Between 1804 and 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte reigns
on the French Empire. Military genius and builder, he leads with his troops
countless battles. His army is then considered
as the most powerful in the world. Alongside the emperor,
tens of thousands of soldiers, march on Europe. Powerful artillery pieces, pour out deadly fire
on their enemies. And over the course of victories,
Napoleon's Great Army, quenches his thirst for conquest
and made his legend grow. Two centuries later
the fall of the Empire, many remains
of this mythical army still remain to be discovered and are the subject of new studies
by archaeologists and historians. Thanks to these exceptional treasures
and reconstructions, in synthetic images, Thierry Lentz, director
of the Fondation Napoléon, and Hervé Drévillon,
expert in military tactics, will make us discover
the Napoleonic epic, like we've never seen her before. With them, we will follow the work of
specialists in the field who study, organization of training camps
of the Great Army. The daily life of men
military campaigns, or the fate of the wounded
at the heart of the fighting. These 200-year-old remains
bring today, new clues about the reasons
which caused, after ten years of domination
without sharing, the fall of the Grande Armée
of Napoleon. General in the armies of the Republic
French after the Revolution, Commander-in-Chief of the Army of Italy,
then the army of the East, Napoleon Bonaparte
comes to power, in 1799. First appointed First Consul,
then consul for life, it is then proclaimed
Emperor of the French, on May 18, 1804. From then on begins an unprecedented reign
in the history of France. A decade during which
they oppose each other with weapons, to the great European monarchies and control without sharing
the French Empire and its allies. - This France of 1805
is obviously not, the France we know today. We created 83 departments at the beginning
of the Revolution and then, we added others
from annexation, the left bank of the Rhine,
Belgium, Luxembourg, Savoie, the county of Nice... And it all adds up to 106, the number of departments
which constitute the French Empire. - What we call at the time
a great nation. And this great nation has allies, which were formed
at the time of the Revolution. That we, in France,
we call the French Revolution, but who is actually
a European phenomenon. And these sister republics,
they are found in Holland, they are found in Switzerland and they are found in Northern Italy. - France has friends,
but she also has adversaries, who are the big ones
European monarchies, who did not accept the Revolution
French and will then fight, against the French preponderance
that Napoleon will want to impose. We can cite a few of them,
the Russian Empire, obviously, Austria, Prussia, Portugal. But the major enemy of this
Napoleonic France is England. - It creates adversaries
numerous and formidable. And we can even ask ourselves
how France, was able to face so many allied countries. The answer is that France
is at that moment, with 28 to 30 million inhabitants,
the most populous country in Europe. And moreover, Napoleon has
a means of mobilization, who is the conscription appeared
at the end of the French Revolution and it obliges every man
aged 20 to 25, to register in registers. All conscripts
are not mobilized. It's about a third
who go to war. But even though,
it allows Napoleon, to build a massive army. And we can say that conscription
was the instrument, of Napoleon's conquests. At the beginning of 1805, more than 200,000 young people
conscripts are called up, to complete the army
of the First Empire. It has already been a year since Napoleon considered
to attack the kingdom of England, sworn enemy of France. He then ordered the construction
gigantic training camps, all along the Channel coast. They shelter the one we call
the army of the coasts of the Ocean. Tens of thousands of soldiers
who train hard, to face the powerful Royal Navy. Still,
the landscapes of the region, bear the traces
of these vast facilities. Seen from the sky, alignments appear
sometimes in the middle of the fields. These are the remains of the barracks
which sheltered the soldiers. Frédéric Lemaire is an archaeologist. It's been over ten years
that he studies these camps, exceptional symbol of thirst
of Napoleonic conquest. Today he is scouting
not far from the village of Camiers, on the Opal Coast. In this space, facing the sea, were stationed more than 5,000 men
divided into three regiments. Among them was the 96th regiment
line infantry. 1800 fighters installed
in basic barracks, of which the specialist restores
easily organized. - There we are precisely
to the place, from the first line of barracks, that you have to imagine
over nearly 350 meters, from North to south. Dozens of perfectly huts
aligned, 1.50 m apart, each other. Behind the first row,
a second row of barracks, and then a third row,
