Chapter IV

My father is sent to join Kléber--He is nominated General-in-Chief in the Western Pyrenees--Bouchotte's letters--Instructions of the Convention--The Representatives of the People who sat at Bayonne--Their proclamation--In spite of this proclamation my father remains at Bayonne--_Monsieur de l'Humanité._

With the grade of brigadier-general, my father was sent to join Kléber at the siege of Maestricht, but he remained only a short time under his orders. Later, in Egypt, Kléber became his intimate friend.

Created divisional general of the same army on the 3rd of September, he was given the command of the Western Pyrenees, and five days later he received news of his nomination from Bouchotte, minister of war, in these terms:--

"PARIS, _11th September 1793, Year II of the Republic, one
and indivisible._

"THE MINISTER OF WAR to CITIZEN DUMAS, General of Division
of the Northern Army.

"I have to inform you, General, that the Executive
Provisional Council, relying upon your patriotism, your
courage, and your experience, has appointed you to the
position of general-in-chief to the Army of the Western
Pyrenees, rendered vacant by the death of Delbecq. The
National Convention has approved this nomination, and I
hasten to send you your credentials, and to ask you to lose
no time in taking up the post committed to your charge.

"This appointment will afford you fresh opportunities for
showing your devotion to the public welfare in beating down
its enemies: the zeal for the Republic you have hitherto
shown is a sure guarantee that you will not spare her
enemies. J. BOUCHOTTE."

On the 24th, his instructions were sent him.

We transcribe these instructions here, because they seem to us to be important, in that they emanated direct from the Revolutionary Government, at the most revolutionary epoch of that Government, that is to say, on the 24th of September 1793, and yet did not prescribe any of those rigorous measures in which the Representatives of the People indulged in the departments. Perhaps it may be these Representatives of the People had particular instructions, and suffered the soldiers to play the most prominent parts in that bloody tragedy.

We shall see the rôle that was laid out for my father.

"WESTERN PYRENEES.

"PARIS, _24th September, Year II._

_"Notes for General Alexandre Dumas._

"The Army of the Western Pyrenees is composed (according
to article 2 of the decree of 30th April 1793) of the
Republican forces that are situated along the frontier and
in fortified towns or ports, in the whole of the territory
that borders the left bank of the Garonne, including the
departments of the Basses-Pyrénées, Hautes-Pyrénées, the
Landes and Gers, as well as the whole of the country along
the left bank of the Garonne, in the departments of the
Haute-Garonne, of Lot-et-Garonne, and of la Gironde.

"It is thought best that the general should go immediately
to Bayonne by Bordeaux. He had better interview the
Representatives of the People, the constituted authorities
and the military heads, as he goes along. He must consult
together with them upon every matter that concerns the
defence and the tranquil settlement of the portion of the
Republic comprised in his command; as well as upon the
most convenient means to be employed in making necessary
requisitions, which should be demanded in the troop-centres
indicated by the Representatives of the People.

"He will reach Saint Jean-de-Luz as soon as possible, where
his headquarters will be made. He will carefully examine his
staff and head employés of the different branches of the
army.

"He will make himself acquainted with every detail
concerning his sphere of administration.

"He must examine all books of orders, plans, charts, and
memoranda relative to the defence of the frontier and the
seaboards. He must give ear to the chief engineer and other
authorised personages.

"He must pay a visit to the camps, cantonments, and
stations, in order to regulate the order and discipline that
ought to exist throughout the service.

"He must take cognisance of the most important passes,
ports, and highways, and if they are occupied by the Spanish
he must use his best endeavours to expel them and to take
possession of them, if it is desirable from a military point
of view, and possible without unduly risking the troops.

"Their actual position is in four divisions.

"1st. That of Saint-Jean-de-Luz, consisting of twelve
thousand men, with its van-guard stationed at Bruges and its
outposts extending from Trouber in Borda as far as Coulin
Baïta.

"The main body is encamped in front of the fort of Socoa
de Saint-Jean-de-Luz, upon the heights of la Chapelle de
Boudagain de Belchéséa, as far as the river Nivelle.

