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"Napoleon" explored Richmond on Bastille Day in conjunction with the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts exhibition featuring the emperor.
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"Napoleon" and Harry Kollatz Jr.
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Detail from a painting in the exhibition that "the emperor" claims is the best likeness of him ("Portrait of Napoleon, Emperor of the French, in Ceremonial Robes," 1805, François‐Pascal‐Simon Gérard (1770–1837), oil on canvas. Château de Fontainebleau‐Musée Napoléon I)
When I met the Emperor Napoleon at the Best Cafe on Bastille Day, July 14, he’d been prepared for our interview by his Virginia Museum of Fine Arts advisors. The Emperor’s visit coincided with the exhibit “Napoleon: Power and Splendor.”
He greeted me with a grin and said, “I hear you are a bit of a Bonapartist.”
“A bit,” I replied. ‘If one can be only a bit of Bonapartist.”
He laughed. “Yes, usually it is done in extremes!”
Napoleon spoke in somewhat clipped, but quite serviceable English, pausing on occasion for the proper word. His knowledge of the language far exceeds mine of his, and when I stumbled in pronunciation of a few notable names, he restated them, in the correct way.
After our session, posing for photographs, I noted that the exhibit’s name left off the accent aigu above the “e” in his name.
“Does the accent mark not travel?”
He smiled. “In France, of course, it is Napoléon, in America” — he flattened his tone — “Na-poleon.”
I found him affable, even charming. I chose to toss out some names of places and people to get his reaction.
Richmond magazine: The city of Toulon.
Napleon: Toulon! The beginning of the road to glory. 1793-94, I enter as a captain, at the conclusion, I am a general. Eh, through good fortune, through promotion by merit. I am able to take command of the artillery because the former commander of the artillery had been wounded. So, thus, I told them I could construct new batteries that would make Toulon succumb to the French Republican forces, and they put their trust in me, and, ultimately, I would find that victory in Toulon.
RM: [Charles Maurice de] Talleyrand[-Perigord]
N: Ehhh, yes. [Smirks, chuckles] Ah, Tallé-rawn, there are some things I could say. ... “Merde in silk stockings," is one description I gave to Talleyrand. Eh, but ... [His Majesty considers this thought, purses his lips and continues.] But Talleyrand admittedly is one of the most brilliant diplomats of his age. And you cannot take that away from him. We had ... our good moments, and our bad moments, together, and thus I was forced to make some changes, as you know, with Talleyrand. He was a magnificent diplomat.
RM: And a bit of a pill.
N: Yes. [Chuckles]
N: Ah, Marshal Ney, “Le brave des braves.” The bravest of the brave. When placed at the head of a corps-sized unit, he was in his element. At Waterloo, because of my sickness, I had to leave the field for a while, and as Marshal Ney was a wing commander, he had to assume command of the vast majority of the French forces that day. And he made some … [The emperor pauses, thinks.] poor decisions. One example, of course, is when [the Duke] of Wellington tried to move his entire line backwards roughly 100 paces, [Ney] mistook this for the enemy’s withdrawal, and thus he unleashed the French cavalry. Now, the ground was wet, and it had been so churned up, that the cavalry really could not maneuver at more than a trot. None of the British squares were broken that day. So, it was the beginning of the end in that battle.
RM: And well, then, [Field Marshal Gebhard Leberecht von] Blücher arrived.
N: And then Blücher at last showed up at Plancenoit with the lead elements of the Prussian forces. [The Emperor nods, frowns.] Many scapegoats are found at that battle, many scapegoats at Waterloo. Marshal Grouchy for not marching to the sounds of the guns, Marshal Ney for launching the French cavalry ahead of time, and not using it in conjunction with artillery and infantry. But what Marshal Ney did in Russia shall never be forgotten. And it has been said, with the rear guard of the Grande Armée that had dwindled to but a few thousand men, he would be the last one to cross the river back into Poland, a very brave man. But unfortunately, as a result of his returning back to serve his emperor, he was put to death by the royalists on 7 December, 1815.