perfectly parallel. Behind the men's barracks
of troops were the kitchens. Behind the kitchens were
the musicians' huts, of the vicandiers, of the major surgeon, staff personnel. Behind, the barracks
company officers, battalion commanders
and the colonel's barracks. These last years,
Frédéric Lemaire and his team, carried out several campaigns
archaeological excavations in Camiers and on other training camps
of the region. They uncovered the foundations
several dozen huts, semi-buried constructions with
fifty centimeters in the ground and measuring on average
15 to 20 square meters. On the front line, the men
of troops had to pile up at 16, in these narrow huts with roofs
of thatch and cob walls. - The soldiers return,
they have 3 steps to go down. They have on the right or on the left
a bed, a low side, which occupies the entire length,
there are 14-16 of them sleeping, on this side of the barracks. And then the other part of the house,
it is the living space, where men store their equipment
on racks, guns, the pouches and the haversack
hung on coat racks. Everything is very crowded. Promiscuity, but also
the cold and the incessant wind, make living conditions
particularly difficult in the camps. However, the thousands of men
stationed in Camiers, will stay in these barracks
for many years, waiting for the trigger
hostilities, with the Kingdom of England. The Camiers camp that we come from
to see does not constitute, only a very small part
of the device, which is concentrated along
of the Channel coast. In all, three main camps
are formed by Napoleon, Boulogne, Bruges and Saint-Omer, and in these three camps, a set
approximately 160,000 men, are camping and ready
to invade England. - You will tell me, why
invade England? Because between France and England,
it's an old story of rivalry, which dates back at least to Louis XIV,
which is due different design
between the 2 nations, of the Organization of Europe.
On the one hand, the English, would like European balance, i.e. medium powers
which neutralize each other. Faced with this, France would like
a Europe revolving around, of one or two predominant nations. So invade England
is a beautiful project, but you still have to succeed
to dominate the English fleet, who is at that moment,
the most powerful in the world. So you have to have a plan
and that of Napoleon, is very bold. - Very bold,
because it actually assumes, to surprise English vigilance. At this moment,
the English fleet is blockading, of the main French ports
where are concentrated, the Mediterranean squadrons in Toulon, the Atlantic squadrons
in Rochefort, in Brest, but also the Spanish fleet, which is the ally of France. And therefore the principle of the plan, is simple in its idea, is to force the English blockade and to move towards the Antilles, to make the English believe
that we are going to attack, their positions in the Antilles. Once the Royal Navy is attracted,
the idea is to get ahead of it, to return very quickly to
the Channel and therefore to protect crossing the Channel
by fleets, who will transport the soldiers, who are massaged all the way
from the coasts of France. A plan that plays out on
thousands of kilometers. But Napoleon was convinced that if he
manages to land in England, he will spray
the English army, which is relatively weak
and therefore will give himself up, on a military walk
which will take him to London. The Army of the Ocean Coasts
prepares for months, to this great offensive
imagined by the emperor. Of their long stay in
training camps, the soldiers left
countless traces, which resurface today
during excavation campaigns. Over the years,
Frédéric Lemaire and his colleagues, have unearthed more than 10,000 objects
having belonged to officers, or to simple soldiers. They are now kept at the Center
archaeological research of Achicourt, in the north of France. In these boxes carefully
referenced, we find fragments of sabers, rifle maintenance items, uniform buttons,
dishes, but also a lot
personal items, precious witnesses of human life
waiting for the fight. On the floor of the barracks, archaeologists also discovered
these little bone dominoes, rare objects that let you imagine, what do they look like
soldiers' leisure time. The reality was very different
of that which historians, wanted to give camp, where Napoleon was formed
a highly trained army of elites. There are witnesses who say
that's not true at all, finally, they were
left to their own devices, that they maneuvered very little. There was practically no
no education. As a result, there reigned a very
great idleness in the camps. It played a lot of games
of money which were forbidden, but ultimately practiced by everyone. There were a lot of problems
alcoholism, fights, duels, because the soldiers
were idle. During his research,
he found several testimonies, written by men who
stayed in the camps. Many of them confirm
this glaring lack of supervision, as well as boredom
