‘Damn!’ Napoleon clenched his fist. ‘Then you’ll have to set off and find some ammunition at first light. There’s a battery at Bau Rouge. Try that.’
‘Yes, sir.’
As Marmont turned to bellow orders to his men Napoleon checked his timepiece and bit his lip. The previous evening, he had sent an invitation to Saliceti, Fréron and Carteaux to come and observe the Battery of the Mountain open fire on the British fleet. Even if all five guns were ready in time, there would only be enough ammunition for a handful of salvoes before they ran out. That would not look good. Napoleon realised the only solution was to use one gun.That way he could make the ammunition last and he could personally supervise the loading and aiming of the piece.
So, as the light slowly strengthened, Napoleon focused his attention on preparing the leftmost gun, carefully selecting the best cannon balls for the opening shots. As the crew finished loading the first round and Napoleon sighted the barrel, Marmont came hurrying up to him. He nodded back over his shoulder.
‘The representatives are coming. Are we ready, sir?’
Napoleon nodded. ‘As ready as we’ll ever be. Is the general with them?’
‘I didn’t see him.’
So Carteaux had decided to snub him, Napoleon smiled.That was no surprise. Napoleon had achieved more in two days than the general had in several weeks - something that representatives Saliceti and Fréron were bound to appreciate.
Looking up, Napoleon saw the dim outlines of two horsemen cresting the ridge above the battery before they trotted down towards him. He advanced to meet them, saluting as they reined in. Saliceti looked around at the earthworks with a keen eye.
‘You’ve done well, Buona Parte.Very well indeed.’ He glanced at Fréron. ‘Wouldn’t you agree, citizen?’
Fréron nodded, and for the first time he smiled at Napoleon. ‘Seems I misjudged you, young man.’
Napoleon struggled not to wince at the backhanded compliment, and just bowed his head in modest acknowledgement. ‘Thank you, Citizen Fréron.’
‘How long before you are ready to fire?’
‘We were just about to start.’ Napoleon waved his hand towards a small platform that had been erected beside the battery. ‘If you’d like to observe from that platform, you’ll have a good view of proceedings.’
As Saliceti and Fréron took up their position, Napoleon crossed over to the gun he had selected and nodded to the corporal in charge of the crew. ‘I’ll fire the weapon.’
‘Yes, sir.’
Taking the portfire from one of the gunners, Napoleon looked through the embrasure at the frigate down in the harbour. Now the light was good enough to make out clearly the masts, spars and even the tracery of the rigging. The air was still and the surface of the sea was smooth and glassy. A handful of tiny figures were moving on the deck of the
Aurore
. Nothing could have looked quite so peaceful as the frigate, Naploleon smiled grimly. It was time to shatter the peace and remind the Royal Navy that they were at war. He stepped back from the embrasure and called out, ‘Stand clear of the gun!’
The crew stepped away as Napoleon took up position to one side of the gun carriage. He took a breath and lowered the portfire towards the end of the fuse protruding from the vent.The red glowing end touched the fuse. At once there was a hiss, a fizz and then a deep booming roar as a bright jet of flame burst from the dark muzzle of the cannon. A thick cloud of acrid greasy smoke immediately billowed round the gun and caught in the throats of the gun crew. Thrusting the portfire at the corporal, Napoleon darted forward to the embrasure and scrambled on to the earth rampart to try to observe where the shot fell.
He strained his eyes, fixing on the frigate, and the sea around it, all the while conscious that the representatives were keenly watching the performance of the new commander of artillery. After several tense seconds a distant spout of water lifted up from the sea, some distance from the frigate and off to one side. The spray quickly spattered down into the expanding ripple of water on the surface of the harbour, and then all sign of the point where the ball had fallen disappeared.
‘Marmont!’ Napoleon called out. ‘Did you see it?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘How far short of the ship would you say?’
Marmont paused to calculate before he replied. ‘Two hundred … maybe two hundred and fifty yards. And fifty to the left.’
Napoleon nodded. ‘That’s what I thought.Very well. Loader!’
One of the crew stepped forward. ‘Sir?’
‘We’ll try two more measures of powder.’
‘Yes, sir.’The loader saluted, but Napoleon noticed the anxious look the man shot at his corporal.
‘What’s the problem?’
The corporal nodded at the twenty-four-pounder. ‘We’re already using as much powder as we dare, sir.’
