In 1812, General Ferdinand de Wintzingerode was captured by Napoleonic troops, a victim of his recklessness. His confrontation with the Emperor nearly cost him his life.
A sort of “condottiere […] for whom it was of no importance under which flags to serve, provided that this army fought against revolutionary and then imperial France”, Wintzingerode was in Russia shortly before the Napoleonic invasion. After a fulfilling career, he enjoyed Alexander’s trust but had no credit in the army, his arrogance playing a large role. In July, he received under his command an observation corps in Smolensk which ensured liaison between the armies of Barclay de Tolly and Bagration. He helped create the first militia detachment formed by local landowners, the Lesli brothers.
At the beginning of August, Barclay de Tolly entrusted him with command of a cavalry “flying corps” intended to liaise with General Wittgenstein’s corps and to lead the “little war”; it is the first detachment of regular Russian partisans, a month before that of Denis Davydov who nevertheless collects all the honors in literature as “first partisan”. Acting on the left flank of the Grande Armée, Wintzingerode constantly sent parties to harass its communications and its rear. After Napoleon entered Moscow, he was responsible for covering the road to Saint Petersburg. His skill and activity earned him the rank of lieutenant-general. Its soldiers lead the fight against marauders, isolated detachments, and small French garrisons; they take several thousand prisoners.
Imprudence punished
On October 19, Napoleon left Moscow. To Marshal Mortier, who was to leave last, he gave the order to demolish the Kremlin. Wintzingerode was informed of this by some Russian police officers who came to Moscow in disguise. His blood only makes one circuit; rising abruptly, he exclaimed: “No, Bonaparte will not blow up the Kremlin! I will let him know tomorrow that if a single church blows up, all the French people who fall into our hands will be hanged. » His decision is made: he must try to prevent it, whatever the cost... According to the memoirist Shakhovskoy, he then has only one idea in mind: to save the Kremlin, a holy place for Russians, because "the 'love for our sovereign and our homeland almost equaled in him the hatred against Napoleon and the French who had torn his homeland apart and deprived him of his family rights and his heritage'.
Believing that only Mortier still occupies the ancient Russian capital with 1,800 men and that one of the city gates is already in the power of the Cossacks, Wintzingerode decides to go to Moscow to convince the Duke of Treviso to capitulate. He put his plan into action on October 22. While his vanguard was still only at the Petrovsky Palace where Napoleon had taken refuge since the fire, the general rushed towards the Tverskaya Gate without being accompanied by a trumpet as is customary for those who come to parley. His aide-de-camp, Captain Naryshkin, recounted: “A picket near the governor’s house took up arms; a pale officer, having saluted him with his saber, asked him what he wanted. Wintzingerode announced that he wanted to speak to Mortier. At this moment, a French hussar officer, who was fleeing at the sight of the Cossacks, suddenly threw himself on Wintzingerode and proclaimed him his prisoner. » No longer seeing his leader, Naryshkin approaches the picket and fires a salvo of musketry; remaining unharmed, he asks the French officer to take him to Mortier.
According to the version of Benkendorf, Wintzingerode's second in command, the French officer welcomed the latter as a parliamentarian, but "a drunken hussar rushed at the general and took him prisoner." Learning of his leader's misadventure, Benkendorf hastened to send the French a trumpet with a letter warning them that all the French general prisoners "responded with their lives for the slightest vexation that would be inflicted on General Wintzingerode".
On the French side, Rapp will recount: “General Wintzingerode had not sufficiently contained his impatience; he had ventured into this capital before our troops had evacuated it: they cut him off; he tried to make them believe that he was coming to parley; he was born in the territory of the Confederacy, he did not care about being taken prisoner: he was nevertheless, despite the white handkerchief he waved. » Caulaincourt bases his story on reports received by the Emperor: dressed in a bourgeois frock coat, Wintzingerode would have come to chat with the soldiers of the first French posts, to encourage them to desert, but a vigilant hussar would have stopped; unmasked, the general “vainly wanted to allege that he had come as a parliamentarian”. The general would then have ventured into the city, perhaps in disguise, thinking that there were almost no Napoleonic troops left; seeing himself surrounded by the French, he tried to pass himself off as a parliamentarian and was taken prisoner. Several French memoirists claim that Naryshkin surrendered his own free will so as not to abandon his leader.
