Czar of Russia.' Savary confirmed next
day, when the Czar left, that the Emperor was in a sad and pensive mood,
as if he knew the conference had been a failure.
It could scarcely have failed in a more spectacular way. Almost as if he
were slapping his 'friend' in the face, a month later the Czar announced
that his sister, Grand Duchess Catherine, would be marrying the Prince
of Oldenburg. Since Alexander's other sister, Anna, was only fourteen
and not yet considered of a marriageable age, it was clear that the
Russians had slammed the door on dynastic union with France. Nor was
this the worst of it. Talleyrand, already in the pay of the Austrians, leaked
the treaty to Vienna, together with intelligence of Alexander's refusal to
back Napoleon in any war with Austria. The Austrians at once took a
secret decision for a spring offensive.
Pausing just a few days in Paris, Napoleon left fo r Spain on 29
October. With him he took r6o,ooo men divided into seven army corps
under Lannes, Soult, Ney, Victor, Lefebvre, Mortier and Gouvion St
Cyr. Accompanied by the Imperial Guard, the Emperor made rapid
southward progress via Angouh�me and Bordeaux and arrived in Bayonne
on 3 November. When he crossed the Spanish border next day, he met a
deputation of Capuchin monks at Tolosa; angry at the role of the regular
clergy in the Spanish insurrection, he warned them fo rcefully: 'If you
monks have the effrontery to meddle in military affairs, I promise you I'll
cut off your ears.'
After spending four days in Vitoria, on 9 November Napoleon opened
his campaign proper. Since the Spanish armies were aiming to encircle
Joseph's forces, the emperor decided to turn the tables by picking off
each enemy wing in turn. Dividing his army into three, he opted fo r
simultaneous flank attacks on the isolated Spanish wings while the
remaining third pressed on for Madrid. The first of many disappoint
ments in this Spanish campaign was the lacklustre performance of the
marshals; Lefebvre and Victor, consumed by mutual jealousy, allowed the
Spanish army of Galicia to escape. Lefebvre failed to cooperate effectively
with Victor and jumped the gun, thus alerting the Spanish of the danger
in which they stood and allowing them to retreat. The other Spanish
army got clear away when Lannes and Ney also failed to spring the trap
effectively. But this plan- to encircle the army of Castafios, with Lannes
marcin
(Marcin)
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