‘Don’t worry, Corporal,’ Napoleon smiled reassuringly and patted the breach of the gun,‘this beast is tough enough for much larger charges yet. Now load her up as I ordered.’
‘Yes, sir.’
Napoleon adjusted the angle fractionally and fired the weapon again.There was another deafening explosion and belching cloud of smoke. This time the splash was much closer and dead in line with the frigate. Napoleon felt a surge of pride in his chest as he turned and nodded to the corporal.‘You can take over now. Keep the aim true and use the same charge.’
‘Yes, sir.’
Napoleon made his way over to the observation platform and joined Saliceti and Fréron. ‘We should start hitting them soon.’
‘That’s good,’ Saliceti grinned. ‘Excellent work, Buona Parte. Rest assured, you will be mentioned in our report to Paris when Toulon falls.’
Fréron glanced at him with raised eyebrows. ‘It’s a good display, right enough, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Buona Parte’s guns have still got to prove themselves.’
Napoleon nodded. ‘That’s true, sir.This battery can only harass ships at this end of the harbour.That’s all very well, but the key to retaking Toulon lies over there.’ He directed the gaze of the representatives to the point of land beyond the village of La Seyne. ‘That’s L’Eguillette. If the general can take and fortify that, then our guns will cover the entrance to the inner harbour. Any ship trying to enter or leave Toulon will have to run the gauntlet of our artillery. It’ll be even more dangerous for the enemy if we use heated shot. If we take L’Eguillette, the Royal Navy will have to abandon the inner harbour. Then it’s only a matter of time before Toulon falls to us.’
‘You seem very sure of yourself,’ Fréron frowned.
‘It seems to be the obvious thing to do, citizen.’
‘Well, if it’s obvious to you, then it must be obvious to the enemy. So why haven’t they fortified L’Eguillette?’
Napoleon shrugged.‘I’ve no idea. But they will, as soon as they realise its importance.’
‘I’m sure you’re right, Captain,’ Saliceti intervened. ‘Citizen Fréron and I will raise the matter with the general as soon as we visit his headquarters. In the meantime, I imagine that you intend to build more of these batteries. In which case, you’ll need more guns of this calibre, more shot, more powder. That sort of thing.’
Napoleon nodded. ‘Yes, citizen. And I’d be grateful if you granted me the authority to requisition what I need. It would save time, and relieve the general’s staff of the extra burden of paperwork.’
‘Very considerate of you.’ Saliceti gave him a knowing look, then flinched as the gun went off again. There was a short delay before one of the gunners yelled. ‘A hit! A hit!’
The air was split by the sound of cheering. Napoleon had not seen the fall of shot, but he knew that at this range, it would be blind luck that resulted in a hit. As the barrel heated up and the crew moved on to the less perfectly forged shot, the accuracy of the bombardment was bound to decrease. Nevertheless, Napoleon was aware of the need to encourage his men, to reward them for the two days of back-breaking labour that had made this moment possible. He forced himself to grin and turned towards the corporal in charge of the cannon.‘A hit! Well done.That’s fine shooting, Corporal!’
‘Thank you, sir!’
‘Then don’t just stand there. Pound them again, man!’
The cheering died away as the gun crew bent to their tackle ropes and heaved the twenty-four-pounder back up to the embrasure.
Saliceti nudged Napoleon.‘I’ll see to it that you have what you want. I imagine with the number of batteries that you require you’re going to need more men.’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘I see. I don’t suppose for an instant it has crossed your mind that the provision of more men will entail a promotion for you.’
Napoleon started, and felt his blood fire up.‘Sir! I protest. I was not seeking promotion. Just to do my duty.’
‘Of course,’ Saliceti mollified him. ‘And please don’t apologise for being ambitious. France needs ambitious men as never before. So, we need you here and now, Major Buona Parte.’
Chapter 76
‘It’s not a very promising situation, gentlemen.’ Representative Fréron spoke with icy restraint as he stared round the table. General Carteaux and his senior officers sat in an uncomfortable silence as Fréron continued, ‘It’s already the middle of October. Far from seeing a quick end to this siege, it has dragged on for months now, and we seem to be no closer to finishing off those royalist bastards. I want an explanation. Paris has demanded a report, which Citizen Saliceti and myself will have to write in the next few days. It would be in your best interests to give us the chance to have something positive to offer the Committee of Public Safety … other than your heads.’
