Napoleon's Guard

by Griff Hosker

  We had done well for the garrison capitulated when the relief force failed to arrive. The seven hundred and fifty Albanians who surrendered were all conscripted into our army. The loss of the fleet meant that we could no longer be sent any reinforcements. But we had no time to rest on our laurels. Having defeated two armies the general was determined to take Jaffa and Acre. I think he actually had designs on Constantinople!

  Chapter 7

  The greatest advantage of being a Guard was that we travelled with the van and did not have to suffer the dust as the army snaked its way towards Jaffa. This was to be another siege which meant we would be protecting the general once again. The port was quickly surrounded and trenches dug. The general’s tents were erected close to the sea and the sea breezes were quite pleasant. I was taking advantage of a stroll in the evening as the mess was still an unpleasant place for me, when I almost bumped into the general who was also walking.

  “Ah my Scotsman. I have not thanked you properly for saving me in Suez. You are quick thinking. I will find a way to reward you.”

  I took a breath, “You could reward me general by allowing me to return to my regiment.”

  Instead of the anger I expected, he laughed. “Still trying to get away from me eh? I promise you that I will let you return but I have another task for you. I cannot tell you yet as events have not fallen the way I wish them to. Suffice it to say that one way or another you will return to your regiment when we have captured Acre.”

  I knew that Acre was the most important city in Syria. If we controlled that city then the road to the heart of the Ottoman Empire was open.

  “Thank you general.”

  He waved a dismissive hand and then that seemed to trigger an idea in his head. “Come with me, we will see my doctor.”

  The general had his own physician, although why I have no idea for he was never ill. I followed him. Doctor Etienne-Louise Malus was a strange little man but a brilliant doctor. In the aftermath of the siege of Jaffa it was thanks to him that so many men survived who would otherwise have died.

  “Ah doctor, would you be so good as to examine this officer’s wound. He suffered it some time ago and I suspect he has not had the bandaged changed in all that time.” He was of course correct.

  “Come with me young man.”

  As I left the general said, “After Acre, Scotsman, and you will be free.”

  He took me to his tent. He put a kettle of water on the fire to boil it and then cut through the bandages. The wound was red and angry but there did not appear to be a foul smell. He shook his head. “Sit there.” He pointed to a seat. He sniffed the bandages. “Have you immersed this in the sea?”

  I was going to say no and then I remembered the rescue of the captain. “Yes sir.”

  “Good then you might have saved your hand. The salt water has cleansed the wound but I am not happy with the colour. I think it is infected. I will soon discover if that is so.” He briefly left the tent and then returned. The water had boiled and he poured some in a shallow bowl. He rolled up his sleeves and then poured some more of the water into a deeper bowl and added some cooler water. He washed his hands. “Always have clean hands when dealing with a wound young man.” He then dropped a pair of scissors into the bowl of boiling water.

  Once he was satisfied with his hands he took some forceps and removed the scissors. He carefully cut the stitches and then, with the forceps, threw them into the fire. He took a clean cloth and dipped into the boiling water and began to clean the wound. Although it hurt I did not make a sound. The count, my father, had taught me never to show that you were hurting. Once he had done that he nodded. He was, apparently, satisfied. “Good. You are a brave young man, I would have yelled for all I was worth if it had been my hand.” An orderly came into the tent. “Ah good, Richard, just place them here.” He held out a clean bowl and the orderly deposited into it a handful of squirming maggots. He gave me an evil grin as he stood and watched. “Now wash your hands Richard and prepare a bandage for me.”

  To my horror the doctor then took the maggots and placed them around the red and angry wound. I tried to recoil but the doctor was remarkably strong. “This will not hurt so trust me!” His voice was kind and I let him finish putting them in. They wriggled and they squirmed. It was not a pleasant experience. Then he and Richard wrapped and tied the bandage tightly around the wound.”The maggots will eat the dead flesh and then they will die. When the arm itches then return to me and I will remove them. Now off you go.”

  The next days and weeks were desperate. The battle for Jaffa was a brutal affair. The cannons pounded the walls and when the infantry assaulted they were ruthless. However none of us were prepared for the next few days when the general had every single one of the prisoners, all two thousand five hundred of them, executed. He even sent to Cairo for an executioner. I still do not know why he did so. It backfired on him, especially when he assaulted Acre but the general did have a ruthless streak in him. At the same time bubonic plague broke out. The army did not know it was the plague, this was kept from them but, as I returned to the hospital to see the doctor I was privy to that knowledge. I went with the general who wanted to see his sick soldiers. It was, probably, the bravest thing I think he ever did but it was pitiful to see brave soldiers suffering. What made it worse for me was that I saw that many of the sick were from the 17th and they were dying. The stench of death hung over the hospital like a cloud.

  Although the doctor was busy he found time to see me. He said, “The hand, has it been itchy?”

  “Yes sir, last night and today.”

  “Good then watch when I remove the bandage.” As he cut the cloth away the dead creatures fell to the floor. What had been red and angry was now slightly pink and healing. “You will be able to use it normally in a day or two. Either wash it in the sea or pour brandy on it for a few days. It will keep it clean. Now you will excuse me I have some brave men to minister to.” He was a noble doctor and I was pleased to hear that he survived the plague- my comrades did not.

