Simon BERNARD (1779-1839) general and engineer, carried out - Lot 190

Simon BERNARD (1779-1839) general and engineer, carried out major works in the United States, and was Minister of War. 36 L.A.S., 1809-1836, to his father and his friend the pharmacist Nicolas Guy Lecoynet, in Dôle; approx. 75pages mostly in-4, addresses (some flaws). Very interesting correspondence covering the 44 years of General Bernard's career, from August 15, 1809 to September 19, 1836: 15 letters to his father (until December 27, 1832), and 21 letters to Lecoynet written from Antwerp (1809-1812), Paris (1813-1816), New York (1818-1824), Washington (1826-1831), and Paris again (1831-1836); several letters are completed by his wife Joséphine; we can only give a brief overview.Antwerp (1809-1812). To his father. He recounts the attack and capture of Vlissingen by the English. "On August 17, 1811, he announces his appointment to the rank of engineer major, which brings him closer to the rank of general: "I've had a furious workload this year: nearly three million to be spent in five months, seven battalions of Spanish prisoners to be organized, disciplined and administered; immense works to be carried out and even greater ones to be planned", etc... On July 22, 1812 he revisits the fatal death of his son Charles, and announces the birth of a little Pauline. He is still overwhelmed with work... Paris (1813-1816). February 15, 1813, to his father. Following his successful appointment as aide-de-camp to the Emperor, the family returns to Paris: "I would already like to have entered the campaign to prove to His Majesty by my zeal and my unfailing devotion how great is my gratitude for the signal favor he has deigned to do me"... September 1816: he announces to his friend Lecoynet his decision to leave for the United States, where he will try his fortune while serving the Republic... New York (1818-1824). April 15, 1818, to his father. He praises "the kindness of the Government and the American people towards me. [...] I do much harm to the English, which must please you and every good Frenchman: this pleasure of doing harm to the eternal enemies of our fatherland, and the honor of being [useful] to free America sustain me in my labors and lift me above obstacles"... In the following letters, he recounts his various missions, the development and admirable progress of "this immense country": "October 17, 1824: "we have begun the necessary reconnaissance to form a national system of roads and canals for the entire Empire"... Washington (1826-1831). December 6, 1826 to Lecoynet. "I continue here to be crushed with work, a third of the year in the cabinet, the rest running from one end of the empire to the other. This country is advancing by leaps and bounds, and its prosperity in all respects is beginning to inspire the greatest alarm in England"... August 1829, news of his family and children... January 29 1831, interesting political letter to Lecoynet... In April 1831, he was back in France, in Paris, and took the opportunity to visit Dôle, which he remembers as a dream. Political reflections on the Restoration and the July Revolution... Le Havre May 1, 1831, for his return to America: "The tide will take us out of port, and the wind will carry us to the shores where I left the objects of my tender affections"... Washington June 26, 1831, he announces his forthcoming return to France: "On April 25 I had the honor, under the auspices of the venerable Lafayette, of taking leave of the King and receiving his commissions for the United States. His Majesty, with that noble affability which is typical of his character, inquired about everything that concerned me personally; he said that my voluntary exile should cease, that my country required my services and that on my return I would be appointed Lieutenant-General. The same day, I had the honor of dining with the royal family, who welcomed me with great kindness"... Paris (1831-1836). Delighted at his return; he saw his bust in General Lafayettte's bedroom; he considers running for parliament... Marriage of his eldest daughter (1832). He works on fortifications for the defense of Paris: "The expenditure will amount to 30 million francs. My project consists of an immense battlefield equipped with permanent forts, casemates, etc. serving as support points for the various positions to be taken.