"The purpose of this division is to keep the enemy behind la
Bidassoa and to defend the pass of Reza.

"2nd. The division of Serres and of Saint-Plée, of from
four to five thousand men, is stationed at Ascain, Serres,
Saint-Plée, and Aintroevé, with its outposts protecting
Helbaren and Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours.

"It prevents entrance into France by way of Tugarro, Murdé,
and Ordache, and harasses the enemy in the valley of Bastan;
furthermore it can throw forward troops to Souzarde,
Espelette, and Itlassu.

"3rd. The division of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-port consists of
about ten thousand men, of which two battalions and three
Basque companies are at Baygorry, to defend the valley, and
one battalion at Anhaix. The rest covers the town, which is
a most important pivot. Furthermore, it threatens the enemy
in les Bloules, the valley of Bastan, and the road from
Pampelune by Roncevaux.

"4th. The division of the cantonments of Pau includes
Pau, Navarreins, Oleron, the Basse-Burice, the valleys of
Barettoux, Ayret, Ossan, Oevar, and Saint-Savin.

"This division numbers five thousand men, and can
be increased by requisitioning the departments of
Hautes-Pyrénées, of Gers, Haute-Garonne, Lot-et-Garonne,
Gironde, and the Landes.

"Its object is to defend the valleys and to be the reserve
from which the whole army should be supplemented.

"The Spanish have a formidable artillery from Fontarabia to
Biriatou.

"Their forces, it is said, consist of fifteen thousand
men from Fontarabia to Cerdac, and as many round
Saint-Jean-Pied-de-port, everywhere intrenched.

"Their military arrangements seem excellent.

"In time of peace, our posts on the extreme frontier
were stationed at Andaye, at Saint-Jacques de Souberang,
Pas-de-Béhobie, Biriatou, and other places a league from
the frontier, in the neighbourhood of the Ruhne, and on the
banks of the Bidassoa.

"The great camp to be occupied is la Croix des Bouquets
and Andaye, with outposts at Serres and at Joliment, to
restrain the Spanish, whose flanks and rear will thereby be
endangered.

"Beyond Saint-Jean-Pied-de-port is the post of
Castel-Mignon, which the Spanish have taken from us. We
ought to try to recapture this, and even the pass of
Baguette, which is the way into Spain at that point.

"These items of local information have been extracted
from memoranda, particulars of which will be found at the
headquarters of the general army and at the engineer's
office, with transcripts of the military reconnoitrings that
have been carried on along the frontier.

"The general will acquaint himself with these details, and
he will direct his operations according to the strength of
his active and reserve forces, and to those of the enemy and
their positions, taking advantage of every circumstance that
may promise an advantageous attack, without running risks.

"He will keep a controlling hand over all movements and
instructions given to the troops, and especially over the
officers, who shall be suspended if they are not found
fulfilling their proper duties.

"Military schools shall be open to common use; they
shall deal with all branches of the service: police,
account-keeping, and Republican discipline.

"A general officer and an officer from the chief staff shall
be specially set apart for this object.

"The general will find the army in excellent spirits, and he
will only have to keep it so.

"He must watch and arrest suspected men, who might escape
from the army.

"All communication with the enemy must be avoided.

"No one must be allowed to penetrate into his camp under any
pretext whatever.

"Deserters must be sent to the rear to some suitable place.

"He must maintain an accurate correspondence with the
minister of war, independently of that from the headquarters.

"In short, his sense of patriotism and his courage render
him worthy of the confidence of the nation. He will not
keep back anything, and he will set his brothers-at-arms an
example of every Republican virtue."

It is clear that these instructions had nothing very revolutionary about them.

But when he reached Bayonne, serious differences broke out between my father and the Representatives of the People sitting in that town.

These Representatives of the People were citizens Monestier, Pinet senior, Garreau, d'Artigoyte, and Cavaignac.

This Assembly had gained for itself a sorry notoriety in the south; and when the above-mentioned members heard that my father was coming, knowing his moderate views, they tried to ward off the blow.