  We headed north to Acre. As soon as I saw the city which was attached to the land by a tiny strip of soil I knew that this would not be easy. We could not get close with our trenches and the siege guns struggled to punch holes in the walls. The plague and the battles had decimated the regiments. The 17th was down to less than a hundred and fifty and that included the forty who were still recovering on L’Italie. The only bright spot was the fact that we were at Acre which meant I would soon find out what I had to do for the general and then I would be able to return to the 17th. What worried me was that there might not be a regiment to return to the way things were going.

  Jean and the remains of the regiment were in a camp some miles from the siege lines. This was partly because of space and partly to give the army protection from uprisings. The destruction of the mosque had made the Egyptians unhappy about French rule. They might not have liked the Ottoman Empire but they hated their churches being desecrated. The 17th were patrolling the land between the Nile and Jerusalem. I only got to see them when they arrived at the general’s headquarters to report on their work. The general liked to know everything that was going on.

  It was on one of their visits during the first week in April that we heard about the massacre on the Nile. The hospital cruiser, L’Italie, had been attacked and all five hundred men on board had been massacred. Another forty of my comrades were dead. Most of my first troop had died. The only one who now remained was Tiny. I felt as sad as I had when my mother had died. The three of us reminisced about the brave men we had fought alongside and who were now dead. To die in battle was one thing but to be massacred in your bed was entirely different. The general’s ambitions were hurting the army and, as far as I could see, to no good effect.

  Jean shook his head as we talked of the disaster. “I am just glad that Pierre is out of this.”

  “He thought that the wound was the worst thing that could have happened to him but we now know that it was the best.” I
lowered my voice; the general had banned any mention of the plague. The men who were now dying in their hundreds had died of many diseases. “I have seen this plague that men die of and it is a horrible way to die. It is far better to be killed in battle. It is over much quicker.”

  Albert had not known of the disease, “It is the plague then?”

  “It is sir, and I have been in the hospital and seen the deaths.”

  Jean gave me a concerned look. “Was it safe for you to do so?”

  “I had to have my wound seen to but I think so. I feel no ill effects.”

  “If the wound is healed then can you return to the regiment?”

  “I am sorry sir. The general has another task for me and then I can.”

  All three of us were reluctant to leave and so we sat in silence and watched the sun set over the Mediterranean and then darkness enfold the water. I walked alone to my tent. I had few duties as a Guard of Bonaparte but I would have traded that for a night as a vedette with the 17th.

  We moved out of the camp when the general decided to try to draw some of the Ottoman forces to the north of us to battle. We headed for the Holy Land. The general tried to appeal to the local population as the one who would save them from Islam. I do not think he convinced them. Colonel Bessières had been promoted to general now and we had the 15th Chasseurs as well as the 17th brigaded with us. I did not think that Bonaparte would find much use for cavalry in the hilly land around Mount Tabor but I was wrong.

  The Ottomans had many horsemen. While their infantry came from the Balkans and Greece their horsemen came from the desert plains to the east. This was the land of Persia and the major explained to me that their horsemen had destroyed vast Roman armies in times past. “They are wild warriors and ill disciplined but they are not to be underestimated.” He was right to warn us.

  The brigadier commanding the leading battalions found that to his cost. Whilst marching in column a huge host of Mamelukes and mounted fellahin charged them. The rocky and uneven terrain, aggravated by a lack of discipline meant that they did not form square in time. Many of the soldiers were cut to pieces before they could even get a shot off.

  General Bonaparte was not happy and so our brigade was sent to be the advanced guard. Now that my sword hand had healed I was no longer a supernumerary and I could fight. I was still acting as General Bessières’ aide but, as I knew from his days in the 17th he liked to lead from the front. Sergeant Delacroix and I rode just behind him and the bugler. There were ten scouts out ahead of us but that mean nothing. The twisting roads and the rocky defiles meant that you could be attacked even with scouts out.

  We were surprised by the enemy when they charged the middle of our brigade between the 17th and the last troop of our squadron. They charged in and hacked at the troopers before riding back up the defile. All would have been well had not Captain Hougon charged into the defile with his troop behind him.

  General Bessières cursed. “The damned fool. Sound recall!”

  The bugler blew recall but nothing happened. He turned to me. “Ride to the 17th and take a troop of them to find out what has happened to the idiot.”

  I reined in next to the colonel and gave him the orders. He nodded. “The young man struck me as an arrogant and reckless officer. Major, take the First Troop and try to extricate them.”

  I did not ask permission to join them I just drew my sword and rode next to Jean who gave me a smile. “Good to have you back Robbie!”

  We could hear the clamour of battle as we entered the defile. The troopers were surrounded and fighting desperately for their lives. They could not retreat as the enemy were to their rear. Jean took it all in and then shouted, “Column of ten!” The narrow pass was just wide enough to enable that formation and it would allow us to hit them with a mass of superior and heavier horseflesh.