and the resulting disorder. They also offer lighting
unprecedented on living conditions, extremely rough
which reigned at the time. Officer Maurice Dupin, father of the famous
novelist George Sand, writes this letter like this
December 22, 1803. You can't make up your mind
of the shortage that reigns here. We will spend our winter
on the straw. And in truth, I'm not complaining. When I see our unfortunates
soldiers in detestable barracks, built on marshy land, that they sag
under their own weight and enter the earth. They are literally lying
in the mud and the number of patients
will soon be incalculable. - Are you okay, Thibault? You advance on determination
foreign currencies. These men condemned to live
in these unsanitary barracks, see their daily lives worsened
by a crying lack of money. Thibault Cardon is a numismatist,
specialist in ancient coins. He analyzed the 600 pieces
copper and bronze, discoveries at the location of the camps. Fallen currency
from the pockets of the soldiers, remnants of the meager pay
which was paid to them. The soldier who is not ranked,
will receive €0.30 per day. There is a whole part
of this pay, which will be retained,
which will not be paid to him. So out of the €0.30,
five cents ago which will be retained for
clothing care, possibly small equipment. Then there are 20 cents
which will be retained per day, for what we call the ordinary, it is both food, but also the straw
for benches and wax to light
in the barracks. So in fact, on the €0.30 balance, five cents ago
which are only paid. By studying these currencies from
of the combatants' pay, Thibault Cardon did
a surprising observation. In addition to French pieces
regulatory, there are also many currencies
old and of foreign origin. Like this coin minted in Germany. Or this one from
of the Kingdom of Sweden. We have the impression that there is
specific circulation at the camp, which does not have the same characteristics
that we find, in the same era
in the surrounding villages. The hypothesis that we can pose,
it is that there was a conscious choice, from paying centers
to issue pay, in copper money which will be
recovered at a discount. We are going to buy copper coins
for the weight of the metal, not for their real value. Then we will use it
to pay the salary, but with an official price. The authorities therefore seem to recycle
old and foreign pieces, to pay the soldiers. Bought in bulk with no value
or almost on the national market, they are artificially endowed
from a hill inside the camp. This will allow us to make margins
more or less significant profit, of the order of a few percent. But it is also an element
of social control, these soldiers will be paid with
currencies which are a forced course, within the camp, it is not only
of habitat, there are fishmongers, temporary cabarets
in which the soldiers will be able, spend the money they have. Most of these currencies will have
closed circuit circulation, within the camp. Outside, as they are
unusual currencies, they will be or refused
or taken at a discount. According to specialists, this
speculation on soldiers' pay, would have been widespread throughout
from the Napoleonic era. In training camps
from the coast of the Channel, men will thus be kept
in great poverty for almost two years,
between 1803 and 1805. - We are at the beginning of the year 1805. Everything is theoretically ready to go
to the invasion of England, but the plan doesn't work out
happen as planned. - It's very difficult indeed. First on site,
because 160,000 men concentrated, it is the equivalent of several
big cities. It is necessary to supply
permanently these camps, what constitutes a difficulty
extremely important logistics. Moreover,
the construction of the flotilla, intended to take them through
the Channel, is falling behind. These are the difficulties
first in the camps. But on the other hand, the plan
majestic that we had mentioned, itself does not go as planned. The squadrons fail
at the same time in the West Indies. Some fail
to force the blockade. The admiral who is in command
general of the operation, Villeneuve, manages
difficult to transmit, information to Napoleon,
so that, at the time when this
thought I could throw, invasion operations
against England, he does not know where his ships are. - In addition, during this time,
politics continues. England understood
that to avoid invasion, it must create on the continent
a new coalition, so that Napoleon would be obliged
to fight on earth and no longer in the direction
from England. And so she will help
Napoleon's adversaries, to coordinate. And the Austrians will
with others, Sweden, Russia obviously and England enter into a new coalition, which will oblige Napoleon
to totally upset his plans, to do, as he himself said, pirouette the Grande Armée
so that she surrenders, towards the center of Europe. On August 29, 1805,
150,000 infantrymen and 40,000 horsemen
