Hugues MARET, duc de BASSANO (1763-1839) secretary of state and confidant of Napoleon. L.A.S., [Saint-Dizier] March 27, 1814, to Empress Marie-Louise: 2pages in-4 with imperial watermark, gilt edges (paper slightly browned). Reassuring news from the French Campaign. Noted at the top of the page: "Le duc de Bassano à l'Impératrice Marie Louise la date est curieuse - 3 jours après les alliés étaient devant Paris". "The Emperor, who is returning tired from a long journey in very wet weather and who is nevertheless doing wonderfully, has ordered me to give Your Majesty news of him. Our light troops are occupying Bar sur Ornain, Bar sur Aube, Chaumont and Langres. Yesterday at St Dizier, we had a very fine affair against General Wintzingerode's Russian corps. We killed a lot of people and took 15 pieces of cannon and two thousand men, including a cavalry regiment all mounted. The cavalry of the Russian imperial guard was very badly treated by Gal Krasinski's light horses"...