Napoleon: Coded Document Up For Auction

A document containing Napoleon's coded secret order to blow up the Kremlin is going up for auction in France.

The single line of numeric code - dated October 20, 1812, and signed "Nap" in the emperor's hand - told Paris of his desperate attempt to win victory against the Russians.

It reads: "At three o'clock in the morning, on the 22nd I am going to blow up the Kremlin.

"My cavalry is in tatters, many horses are dying."

By the time authorities in France received the letter three days later, the Russian czar's seat of power was in flames and the diminished French army was in retreat.

Napoleon bemoaned the loss of his cavalry in the coded document

The Napoleon code, used only for top-secret letters when the French emperor was far from home, aimed to stop enemies from intercepting French army orders.

It was regularly changed to prevent it from being cracked.

Jean-Christophe Chataignier, of Fontainebleau Auction House where the document will go under the hammer on Sunday, said it was unique.

He said: "Not only is it all in code, but it's the first time we see this different Napoleon.

"He went into Moscow in 1812 at the height of his power. He returned profoundly weakened.

"In Moscow, the Russians had fled days before and burnt down the city. There was no victory for Napoleon, nor were there any provisions for his starving, dying army.

"When he wrote this letter, he thinks he will be victorious."

Napoleon's "Grand Army" - 600,000 men - entered Russia in June 1812 but was woefully unprepared for the harsh weather and Russian tactic of scorching ceded ground.

In September this year, the Kremlin held huge celebrations 200 years after Russia's victory over Napoleon, including a re-enactment of the Battle of Borodino - one of the most damaging clashes for Napoleon's troops.

The document, which is accompanied by a second decoded sheet, is estimated to sell for up to £12,200.

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