On the 3rd Brumaire, before my father had actually arrived, they issued the following proclamation:--

"IN THE NAME OF THE FRENCH REPUBLIC, ONE AND INDIVISIBLE:

"The Representatives of the People within the sphere of the
Army of the Western Pyrenees and the adjoining departments,
being informed that the minister of war has promoted to
the rank of divisional generals in the Army of the Western
Pyrenees certain citizens who have not the confidence of
Republicans; appointments which have raised a sense of
uneasiness among the democratic people of Bayonne; fearing,
in the first place, that the _sans-culotte_ officers placed
in their posts by the Representatives of the Montagnards
may be deprived by them; and, secondly, fearing that they
will see a recrudescence of intriguers and military spies
at work misleading the soldiers; have been impelled to
communicate their fears to their colleague Garreau, who has
already on their behalf drawn up the following provisional
measures:

"Being informed that citizen Dumas has been appointed by
the Executive Council general of the Army of the Western
Pyrenees, that he is on his way to Bayonne, and that he has
been announced by his aide-de-camp Darièle, who has already
arrived in the said town;

"Taking note of the fact that when the minister of war made
the above-mentioned appointments he could not then have
been acquainted with the _important operations_ which the
Representatives of the People have carried out by means
of the Army of the Western Pyrenees;--operations rendered
imperative on behalf of the public safety, of which the
minister and the Executive Council will warmly approve as
soon as they are acquainted with them;

"Also having regard to the interests of the army, which
require that nominations made by Representatives of the
People of generals and officers who have merited the
confidence of the soldiery by their courage, their talents,
and their Republican opinions, shall be maintained;

"It is resolved:--

"_Art._ 1. The appointments made up to this date by the
Representatives of the People in the Army of the Western
Pyrenees, whether that of general in command or those of any
other officer, shall hold good.

"_Art._ 2. Citizen Muller, general commanding the Army of
the Western Pyrenees, is forbidden to deliver letters of
commission to officers who have just been or who are about
to be promoted by the Executive Council to any rank in the
said army whatever, or to recognise them in the rank the
minister may have conferred or proposes to confer on them.

"_Art._ 3. It is decreed that citizen Dumas, who has been
nominated general of the Army of the Western Pyrenees by the
Executive Council, and also all other officers who shall be
or have been promoted to any sort of rank in the said army
by the above-named Council, shall on their arrival remain
outside the walls of Bayonne and of Saint-Esprit, until such
time as the Representatives of the People of this town shall
have arrived.

"General la Roche, commandant of the town of Bayonne and
of the fort of Saint-Esprit, will see that this command
is strictly adhered to. Those officers, however, who
were already in the army when they were appointed by the
minister, are exempted from this order, and will remain at
their posts in the ranks they have held previously.

"_Art._ 4. The Representatives of the People will frequently
visit Bayonne to confer together as to what action shall be
taken relative to the nominations of the Executive Council.

"In the meantime they request their colleague, citizen
Garreau, at present at Bayonne, to adhere strictly to this
proclamation, and to look to it that its regulations are
enforced.

"Drawn up at Mont-de-Marsan, 1st of the second month of the
year II of the French Republic, one and indivisible.

"J. B. B. MONESTIER (of Puy-de Dôme),

"J. PINET (senior), and D'ARTIGOYTE.

"The above-signed Representatives, approving this decree,
declare that it does not and cannot apply to citizen
Fregeville, general of division so long attached to this
army, whom the Representatives of the People have summoned
to them both at Toulouse and at Bordeaux. They therefore
consider that General Fregeville should exercise his
functions as general of division whether at Bayonne or in
the army, from the time of his arrival.

"At Bayonne, 3rd of the second month of the year II of the
French Republic, one and indivisible.

"Authenticated copy. GARREAU."

If you would know how these famous Representatives of the People occupied their time at Bayonne and in the surrounding country, and in what way my father's presence was distasteful to them, glance through their correspondence. That will explain why it was decreed that General Dumas should depart outside the walls of Bayonne as soon as he reached the town.