leave the coast, to surge towards the east,
the gun in his hands and the saber at his belt. These weapons are the emblems
of Napoleon's troops. For months, young conscripts
learned to handle them and they are now ready to
fight on the battlefields. Two centuries later, many
rifles, sabers and pistols, having belonged to the soldiers
of the emperor, were found and restored. Somewhere in France, in a place
kept secret to protect it from looters, some of his treasures
are carefully preserved. We are in the reserves
of the prestigious army museum. A gigantic site housing
more than 300,000 objects, countless remains
of the country's military history. Major Jean-Marie Van Hove, is the weapons expert
of the institution. Today he is examining a series
objects that have passed through the years, in a perfect state of conservation. Equipping sabers and pistols
cavalry troops and especially guns, Model 1777
Napoleonic infantry. Developed during the Ancien Régime, these imposing weapons weigh 4.6 kilos, measurements, 1.52 m long and have a range of approximately 200 meters. Their handling is for
the least tedious. A single charge requires
twelve successive stages. - For loading the rifle,
the first operation, is to put the dog
at first time. Afterwards, the soldier will take
its cartridge composed of 3 parts. You have a small part
with a little powder, a large part with a small
a little more powder and a bullet. The soldier on the ground, goes with his teeth to tear
this paper envelope and will put the small amount
of powder in the basin. He folds the battery. Afterwards, he will pour
the other part of powder, in the barrel and the bullet,
he will keep it, with the envelope paper. He will use
of this paper as stuffing and he's going to put the ball in. With the chopstick, he packs everything together. He returns to the deck. He arms the second time and from that moment on,
the weapon is ready to fire. To handle these guns,
long training is necessary. Even a fast and experienced soldier
cannot shoot on average, only 2 to 3 strokes per minute. A relatively low cadence
when on the battlefield, the enemies charge in close ranks. At that time, we were not
in a ballistic logic, as the enemy comes in line,
what we want, it's a rapid rate of fire,
at the limit, whether it is the 1st, the 2nd
or the 3rd rank that is affected, it does not matter. To have a good rate of fire,
we're going to use three soldiers. The first is on his knees and the 2
others are standing behind. They shoot on order. It is the officer who orders the shooting. When a soldier fired,
he goes to the back. He reloads his gun
and a second shoots on order And so on. With three of them, they will practically have
a permanent rhythm of fire. When the two camps clash and
gunshots echo in the air, men have orders
to move forward without wavering, to maintain the pace, even when a comrade falls under
the fire of bullets, right in front of you. When men meet
a few meters from each other, It’s time for hand-to-hand combat. Each rifle is equipped
with a bayonet, thin dagger with a tapered tip, which pierces the flesh and protects against attacks
cavalry. Companions in misfortune
infantry troops, the 1777 rifle, almost never leaves
the hands of the soldiers. During the long forced marches, it weighs on the stiff arms, and adds to the men's equipment
already heavily loaded. Our conscripts were bending
under the weight of a bag, a rifle, a cartridge case. Add to that 50 cartridges,
bread, meat, a pot or an axe,
and you will have an idea of the twist, of these poor devils. I don't think I'm risking anything
saying that the fatigues, killed more young conscripts, than the enemy's cannon. But despite these obstacles, despite the bag lacerating the shoulders and the shoes
who scratch the feet, men walk and walk again, sometimes up to 10 hours a day. In 1805, after leaving
training camps, they travel like this
more than 800 kilometers, to go face
the enemies of the Empire. - So here is this army on the march, these columns which are heading
towards the center of Europe. Napoleon spoke of torrents
which will spill out. All these men don't walk
not messy. It's all very structured. - The first level of organization,
this is regimental level, which is constituted according to arms, from 1000 to 3000 men. The regiments are specialized,
there are infantry, cavalry and artillery. Then, when several
regiments assemble, it forms a division, which therefore represents a set
from 10 to 15,000 men. A division also has
his speciality. There are infantry divisions,
cavalry divisions. But despite everything, we are obliged, in these specialized gatherings, to maintain a combined arms dimension. And when several
divisions assemble, it gives a whole
approximately 40,000 men, that gives an army corps. An army corps is complete, that is to say that all the specialties
are represented there and so it's a kind of reduction, of the entire Grande Armée. - Let us add that in these army corps,
