The return to France of the remains of Napoleonic General Charles-Etienne Gudin, who was killed in action near Smolensk in 1812, marks the latest chapter in a yearslong recovery project.
Spectacular French Homecoming For Napoleonic General Felled By Russian Cannonball
- By RFE/RL
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Men dressed as Napoleon-era fighters carry a coffin containing the remains of French General Charles-Etienne Gudin at Le Bourget Airport, north of Paris, on July 13.
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Earlier that day, these Russian military reenactors delivered the coffin to Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport, where it was flown to France.
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Gudin (1768-1812) was one of France’s most talented young generals who fought under Napoleon in the disastrous 1812 invasion of Russia.
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During the battle of Valutino, near Smolensk, Gudin had a leg blasted off by a Russian cannonball. In this illustration of the moments after he was mortally wounded, he is depicted transferring command to a subordinate. The shattered leg was amputated and the general developed gangrene and died three days later.
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In July 2019, French and Russian archaeologists dug up a one-legged skeleton at the site of the battle, a few kilometers east of Smolensk. The team was guided to the unmarked grave by a detailed description of Gudin’s burial left by witnesses.
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DNA tests later confirmed the remains as that of the famed general.
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In June, Gudin’s remains were put in a coffin (pictured) in preparation for his return to France after more than 200 years interred on Russian soil.
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Gudin’s remains being escorted by Russian military reenactors in Moscow on July 13.
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Around 50 volunteers from the Paris Napoleon 2021 association met the coffin when it arrived at Le Bourget on July 13. The remains were formally welcomed home by Genevieve Darrieussecq, the French secretary of state to the defense minister.
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The French repatriation ceremony took place beneath the wing of a retired Concorde jet. The general will be buried at the Invalides war mausoleum in Paris on December 2, the anniversary of Napoleon’s 1805 victory over the Russian and Austrian armies at Austerlitz.
![A young descendant of Gudin places a sword on his coffin during the July 13 repatriation ceremony. The general's return drew mixed responses from French observers. One commentator noted: “I would have preferred a tribute to the 300,000 young soldiers sent and abandoned by Napoleon in this useless [1812] campaign while he was feasting with his generals and fled to Paris when things went wrong.”](https://gdb.rferl.org/aaa0106c-253e-4bf7-9e4c-2738b988ff6a_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A young descendant of Gudin places a sword on his coffin during the July 13 repatriation ceremony. The general's return drew mixed responses from French observers. One commentator noted: “I would have preferred a tribute to the 300,000 young soldiers sent and abandoned by Napoleon in this useless [1812] campaign while he was feasting with his generals and fled to Paris when things went wrong.”
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The July 13 ceremony marked the second time Gudin’s remains have been repatriated. After his death in 1812, the slain general’s heart was cut from his body and transported to Paris where it is interred in this sepulchre in Pere Lachaise Cemetery.
