30 March 1814 · Joseph Bonaparte
Authorisation to negotiate
If the Dukes of Ragusa and Treviso can no longer hold out, they are authorised to negotiate with Prince Schwartzenberg and the Emperor of Russia, who are before them.
They will fall back on the Loire.
(Signed) JOSEPH. Montmartre, 30th March 1814, 12 o’clock.
Context
Joseph wrote this note at noon on the heights of Montmartre, as Paris was being fought for, and then left the capital. The "Dukes of Ragusa and Treviso" were Marmont and Mortier. Bourrienne transcribed it because, he said, it explained everything that followed.
Source: L. A. F. de Bourrienne, Memoirs of Napoleon Bonaparte, ed. R. W. Phipps, vol. 12 (1891 edition). Public domain. Bourrienne was Napoleon’s former secretary. He was not with the army in 1814, so his anecdotes are second-hand.
People
JosephLieutenant-General of the Empire in Paris
MarmontCommander of VI Corps
MortierCommander of Old Guard divisionsRelated: Battle of Paris · Paris capitulates