there is also genius, of the health service,
which means that these bodies, can work almost
in an autonomous way. Everyone will take care of their own
supply, it's simpler, that if we supplied the whole
of the army in one fell swoop. especially in the operational area, these army corps are capable
to resist for a day, they say to the enemy army, the time that the rest of the bodies
come to congregate, so that the army is
somehow reconstituted. You are describing a system
where the army corps, have relative autonomy. And it all doesn't work
that if there is a central authority, to coordinate all these movements
and this central authority, it is that of the Emperor, since it is both
the political leader, it is he who gives the great
strategic directions, but also the military leader. It is he who regulates the movement
troops, on the ground at all levels. And so this system works
thanks to the central authority. But there is no authority
without delegation. And so Napoleon delegates
the commandment, of each army corps
to a marshal of the Empire. Massena, Murat, Berthier. Davout, Kellermann. These illustrious surnames, still resonate today
gloriously to our ears. The 26 Marshals of the Empire
appointed between 1805 and 1815, constitute in some way
the emperor's personal guard. These men with an exceptional destiny, seasoned soldiers
and brilliant tacticians, fight countless battles
and participate at all stages, of the great Napoleonic epic. Behind the scenes of the prestigious
Hôtel des Invalides in Paris, an object that belonged to one
of these famous characters, is being restored. This is the ceremonial outfit
that Marshal Michel Ney wore, during the coronation of the Emperor. A velvet frock coat
midnight blue silk, richly decorated with golden embroidery. This historic piece has just been
acquired by the Army Museum and the castle of Fontainebleau,
directly from, of the marshal's heirs. Isabelle Grisolia is in charge
catering, of this prestigious garment. A delicate task because it is not necessary
especially not damage the textile, weakened by time. It is a luxurious, prestigious outfit,
with noble materials, which is in very good condition
conservation. Apart from a few problems
at the level of the linings. It is a garment that has been
very well preserved. Our intervention must allow
to maintain the object in the state and make it last over time. We are very minimalist in terms of
of our interventions. We are not going to recolor
when there are discolored parts, we are not going to re-embroider
if there are any missing parts, we restore an optical unit to the object,
but that's all. This luxury garment,
undoubtedly made to measure, by a great fashion designer, reminds us of the splendor of the court
under the First Empire and highly privileged status
from which the marshals benefit. End of the 18th century, beginning of the 19th century, it was still
things of great value. In terms of work execution,
embroidery, but also at the level
materials used. They are obviously great embroiderers,
because even now, there are very few people who know
do this kind of thing. Over this garment, Marshal Ney also wore
this sumptuous coat, also decorated with embroidery
of great finesse. Recently, the whole outfit
was officially designated National Treasure by
the French authorities. So she now does
integral part, of historical heritage. Ultimate witness to power
of the man who wore it. In the middle of 1805, Marshal Ney is at the head
of the Sixth Army Corps, who walks alongside the emperor
towards the Rhine. At the end of October,
it's in Ulm, that the Grande Armée wins its first
victory, against the Austrians. Then the campaign of 1805
ends on December 2, by the famous battle of Austerlitz, where Napoleon inflicts
a humiliating defeat, to his allied enemies. In the following years, the campaigns
soldiers are increasing and the emperor's soldiers
fly from success to success. Victories of Jena
against the Prussians in 1806, from Eylau, then from Friedland
against the Russians in 1807, from Wagram in 1809
against the Austrians. Gradually,
Napoleon expands his empire and acquires a degree of power
unrivaled in Europe. His exploits on the fields
of battle, are accompanied by intense propaganda
towards the French troops and people. The emperor applies
to build his legend and that of his glorious army. Today, many of these writings
written by Napoleon and his entourage, are kept here, in the heart of the Château de Vincennes, in the department shelves
Defense history. Michel Roucaud is responsible
of this voluminous Napoleonic fund, invaluable witness of talents
communicator of the Emperor. Napoleon is a man of letters,
Communication, a propagandist. He will not only use the verb
to galvanize his men, but also to justify his regime, which is an authoritarian regime
which is based, on a military coup and which cannot be justified
