Memory of Flames

EPILOGUE

As soon as Napoleon was informed that Paris had fallen to the enemy, he was all for launching an attack on the capital. He wanted to trap the Allies, taking them by surprise and crushing them between his incoming army and an armed uprising of the Parisians. His marshals dissuaded him from this, however, convincing him that it was all over and that his best course was to abdicate. Talleyrand succeeded in getting the Senate to confirm officially his role as president of the Provisional French Government. He also used all his wiles to persuade the Allies to restore power to the French monarchy in the person of Louis XVIII. Talleyrand thus entered the service of the King of France.

The Allies occupied Paris. Contrary to the fears of the Parisians, they neither pillaged the city nor maltreated its citizens. They behaved honourably and did not even destroy the buildings that Napoleon had constructed.

Alexander I made Margont a chevalier of the order of Saint-Andre

as a reward for saving his life. Margont was also somewhat surprised to be decorated by ... the King of France. Louis XVIII himself pinned on the‘decoration du lys\ As he did so Margont felt a pain in his chest and thought that the King had accidentally pricked him. Later he realised that his impression had been mistaken! Immediately after his decoration he learnt that he was being retired from the army. Napoleon had built France a gigantic army that was no longer needed now that peace had been signed. A hundred infantry regiments and thirty-eight cavalry regiments were suppressed. This had little effect on common soldiers, since with the departure of all conscripts the number of servicemen was already greatly reduced. But thousands of officers had to abandon their commands, to be replaced by royalist officers from before the Revolution or by aristocratic emigres now returned and keen for a military career. The King took advantage of the suppression of regiments to rid himself of republicans and supporters of Napoleon. To save money, and out of a spirit of vengeance, those officers leaving active service were given only half their pension, which in most cases was not sufficient to live off. Margont, Lefine, Jean-Quenin Brémond and Piquebois all found themselves on half-pension. Saber had survived his injuries and had been taken prisoner by the Russians. As Marshal Marmont’s order had been duly transcribed, and as Napoleon would certainly have confirmed the promotion had he had the chance, Saber was, in a way, the ‘dead’ general of a dead empire. The new authorities remedied the anomaly: he became a retired colonel. On half-pension, of course. In spite of his requests, Margont did not succeed in persuading the Russians to give him the curare that had been found on Varencourt.

Neither did Margont pursue his old dream of launching a newspaper. He judged that the new regime would not be receptive to free-thinking journalists. And as he wasn’t a man who could live without a passion, he found another one! He threw himself into studying medicine, to Jean-Quenin’s great joy. He went as often as he could to the Salpetriere where Pinel welcomed him with open arms.

Varencourt also survived his injuries. The Tsar decided to spare him and had him sent to a prisoner-of-war camp in Siberia where, thanks to his medical knowledge, he was relatively well treated. He was pardoned twenty-two years later by Alexander’s successor, Nicholas I. Varencourt stayed in Siberia, where he finally managed to rebuild a satisfactory life.

Vicomte de Leaume and the other survivors of his organisation were not rewarded by Louis XVIII, because the new authorities did not want to be seen to be associated with anyone linked to the man who had murdered an imperial dignitary and who had almost - perhaps involuntarily - caused the death of the Tsar. Disgusted, Louis de Leaume went to try his luck in the New World. By the time he disembarked in Louisiana, he had already formulated ambitious new projects.

Catherine de Saltonges had always been opposed to any of the group’s plans involving violence. Louis de Leaume confirmed this and she was allowed to remain in Paris, where she eventually remarried.

In return for Baron Honoré de Nolant’s betrayal of Louis XVI, he was gaoled by the King and spent the rest of his days behind bars.

It was Claude Bernard, a French physiologist and pupil of Magendie, who discovered years later that curare caused neuromuscular paralysis by acting on the nerves. This discovery caused a huge leap forward in understanding the functioning of the nervous system. For that discovery and his other scientific research, Claude Bernard became known as one of the greatest scientists of all time.

After extensive discussion the Allies decided to send Napoleon to the island of Elba. Fie was made sovereign of Elba and was allowed a small court. A very close watch was kept on him, however. The Emperor spent his time walking, gardening, receiving guests, discussing banalities and managing his ridiculous little empire ... The rest of Europe was persuaded that this was how he would spend the rest of his days. But in reality, he was counting up Louis XVI IPs errors. With each fault committed by the French monarch he felt he was a step nearer to returning to Paris ...

The 2nd Legion of the National Guard of Paris was in reality commanded by Comte Saint-Jean d’Angely, then by Major Odiot.

The exact location of their barracks is unknown.

But it is known that they did assemble in Place Vendome.