  I leaned forwards as Jean shouted, “Bugler, sound the charge!” The strident notes alerted the enemy but they also told the beleaguered troopers that help was at hand. The Arab irregulars we hit had poor swords and no protection. Our front rank smashed and dispersed them as though they were not even there.

  I could see the green and red of the guards. “Guards to me!” Some of the heads turned and they began to hack and slash at the attackers who were between us. We gradually whittled down their numbers until we joined with the rearguard.

  “Bugler sound recall!” This time it worked and the red and green horsemen began to work their way back to us. I saw Hougon being helped by a lieutenant. Beyond those two there were none. I urged Killer forwards as a Mameluke launched himself at the wounded pair of officers. I leaned as far forwards as I could manage. The Ottoman was so focussed on his prey that he did not see me coming in from his left. My sword went through his neck and, as I gave a flick of my wrist, it severed it altogether and the headless corpse crashed to the rocks. The man must have been a leader for the enemy halted and I turned Killer to follow the last of the Guards back to the main trail and the safety of the army.

  Albert smiled and nodded as we rejoined the column and I rode back to General Bessières. “Did you manage to extricate them captain?”

  “Yes sir. They had been surrounded but the Ottomans were ill disciplined.”

  He glanced down at my blade. “I see your sword arm is healed.” He looked over his shoulder. “I will have words with Captain Hougon.”

  “He was wounded sir. I think he was taken to the surgeon.”

  That was the last ambush before we reached the top of Mount Tabor. Although it was not an important site it was strategic and General Bonaparte himself saw to our dispositions the next day. The infantry were arrayed in lines with the cavalry guarding the flanks. Over twenty thousand horsemen hurled themselves at our lines but the lines held and the horses could not break the wall of steel. At the end of the day the field was ours and the Ottomans headed north. Acre would not be reinforced that day.

  General Bessières was unable to have a word with the disobedient captain as he had been sent back to the hospital. The general brooded all the way back to the siege lines. I could hear the conversation with the adjutant and it did not bode well for Hougon. He had made the cardinal sin of failing to obey an order and not coming back victorious. Many generals would forgive a disobedient officer if he was successful but Captain Hougon had lost eight troopers.

  The siege had not improved since we had left for our foray north. The British Fleet were supplying the city and I could hear Bonaparte berating the Admiral who had lost him his ships. As long as the Royal Navy was there we were, effectively, hamstrung. The next few days were spent recovering and burying those who still died from the plague. It was distressing to see brave men dying helplessly of a disease which seemed to spring from nowhere. With the total force in the 17th down to less than a hundred it was decided that we would work with the Bonaparte’s Guards permanently. We had no base to supply new men.

  When Captain Hougon came back he did not appear to have learned any humility and, even before he was summoned to his commander, he was insulting Jean and the men of the 17th as cowards who had refused to follow his lead. He called us all stable boys. His sycophantic acolytes took it all in and hung on his words. He was sure that if they had followed him then he would have defeated the whole Mameluke army.

  It took all of Albert’s personality to restrain Jean who wanted to show the captain the edge of his blade. I too would happily have fought him but it was unnecessary. Jean and I were summoned to General Bessières’ tent. The adjutant was there as well as Captain Hougon. I could see the resolution on the general’s face but Hougon appeared oblivious to it.

  “Captain Hougon, I have heard that you have made disparaging comments about these officers. That is unacceptable, especially as you disobeyed an order. I want you to apologise for those comments.”

  The captain looked appalled. “Apologise? I am a member of the Guards and I apologise to no-one.”

  He was about to have that superior look wiped from his face for I saw
the smile appear on the adjutant’s face. The general nodded, “I see. Normally this would involve a court martial but, quite frankly you are not worth the time and the effort. The 15th lost some officers to the plague. You are hereby transferred to the 15th Chasseurs. Perhaps now, as you are no longer a Guard, you might reconsider an apology.”

  “You cannot do this!”

  Bessières was enjoying the captain’s discomfort. “I think you will find that I can and before you speak of talking to General Bonaparte I have to say that he endorses this decision. I do remember telling you the high regard he had for both the captain and the major. It seems you did not listen.”

  He snarled at me as he left the tent. “This is not over stable boy. When my arm is healed I will teach you a lesson.”

  “Do not worry captain. I will be waiting.”

  After he had gone the general said, “I am sorry about him. He is a bad one. Perhaps the others might be straightened out now.”

  The adjutant nodded vigorously. “They will be, believe me.”

  Jean nodded. “Thank you for that sir. I an not afraid of that whelp.”

  “I know but it would not do the morale of the army any good to have two officers fighting. It is better this way.” As we turned to leave he said, “General Bonaparte wishes to see you captain. He has a task for you to complete.”

  Jean’s look showed the worry he felt. I shook my head, “Do not worry Jean. I know all about this.” In truth I did not but I was confident that whatever the task was I would perform it and get back to my regiment.

  We were alone after Bessières left us. The general looked at me for some time before he spoke. “I have asked you to perform many missions for me before Scotsman but the one I am giving you now is the most important, the most dangerous and the most secret. Not even General Bessières knows what it entails. I know you are of noble blood and I know you to be a gentleman. All I require is your word that you will not speak of this mission to anyone, ever.”