that through victory, the victory of arms,
the victory of the Empire. Among the texts preserved here, there is this proclamation
dated December 2, 1805. A simple blank page
devoid of header, or prestige brand, but which nevertheless represents
a real treasure. The text is written by one
secretaries of the Emperor and signed by hand
of Napoleon himself. Distributed to all corps commanders, this letter is read before
the soldiers gathered, the day after the victory
of Austerlitz. Soldiers, I am happy with you. You have, on the day of Austerlitz, justified everything I expected
of your intrepidity. You decorated your eagles
of immortal glory. My people will see you again
with transports of joy, and you just need to say: "I was at the Battle of Austerlitz
for us to respond, here's a brave man." We see the writing,
we see the words chosen. We are satisfied
of the father, of the emperor, to these men who
says they scored, their flag of immortal glory. It is the glory that justifies
victory. It is for glory that we fight,
it is no longer for ideals, but it's for honor
and the immortal glory of the Empire. From October 1805
also appear, the bulletins of the Grande Armée, real novels
telling in detail, the progress of the campaigns. They are broadcast
in all departments and the French people literally live
at the rate of their publication. The style of the texts is carefully
studied so that readers, are as if transported
on the battlefield. But it is also about depicting
the Emperor as a leader of men, very close to his soldiers. An Austrian colonel testified
his astonishment to see, the French emperor soaked, covered in mud,
as much and more tired, as the last drum of the army. The emperor made him reply: "Your master wanted to make me
remember that I was a soldier. I hope it will suit the throne
and the imperial purple, didn't make me forget
my first job." Napoleon is an emperor,
but he is an emperor, different from other emperors
of the time. He is close to his men,
he goes to the bivouac, he galvanizes them,
but he is also sometimes horrified, facing death in battle. So indeed,
proximity to these men, this needs to be known
and it is also, because it's staged,
because it will be read in society, proximity to the people of France. He is the emperor of the French. During the first years
of the Empire, this large-scale propaganda, brings to the supreme leader
immense popularity. At the beginning of 1812, after 7 years of military victories, he is at the peak of his reign
and his notoriety, throughout the European continent. It is January 1812, it is the territorial apogee
of Napoleon's empire. It is organized into three
concentric circles. The first is what we call
the French Empire, that is to say everything that has been
aggregated to France of origin, who matters at that moment,
134 departments. Second organizational circle
from Europe, brother kingdoms, since Napoleon places his family
on a number of thrones. This is how Jérôme Bonaparte
is king of Westphalia, that Louis Bonaparte was during
a moment king of Holland, that Marshal Murat,
brother-in-law of Napoleon, is king of Naples, and then of course, Joseph Bonaparte is king of Spain. The third circle,
they are allied countries, then willing allies,
sometimes forced allies. And so, we see,
a very organized Europe, around this French empire. All this has consequences
on the military organization, since the Grande Armée
which in 1804 was essentially, a national army, is now
truly an imperial army, i.e. multinational. We find in this great army, approximately 20%, of the total workforce, foreign soldiers,
so of course, there are the Italians,
the Dutch became French, but we also find
Poles, Germans, which constitute what we are going to
call the 20 nation army. This army is the best
army of the world at that time. She won
resounding victories. But there is obviously a downside
of the medal, it is that the Napoleonic wars, will cause many victims. The number of victims
is very difficult to establish. From 650,000 to 1,200,000 deaths. on the side of the French armies, about as much
for the rest of Europe. It is also a procession of wounds, suffering, death, which spreads throughout
from Europe. After each fight,
the battlefields, offer an unbearable spectacle
of death and desolation. The floors are littered with victims, broken cannons,
of sunken breastplates. Today, the records
hospital histories, bear witness to the incredible suffering
that these men endured. Some remains
of these bloody clashes, have also become museum pieces. Like this uniform
of General de La Roncière, torn with eleven saber blows, at the Battle of Wagram. Or this eagle,
emblem of the Napoleonic regime, pierced by two bullets
rifle in 1812. In Belgium, a group of enthusiasts
has been interested for a long time, to the fate of the wounded of the Grande Armée. Today,
the team took over a barn, to reconstitute
a field hospital. Located behind the battlefield, this makeshift setting welcomes
