General Henri-Gratien Bertrand

Henri-Gratien Bertrand was a talented general of engineers, best known as a loyal aide-de-camp to Napoleon. Bertrand initially joined the National Guard, and notably was serving with the National Guard of Paris during the fateful Revolutionary events of August 10th, 1792 when the Tuileries was stormed by a mob. In September of 1793, he was promoted to sous-lieutenant and began studying at the engineering school at Mézières. The next November Bertrand left the school as a lieutenant to join the Army of the Pyrenees. Before long he was promoted to captain and served briefly with the Army of the North before being reassigned to the ambassador of Constantinople.

In 1797 Bertrand joined the Army of Italy, and then in 1798 he traveled to Toulon and joined the Army of the Orient. Once in Egypt, he took command of the engineers of General Bon's division and led them at the Battle of the Pyramids. A few weeks later he received a promotion to chef de bataillon. The next year during the Battle of Abukir Bertrand directed part of the siege, and during the fighting on the 27th received a bad blow to the head. Dr. Larrey treated his wound, and later reported to General Bonaparte about Bertrand's courage and distinction in the fighting. Impressed, Bonaparte requested to meet Bertrand and the two's fates were linked until Napoleon's death in 1821.

In August of 1799, Bertrand received a promotion to chef de brigade and was placed in charge of the engineers at Alexandria. The next year he became deputy director of fortifications, and after Kléber's assassination he served on the commission that judged the assassin. Next he received a promotion to general de brigade, and then remained in Egypt until the French surrender.

In 1803, General Bertrand took command of the engineers at the Camp of Saint-Omer. The next year he became Inspector General of Engineers and an aide-de-camp to the Emperor. Before La Grande Armée moved east, Napoleon sent him undercover into enemy territory to gain intelligence on roads and bridges. Once he rejoined the army, he assisted in the capture of the bridges near Vienna and served at Austerlitz.

In 1806, Bertrand served at Jena and later attacked and took Spandau. The next year, in May he served under Lefebvre at the Siege of Danzig and received a promotion to general de division before then serving at Friedland in June. 1808 saw Bertrand created a Count of the Empire, marrying Fanny Dillon, daughter of General Dillon, and following the Emperor to Spain.

In March of 1809, Bertrand took command of the engineers of the Army of Germany, and once the campaign was underway became very active. He restored the bridge at Burghausen, and then served during the very brief siege of Vienna. Bertrand's next tasks were to oversee the construction of the bridges over the Danube for the battles of Aspern-Essling and Wagram. For his service, he was rewarded with the Grand Eagle of the Legion of Honor and the Grand Cross of Fidelity of Baden.

Bertrand's next assignment was as Governor General of the Illyrian Provinces, replacing Marshal Marmont. He served in this capacity until the end of 1812, and then took command of a corps in Italy that would become IV Corps of the reconstituted La Grande Armée. Serving in Saxony, he led his men and served at Lutzen and Bautzen in May of 1813. That August he was under Oudinot and fought at Gross-Beeren, and then in September was under Ney and served at Dennewitz. In October Bertrand's corps took part in the Battle of Leipzig by guarding the bridges of Lindenau and then occupying the bridges of Weissenfels. During the retreat he served at Hanau and covered the retreat until they reached Mainz.

In November, Bertrand replaced Caulaincourt as Grand Marshal of the Palace, who had been serving in that position temporarily since Duroc's death. Nonetheless he continued to command in battle, in 1814 serving at Brienne, Champaubert, Montmirail, and Craonne. When Napoleon went into exile on the isle of Elba, Bertrand chose to accompany him in exile.

With Napoleon's return for the Hundred Days, Bertrand was there alongside the emperor. He was made a Peer of France and served at Waterloo as an aide. Once Napoleon had decided to turn himself over to the mercy of the British, Bertrand again chose to accompany his emperor. As they sailed aboard the Bellerophon destined for exile, his wife Fanny threw a fit and tried to convince Napoleon to not accept Bertrand as one of the select few to accompany him to exile. When she realized that her pleading would do no good, she attempted to jump overboard. "Is she not mad?" Napoleon exclaimed while Bertrand caught his wife and restrained her from jumping overboard, and in due time she became more accepting of her fate.

In Bertrand's absence, a war council in France condemned him to die, but had little power to reach him at St. Helena. Bertrand stayed by Napoleon's side until Napoleon's death, and then returned to France later that year with the death sentence pardoned and his rank reinstated. When Napoleon's remains were to return to France in 1840, Bertrand traveled to St. Helena and accompanied the remains. After his death, Bertrand was buried near Napoleon's tomb at Les Invalides.

Sources:

Chandler, David G. Dictionary of the Napoleonic Wars. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., 1979.

Elting, John R. Swords Around a Throne: Napoleon's Grande Armee. USA: Da Capo Press, 1997.

Haythornthwaite, Philip J. Who Was Who in the Napoleonic Wars. London: Arms & Armour, 1998.

Richardson, Robert. Larrey: Surgeon to Napoleon's Imperial Guard. London: Quiller Press, 2000.

Six, Georges. Dictionnaire Biographique des Généraux & Amiraux Français de la Révolution et de l'Empire (1792-1814). Paris: Gaston Saffroy, 2003.

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