General Carteaux leaned forwards and thumped a fist down on the table. ‘Citizen Fréron, you cannot expect us to work miracles! We need more men, more supplies, and more time to take Toulon. If Paris knew the true situation down here, I’m sure the Committee would send the reinforcements I need.’
A smile flickered across Fréron’s face. ‘Are you saying that Citizen Saliceti and I are not telling the members of the Committee the truth about the situation?’
Carteaux’s thick eyebrows knitted together. ‘No. It’s just that it must be hard for them to have an accurate grasp of events when they are so far from the battlefield.’
‘Battlefield?’ Fréron sneered. ‘What battlefield? All I see every day is a vast encampment of soldiers more at risk of dying from old age than enemy fire. Apart from a few skirmishes you have achieved nothing.The enemy pre-empt you at every turn.’ Fréron stabbed a finger at the map spread across the table in front of him. ‘Thanks to your tardiness they have seized L’Eguillette and stuck a bloody great fort on top of it!’ Fréron turned to Saliceti, sitting cross-armed at his side. ‘What do they call it again?’
‘Fort Mulgrave, according to our spies. Twenty guns, four mortars and a garrison of over five hundred men.’
Fréron turned back to Carteaux. ‘Quite a strong point, I think you’ll agree. The question is, why didn’t we get in there first?’
‘These things happen,’ Carteaux blustered. ‘There was no reason to suppose the enemy intended to fortify L’Eguillette. It’s just the fortunes of war.’
Saliceti uncrossed his arms and leaned over the table. ‘General, I mentioned this to you some days before the enemy began constructing their fort.You said you would deal with it.’
‘Yes, I did. When the time was right. When I had made the necessary preparations.’
‘What necessary preparations?’ Fréron snapped.
‘How dare you question me?’ Carteaux shouted. ‘You’re a newspaper editor. What do you know about soldiering?’
‘Enough to know that you are not advancing the interests of France.You promised me Toulon. All you deliver is excuses.’
‘When I am ready to attack, then I will. Without delay.’ Carteaux forced himself to lower his voice. ‘But I will not order my men into attack without adequate artillery support. If Major Buona Parte would stop building batteries to cover the harbour, and direct his efforts towards an attack on Fort Malbousquet, then we could take Toulon far more swiftly. After all,’ Carteaux forced a laugh and glanced round at his officers looking for support,‘after all, we are trying to take Toulon, not the sea.’
A few of his cronies laughed and smiled. Napoleon glared at Carteaux as the general turned back to the representatives, emboldened by the support of his officers. ‘Give me back control of my guns and I will give you victory.’
Saliceti shook his head. ‘No. The key to this siege lies in depriving the Royal Navy of access to the port. I believe Major Buona Parte’s strategy is sound.We must concentrate the artillery around L’Eguillette. We must take Fort Mulgrave and then we will control the harbour entrance.The alternative - your alternative - is to take the forts surrounding Toulon one by one and then attack the city walls. Now forgive me, General, but that sounds like it will cost many lives and take much longer.’
‘A soldier must make hard decisions from time to time.’ Carteaux shrugged. ‘Perhaps a politician might find that difficult to understand.’
‘Of course. But hard decisions are not necessarily the right decisions, General. Look at that assault on Mount Faron at the start of the month. How many men did we lose in that attack? And what did we gain? Nothing. And supposing you had succeeded, what then? The next two forts you would have to take, Malbousquet and LaMalgue, are much stronger. How many hundreds, or thousands of our men would be killed in such attacks?’ Saliceti shook his head. ‘We must concentrate our efforts on L’Eguillette.’
Carteaux’s eyes bored into Saliceti for a moment and Napoleon watched as the general’s jaw worked furiously beneath his thick moustache.Then he snorted with derision and gestured towards his artillery commander. ‘God knows what you’ve been telling them behind my back, Buona Parte, but you’re wrong.’
Napoleon felt his spine go cold with anxiety and fear. He had no intention of being caught between his army commander and the representatives of the Committee for Public Safety. ‘Sir, I’ve not been disloyal. I’ve said nothing to prejudice them against you. I merely offered a tactical opinion. It is my judgement that we must take L’Eguillette, and I stand by that.’