RM: And you mentioned Ney’s return to service. He met you with troops on the road back to Paris.
N: Yes! I enjoy this story very much. As I landed in Golfe-Juan in the South of France, I marched in the direction of Grenoble. Marshal Ney serving Louis XVIII stated that he’d bring me back "in an iron cage." [Napoleon arches a brow.] So, with a task force of French soldiers, who’d once been my soldiers, at Auxerre, on the Rue de Napoleon, I encountered the Fifth Regiment of Line. I walked up to them, and I opened my coat, and I said, ‘Soldiers of the Fifth, if you wish to kill your emperor, here I am.’ And they threw down their weapons and embraced me.
RM: That happened, not once, but several times on the return to Paris.
N: Indeed, indeed it did! It happened with such frequency that I had to write a letter to Louis XVIII and tell him, "Why, thank you, Your Majesty, for sending me so many soldiers, but you need not send any more, I have quite enough."
RM: Joseph Fouché.
N: Yes, the head of my police. Again, an extremely competent man, but, one who always wanted to come out on top, whether I was Emperor of France, or Louis XVIII was the King of France. He always wanted to be on the winning side. Eh, but he proved himself quite capable as my minister of p olice.
RM: Madame de Staël.
N: Madame de Stahl. Yes, we do not get along terribly well.
RM: No, no you do not.
N: Mmm. Yes. She does not speak too highly of me. Prior to the time of my becoming the emperor of the French, we traveled in some circles together, and attended many of the same salons; in fact, I would meet Josephine and would eventually marry her, but Madame de Staël did not speak highly or write kindly of me at any one time.
RM: She writes, basically, that if you’d been able to harness your powers for good, the world would’ve been much better off.
N: [Sits back, shrugs] And who is to say that I did not harness my powers for the good of the world?
RM: Who, indeed? Finally, toward the end of your career, you’d started daydreaming of, or contemplating relocating to, North America. Your brother, Joseph, lived in New Jersey.
N: Talleyrand lived in the Americas, in and around Philadelphia. Jérôme [Napoleon's younger brother] spent time in Baltimore; there he would find his first wife.
RM: So a number of your inner circle either lived here, or participated in our Revolution.
N: Capitaine Berthiér, who would become Marshal Berthiér in my service, served as an aide de camp to Jean Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, Comte de Rochambeau, who served as commander for the French expeditionary force in America; so, yes, they were no strangers to America.
RM: So you had contemplated coming here, particularly after Waterloo.
N: Yes, monsieur, I initially had ... wanted to go into exile to the Americas, but the coalition that formed against me would not allow it. When I was sent to that rock in the South Atlantic, St. Helena, I was hopeful that there would be an escape attempt in which I could come to America to most notably Nouveau Orleans, or New Orleans, where the mayor of that city had arranged his house to be placed at my disposal. And then perhaps I could have planned … what my next actions would have been.
RM: The pirate Jean Lafitte was supposed to come and rescue you off St. Helena. Or so one of the many stories go.
N: [Chuckles] Yes, yes, monsieur, this is one of many such stories. And some say that my valet and I switched places and I was able to come to America … ah, but, there are so many stories.
RM: Your Majesty, thank you, these all are of my questions. I appreciate you taking the time to speak with me.
N: It was my pleasure.
RM: Enjoy the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille.
N: L’Anniversaire nationale! Oui, monsieur!
At 6:30 p.m., Friday, July 20, at the VMFA, Terry Melville, founder of The Betty Creative Awards and former vice president/fashion director for Macy’s New York, speaks with New York-based stylist, fashion editor and creative director Freddie Leiba about “Image Makers: Masters of Self-Branding and Their Impact on Culture.” “Napoleon: Power and Splendor" is on display through Sept. 3.