Which version to believe? We can trust the report sent to General Delaborde by Second Lieutenant Leleu de Maupertuis of the 5th Voltigeurs of the Imperial Guard, the regiment that arrested Wintzingerode (see box). Arthur Chuquet concludes that “Wintzingerode, disturbed, disconcerted by his fatal imprudence, did not have the presence of mind to change roles, to draw his handkerchief and declare himself a parliamentarian; he randomly said that he was coming to house the Russian army. »
Despite protests from Wintzingerode, Mortier refused to release him and wrote to Berthier on October 27: “I ask V. A. to tell me where I should send Lieutenant General Wintzingerode. In the meantime, I will keep it in my column. Mr. de Wintzingerode came to Moscow to have the Kremlin returned, where he expected few people. Having taken the evacuation of the depots of the 1st and 4th corps for the departure of my troops, he believed that the Kremlin was only occupied by a few dismounted men and sickly people. He was coming to make arrangements to take away our sick, our wounded, and perhaps more. He would have done us a lot of harm. I believe he is a very active man, and I consider it a very advantageous thing for me that he was taken prisoner of war. » It is clear that the exploits of Wintzingerode are well known to the French, who are therefore delighted to finally have him in their power.
Napoleon's anger
On October 27, not far from Vereia, Wintzingerode met the Emperor. The scene struck all the witnesses. According to Ségur, Napoleon found in him an outlet for his frustration: “ – Who are you? A man without a country! You have always been my enemy! When I waged war against the Austrians, I found you in their ranks! Austria has become my ally, and you have asked Russia for a service. You were one of the most ardent promoters of the current war. However, you were born in the States of the Rhine Confederation; you are my subject. You are not an ordinary enemy, you are a rebel; I have the right to put you on trial! »
It is true that since 1807 the general's native region has been part of the kingdom of Westphalia where Jérôme, Napoleon's younger brother, reigns, and that subjects of the Confederation of the Rhine are forbidden to remain in the service of the powers at war with the France. By this logic, Wintzingerode is a traitor subject to martial law. The Emperor therefore does not spare him by suddenly calling out to him: “It is you and around fifty beggars sold to England who are burning down Europe… I don’t know why I don’t have you shot: you were taken as a spy. You are my enemy: everywhere you have taken up arms against me, in Austria, in Prussia, in Russia. » Baron Bodenhausen, chamberlain of the King of Westphalia and an eyewitness, reports similar words from the Emperor towards the general: “You are a traitor, you serve against your homeland, the Confederation of the Rhine. You change your homeland like you change your clothes. You have only one goal, that is to fight me, you do it out of hatred: you place yourself in the ranks of all the powers at war against me; I will have you judged by a council of war. »
Rapp was also present at this stormy interview: “Napoleon called for him and lost his temper with violence; he treated him with contempt, branded him a traitor and threatened to inflict torture on him; he even told me that it was necessary to have a commission appointed to investigate the gentleman's trial immediately: he had him taken away by elite gendarmes and ordered him to be held incommunicado. »
If Wintzingerode is treated roughly, it is quite different from the captain, the scion of one of the first Russian families. Napoleon shows him great consideration: “Naryshkin! When you call yourself that, you are not meant to be the aide-de-camp of a defector. Be an aide-de-camp to a Russian general; this job will be much more honorable. » According to Denniée, Wintzingerode was then proclaimed a “state prisoner” and Naryshkin a “prisoner of war”. And to underline the difference between the one he considers a traitor and an officer who only serves his country, Napoleon invites the captain alone to dinner. On the other hand, the French officers treat the general with respect, heartbroken by the behavior of the Emperor: Caulaincourt gives him a horse from the imperial stables, and Duroc invites him to his table.
The calm after the storm
Alexandre is very irritated by the capture of his favorite. He wrote to Kutuzov: “Even Turks and Asian peoples know how to respect those who come to parley. » Convinced that Wintzingerode was taken while displaying the white flag, the tsar asked his field marshal to send a parliamentarian to tell the French that the general must be returned since he had been captured illegally. In case this was not accepted, an exchange would have to be offered for the Neapolitan general Ferrier, captured on September 29. But, if Napoleon has Wintzingerode shot, the tsar threatens to do the same with Ferrier. At the same time, Alexander wanted to bring back Naryshkin and offered to exchange him for an officer of equivalent rank.
Napoleon's anger having quickly subsided, his relatives redoubled their efforts on behalf of the prisoner. Murat, Caulaincourt, Berthier, and others “made him feel how, in the current situation, violence against a man who hid his origins under the status of a Russian general would be unfortunate” (Rapp). Caulaincourt dares to say that his rigor will have the air of personal revenge and an “act of bad humor against Emperor Alexander”, of whom Wintzingerode was aide-de-camp.
Under pressure from those around him, Napoleon finally calmed down, while declaring that Wintzingerode was “a secret agent of the London cabinet, spy in Vienna, spy in Petersburg, agent of intrigue everywhere, in fact deserving no respect.” On November 3, he wrote to Berthier: “Let General Wintzingerode know that you have put before me the letter in which he declares that he is not a subject of the Confederation; that consequently, I ordered that he be considered as an ordinary prisoner. »
The Liberation
While imprisoned by the French commander in Smolensk, the prisoners learn that they must be sent to Vilna after having given their word of honor in writing not to escape. Traveling in the company of gendarmes who relieve themselves at each relay, they arrive in Minsk. From there, they are transported to Vilna.
