Lazare CARNOT (1753-1823) mathematician and politician; Conv - Lot 200

Lot 200
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900 - 1500 EUR
Lazare CARNOT (1753-1823) mathematician and politician; Conv - Lot 200
Lazare CARNOT (1753-1823) mathematician and politician; Conventional (Pas-de-Calais), member of the Committee of Public Safety, organizer of the Victory of the armies of the Republic. L.A., signed by his colleagues of the Comité de Salut public Charles COCHON (1749-1825) and Jean-François-Bertrand DELMAS (1751-1798), 17 Vendémiaire III (October 8, 1794), to the representatives of the People near the Army of the Western Pyrenees; 3 and a half pages in-4. Important instructions in the name of the Comité de Salut public for the invasion of Spain. Having learned about the position of the army in the Western Pyrenees, the Committee is concerned about the spread of the army. "They recommend to withdraw the guard of the post of Guetaria and to use it to increase the defense of the passage of the Oria and the place of San Sebastian, and they indicate some means to make any attack of Tolosa very deadly for the enemy. After the capture of Fontarabia and San Sebastian, they expected new and rapid successes, and they regretted that the army had not taken advantage of the enemy's initial astonishment to attack him at several points and cut off his retreat to Pamplona, which might also have surrendered. However, it was necessary to either push forward or retreat: "Begin by attacking on your left to chase the enemy from all his positions and take his camp from the meeting. Try to engage in a decisive action and to put the enemy in complete rout, because then it is probable that Pamplona, without hope of help, will take the decision to open its doors. In order for the success of the expedition to be complete as it must be, it is necessary to bring all your available forces to your left and secretly at the same time that you will make false attacks on the right and on the center to attract the enemy there. Laborde's division, which is withdrawn as far as Irum and along the banks of the Bidasoa, could, it seems, by advancing a little, tighten its line of defense. [...] We still have a very important observation to make. You know, and our colleague Garrau who attended the discussions of the committee knows particularly well, that our intention is not to nationalize the war, not to shock too strongly the customs and even the prejudices of the peoples among whom we are forced to wage war. The Spaniard, who is very attached to his priests, flees and abandons his homes rather than have them taken away. Is it not to be feared that this emigration will increase the mass of his forces and will make new furious and implacable enemies of these fanatical hordes [...] We believe that it can be very useful to take hostages among the priests and the nobles, but it could be very dangerous to take all the individuals of these corporations from an ignorant people...
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