victims repatriated by ambulance. Rudy Meylemans is the founder
of this association, called First Company
ambulance 1809. He is a paramedic
professional emergency doctor and medical specialist
of war under the First Empire. The wounded were generally lying around
the battlefield for 2 reasons. The first is that the emperor
forbade picking up the wounded, on the battlefield because
to the extent that 1 or 3 soldiers, leave the ranks to pick up a
injured, that's 3 people leaving, who leave the battlefield,
for remote hospitals. These are 3 people
who no longer fight. The second is service
health who was disadvantaged, compared to the number of men. It took an incredible amount of time
to get ahead of the fights. So the wounded on the front line, remained wounded on the front line
for hours, sometimes half days,
days. We could die bloodless, stripped since there was
highway robbers, who were trying to rob,
to collect everything they could. - So, my guy,
what is happening ? We're talking about disaster medicine. It's caring for people
as quickly as possible, at the easiest. It's broken ! We'll extract the bullet to start. When we talk about a chest wound,
it was automatically a suture to avoid, air contact at the lungs. If it were wounds at the level
of the skull, or a simple bandage, or if it was a wound
which disabled the injured person, we were moving towards trepanation. If it were wounds
with fractures, unfortunately, we arrived in a situation
where disaster medicine, did not allow
to treat a fracture. Most of the time,
we were heading towards an amputation. - He fainted.
- Come on, let's continue. I have the ball. We'll have to cut off his leg. Will you give me the tourniquet? Amputation is one of the operations, the most practiced
during the campaigns. Surgeons often perform
several dozen per day. On Rudy's table, all instruments are
exact replicas of those, equipping doctors of the time. - Are you okay, is he still there?
- Yes. Some utensils,
like this amputation saw, are even historical vestiges
who really served, 200 years ago. Over the years,
the great doctors of the Empire, improve techniques
surgery and develop new tools. A big invention of the Empire,
it is the arched knife, which made it easy to circumvent and be able to cut
flesh easily. We move quickly to
let him hold on. When the flesh was good
cut right down to the bone, primary instrument
to the amputation that was created, by Pierre-François Percy, This is Percy's flesh retractor, which made it possible to retract
the flesh farthest away, so as to bring
the saw cuts the bone. And when the retractor
flesh was removed, we could fold the flesh in such a way
to be able to make a beautiful stump, which allowed
to an amputee, to be fitted with a prosthesis. All these instruments allow
to carry out an amputation, in just ten minutes. Indispensable speed
because the wounded do not benefit, of any anesthesia product. The only sedatives available laudanum,
a maceration of opium and spices. But this product is so rare
that only high-ranking officers, can benefit from it. He comes to himself. Come on, it'll be fine. It's okay my guy. Look at me. How are you ? You're still here,
it's impeccable. Parked at night
in a bad shack, near a farm in which
we had transported, wounded, who were bandaged there, stunned by lamentations and cries
heartbreaking of his poor soldiers, on which we practiced
painful operations. I had fallen into a stupor
that further increase the apprehension, where I was, not being able to overcome
this painful feeling. Fear, homesickness, shocking images
of dying comrades. Beyond physical injuries, men are also confronted
to countless psychological disorders. François Houdecek is a historian. For many years,
he analyzes soldiers' letters, officers' memoirs
and medical reports to draw up an inventory
war trauma, during the reign of Napoleon. The empire is special, it’s a glorification
of the war, of the hero, and that all this suffering, have disappeared a little under the gilding
and uniforms. The imperial regime, Napoleon, would like the soldiers to surpass themselves
and show themselves to be brave and courageous, all the time. Which is more truthful,
it's just fear, absolutely accompanies the soldier
all the time. They all say it in their memoirs. They are afraid at night
around the campfire, in the morning before the fights and in the heat of battle, they deal with it because they do
their profession as a soldier. But they never get used
to this fear and this vision and these sounds of the battlefield
absolutely Dantesque. For young conscripts,
to be torn from his village, to embrace military life, is also revealed
very difficult to live with. The departure from home plunges
the weakest men, in a state of deep despondency, that the doctors call,
nostalgia. On January 24, 1812, Joseph Florkin, 20 years old, writes to his parents. In the night, I think of you.