Unfortunately, my father was not the type of man who could be made meekly to go out of a town when he believed he had the right to remain in it.

So he stayed at Bayonne.

This refusal to obey the order of the Representatives of the People led to a fresh proclamation, which was issued the day after his entrance, on the 9th Brumaire:--

"IN THE NAME OF THE FRENCH REPUBLIC, ONE AND INDIVISIBLE:

"The Representatives of the People, in the sphere of
the Army of the Western Pyrenees and the neighbouring
departments,

"Assured that the Committee of Public Safety and the
National Convention are neither aware of the urgently needed
reforms which have been brought about in this army, nor of
the fresh appointments that had taken place in it, when
the minister of war or Executive Council, supported by the
National Council, promoted General Dumas;

"And in view of the fact that General Muller has received
from these Representatives the position of provisional
commander-in-chief of this army by reason of the proofs he
has already given of his abilities, of his activity, of his
courage, and of his pronounced Republican opinions; and
in consideration of his tried experience of four months'
laborious work in conducting war in countries and localities
where it is impossible to exercise the same methods of
warfare as among the armies of the Republic; work which
takes considerable time and requires great intelligence
in order to unite all the scattered forces employed at a
multitude of different points, and to weld them into one
harmonious army corps; and finally, on account of his
services to this army and of his high moral character, which
have won for him the respect, affection, and confidence of
its officers and men;

"Seeing that General Muller is still in full enjoyment of
this esteem, of this friendship, and of this confidence;
that he alone can carry on the campaign to its completion
as he alone has the clue to its workings; and finally, that
this campaign and war can hardly last more than another
three weeks, or even less;

"Considering that General Dumas (against whom, let it be
understood, the Representatives of the People have no
personal objections) cannot obtain a knowledge of these
localities, of the plans and of the positions, in a less
period than six weeks, as he himself admitted in the
_friendly_ Conference which the Representatives of the
People have had with him;

"And as order and discipline, harmony and concord have
reigned more forcibly and with more marked success since the
provisional election of General Muller and the reforms made
in the army;

"It is resolved, in the highest interests of the Republic,
that temporarily, and until a definite command comes from
the National Assembly, General Muller shall retain the
command-in-chief of the Army of the Western Pyrenees;

"But it is also resolved that General Dumas be left at
liberty to serve in this same army as general of division
until a definite decree is received.

"At Bayonne, 2nd day of the 2nd month in the year II of the
Republic, one and indivisible.

"_Signed_:

"J. B. B. MONESTIER (of Puy-de-Dôme), D'ARTIGOYTE, GARREAU,
CAVAIGNAC, and PINET (senior.)"

My father had obtained the satisfaction he desired.

The Representatives of the People had declared that they had no complaint to make against him, and had withdrawn the clause in their decree that had enjoined him to leave Bayonne.

As to the sanction they granted him to serve as general of division, it may easily be guessed he meant to ignore it altogether.

So he installed himself and his staff in the square where lodgings had been taken for him in advance. Unluckily, all the executions took place in this square.

When the ghastly hours arrived, and all other windows were filled with spectators, my father closed his, pulled down the blinds and drew his curtains.

Soon a terrible commotion began under his closed windows--all the _sans-culottes_ of the countryside gathered below and yelled:

"Hah! _Monsieur de l'Humanité!_ Come to your windows! Show yourself!"

But in spite of these yells, which were of such a threatening character that my father and his aides-de-camp stood sword and pistols in hand, fearing, more than once, matters would develop into an attack, not one of the windows were opened, not one of the officers belonging to my father's general staff appeared at the balcony.

After this affair, the new general appointed by the Executive Powers was no longer addressed as citizen Alexandre Dumas, he was known only by a name sufficiently compromising at that time--especially among the people who had dubbed him with it--that of _Monsieur de l'Humanité._

Dispute if you wish, gentlemen, my name of Davy de la Pailleterie; but what you cannot dispute is the fact that I am the son of a man who in face of the enemy was called _Horatius Cocles,_ and before a scaffold _Monsieur de l'Humanité._