Wintzingerode and Narychkine must be brought to Metz, but their deliverance is near. As the cold is bitter, the gendarmes decide to stop for the night in Radochkovitchi. Leaving this locality in the morning, they fell into an ambush. At the sight of Cossacks who were part of Colonel Chernyshev's detachment, Wintzingerode took off his coat and waved it to show off his Russian decorations. The gendarmes having offered no resistance, the prisoners were released, to their great joy. The prefect of the Bausset palace exonerated the guards: “When this deliverance took place, we were already in such a pitiful state that the supervision of two prisoners was too great a burden for people who had so many others to worry about. support. »
Training
Ferdinand de Wintzingerode was born in Allendorf, in the landgraviate of Hesse-Cassel, on February 15, 1770. The son of a distinguished soldier, he became an ensign in the foot guards after training in the Kassel cadet corps but left his unit in due to a conflict with his superiors, perhaps caused by his affair with one of Landgrave William's mistresses. In 1790, volunteering in the Austrian troops, he fought against the Dutch rebels. Reinstated in the Hessian troops as lieutenant of hunters, he made the campaigns of 1792-1793 against the French, before becoming chamberlain of Prince Ferdinand of Prussia. Life at court did not suit his fiery nature, Wintzingerode he served in the Austrian army as a lieutenant of dragoons and war in Germany in 1795-1796. Then he entered Russian service with the rank of major, in the Cuirassier regiment of the Military Order. Very in favor of Paul I, he became aide-de-camp to Grand Duke Constantine. But forbidden from being part of Suvorov's troops, he had to take part in the 1799 campaign in Italy with the Austrians. Returning to Russian service in 1801, Wintzingerode received the rank of major general the following year. Alexander named him general aide-de-camp and head of the Odessa Hussar regiment.
Campaigns against Napoleon
In 1805, after a mission to Berlin to encourage Prussia to enter the Third Coalition, Wintzingerode went to campaign against the French. Decorated with the Order of Saint George 3rd class for his role at the Battle of Krems (Dürrenstein), on November 15 he led negotiations with Murat on the orders of Bagration. At Austerlitz, he was at Alexander's side but after this campaign he suffered ostracism from Russian society; Disappointed, he resigned and returned to the Austrian service where he remained between 1807 and 1811. During the Battle of Aspern (Essling) in May 1809, he was seriously injured by a gunshot wound to the leg. Archduke Charles appointed him field marshal-lieutenant.
The report of Leleu de Maupertuis
“My general, I have the honor to inform you that while on guard at the government square with thirty-eight voltigeurs of the 5th, I was warned by my sentries that we saw two officers on horseback followed by several spearmen. Their uniform being unknown to me, I walked forward myself to recognize them. The general officer who was at their head having responded France to my cry of “Qui vive!”, I approached him and, putting my hand on the bridle of his horse “Who are you?” I asked him. “I am a general and I have come to seize these dwellings and to drive out the peasants.” Unable to afford these reasons, I stopped him and fired at his retinue which I pursued until they joined up with another troop of cavalry whose strength could be 200 men. This officer was accompanied by an aide-de-camp whom I arrested with him and sent them both to the Kremlin. »
The response to the Emperor
Denniée claims that Wintzingerode responded to imperial invectives by bowing his head: “You are the strongest, you are the master. » According to Caulaincourt, the general "replied that he was not born in a country near France, that he had been absent since his childhood and for many years in the service of Russia", adding that he “had only parleyed to avoid unnecessary bloodshed and above all new misfortunes to this city”. Rapp continues: “Wintzingerode sought several times to exonerate himself, but Napoleon did not want to hear it. It was claimed by the Russian army that this general had spoken with courage and said very strong things to the Emperor: this is not the case; anxiety was painted on his face; everything about him expressed the disorder of mind into which Napoleon's anger had thrown him. » Caulaincourt nevertheless affirms that upon hearing the Emperor say that he deserved to be shot, Wintzingerode responded by raising his voice: “As you wish, Sire, but never as a traitor. »
End of career
After this unfortunate episode, Wintzingerode was decorated with the order of Saint Alexander Nevsky and then received command of an army corps. In February 1813, he defeated the Saxons at Kalisch, distinguished himself at Lützen, Gross-Beeren, Dennewitz, and Leipzig, and commanded the Russian corps in the Northern Army. Promoted to general of cavalry and under the orders of Blücher, he received the capitulation of Soissons in 1814 and served at Craonne and Laon. On March 26, his Russian-Prussian corps suffered a setback at Saint-Dizier. Back in Russia, Wintzingerode commanded a cavalry corps. On June 16, 1818, during a walk in Wiesbaden, he was stricken with apoplexy and “found sitting under a tree, as if sleeping.” His son Ferdinand will in turn be general of the Russian army.
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