Confection Drouot (Paul L Dawson)

 210 years ago, Napoleon's last Marshal, Emmanuel de Grouchy, won a victory over the Prussians north of Wavre. Walking with a limp, occasioned by a wound over a year before, having learned of the disaster of Waterloo, executed a fighting retreat to Paris. Grouchy had never been ordered to Waterloo, nor had he been expected; any suggestion he had been is Napoleon and his immediate circle blaming anyone else for the disaster. Wellington and Blucher made fewer mistakes.

Figthing continued until 3 July. The last battles were under the walls of Paris and at Le Suffell where General Rapp won a victory over the Austrians. As the Empire fell, France descended into anarchy and a white terror: Protestants, Jews and Muslims were massacred. Having waged, what many in England considered to be an illegal war of regime change - George Ponsonby spoke in Parliament saying the British Government had no right to dictate who ran France: we so easily forget that Napoleon had 100,000's of supporters in Britain, and over 80 MPs supportive of reconciliation with him- the Allies refused to step in to prevent what could be considered genocide, because it would interfere with the internal governance of a sovereign state.

The events that lead to the fall of Paris and treason of Marshal Davout, is exposed in my book. If you have not read it, now is the perfect opportunity.

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1GianCarlo Boeri