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Napoleon's famous "wiff of grapeshot" event: his notoriety begins...
Napoleon's famous "wiff of grapeshot" event: his notoriety begins...
Item # 691031
October 23, 1795
KENTISH GAZETTE, Canterbury, England, Oct. 23, 1795
* Napoleon Bonaparte
* "a wiff of grapeshot" quote
* 13 Vendemiaire
* French Revolution
A handsome issue of the 18th century, with two decorative embellishments in the masthead & ornate lettering in the title.
Page 3 has a very descriptive account of the battle between the French Revolutionary troops and Royalist forces in the streets of Paris. This battle was part of the establishing of a new form of government, the so-called Directory, and it was a major factor in the rapid advancement of the then relatively unknown Republican General Napoleon Bonaparte's career.
Bonaparte commanded throughout the two-hour engagement, and survived unscathed despite having his horse shot from under him. The effect of the grapeshot and the volleys from the Patriot forces caused the Royalist attack to waver. Bonaparte ordered a counterattack led by Murat's squadron of Chasseurs. At the close of the battle, around three hundred Royalists lay dead on the streets of Paris.
Historian Thomas Carlyle later famously recorded that, on this occasion, Bonaparte gave his opponent a "Whiff of Grapeshot" and that "the thing we specifically call French Revolution is blown into space by it" thus ending of the French Revolution.
AI notes: The phrase "a whiff of grapeshot" encapsulates the idea of using swift, decisive, and often brutal force to quell dissent or restore order, and it originates from Napoleon Bonaparte’s ruthless suppression of a royalist uprising in Paris on 13 Vendémiaire (October 5, 1795). Faced with a potentially destabilizing revolt, Napoleon, then a young general, ordered his troops to fire cannons loaded with grapeshot—clusters of small metal balls—into the advancing mob, killing dozens and scattering the rest. This dramatic display of violence not only crushed the rebellion but also marked Napoleon’s rise to prominence, establishing his reputation as a leader who would not hesitate to use force when necessary. Since then, the expression has evolved into a metaphor used in political or literary discourse to describe any forceful intervention meant to restore control or deter opposition, often implying a willingness to sacrifice civil liberties or human life for the sake of order.
Category: The 1600's and 1700's
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