I believe I am with you. I cry but no matter how much I call, This is useless. I am no longer living at the moment because I have no
no more entertainment in this world. The hours seem like days to me,
days, weeks and the weeks of the months. For the men who survive
to the horrors of combat, the return to civilian life does not mean
not the end of suffering. Most are heavily traumatized
by the violence of the countryside. Some are affected by what we
calls for war fatigue. An evil that causes
many symptoms, from insomnia to attacks of dementia, going through amnesia, epilepsy, or personality disorders. In the 20th century, this pathology
will take the name, post-traumatic stress disorder and will be the subject of numerous studies. But 200 years ago, rare are the testimonies
of this little-known disorder. The doctors started
to study certain aspects. They can't understand, that it's war, which triggers certain symptoms. Psychology will not be discovered
only 30 years later and therefore automatically,
they don't have this notion. They don't completely understand
the cause, the origin. We just saw it,
these men suffered damage, significant psychological and physical, but a little compensated, in part 1
Napoleonic Wars, by obtaining glory
and possibly also rewards... It's nothing compared to this
that they will know from 1812, since 1812, it will be
a political turning point, of course, but above all a military turning point, A military turning point that will
first to be played in Spain, from 1807, Napoleon wishes to attack
to an ally of England, Portugal but
to arrive in Portugal, you have to cross Spain. When the French troops
cross Spain, they meet
a troubled political situation, an insurrection and now
Napoleon's soldiers, will play a unique role,
an occupying army. But on the other hand, they will also
having to face the English, who landed in Portugal and who, from 1812,
directly threaten Spain. And in all,
it's more than 300,000 men, who will have been mobilized in Spain. Which meant that, in 1812, Napoleon is confronted
to a very complicated situation because, at the other end of Europe, Russia wakes up. Russia, which has always
made an ally, of uncertain reliability, moves closer to England. And so we have there,
on both theaters, the furthest from Europe, a strategic location
who will constrain Napoleon, to make a real big difference. To bring the Russian tsar to his senses, Napoleon decides to prepare
a great offensive. It brings together the greatest
army never assembled, more than 600,000 soldiers massed, on the borders of the enemy Empire. On June 22, 1812, he issues a proclamation
to galvanize his troops. Russia has sworn an eternal alliance
to France and hardly to England. She is now violating her oaths. She places us between
dishonor and war. The choice cannot be doubtful. Let us therefore march forward,
let's cross the Niemen. Let's bring the war to its territory. At the end of June 1812, the emperor crossed
therefore the river Niemen and seeks confrontation. But in front of him,
the Russian army seems to be slipping away. She refuses the fight and falls back, further and further towards the east. Napoleon cannot resist temptation
to pursue them. He advances into the depths
from the country, to Vilnius. Vitebsk. Then Smolensk. It has often been said that armies
Russians had fled before Napoleon. In reality, not at all,
it is a deliberate strategy, to attract Napoleon more
further into the territory. While the Russian peasants go
lead a scorched earth policy, destroying crops,
places where we can take shelter, poisoning the wells... And this scorched earth policy, deprives the army of the possibility
to live in the country. It must therefore exclusively
count on these logistical bases. But we are very far away
bases of operation on which, Napoleon could lean on. So that, as he advances, it stretches its logistics flow
and he is obliged, to give up on the spot
soldiers who will have to, secure these roads
which are absolutely vital. Yes, the Russians,
although constantly retreating, will still try to score
a stop to defend Moscow. And so it is September 7, 1812, that the great battle takes place
in the countryside, that the French call
the battle of the Moskva and the Russians the Battle of Borodino. It's going to be a battle
extremely bloody, which will lead to the withdrawal of the Russians. We cannot say completely
a French victory, since the French army
was bled dry. And on September 14, 1812, there are approximately 140,000 soldiers
of the Great Army, who enter Moscow
and who rejoice a priori, to be able to find rest there, refueling... In reality, they will be
faced with a second tragedy, which will be the fire of the city
decided by the Russians. And so Moscow will burn
for five days, 90% of the city will be destroyed, he became completely
impossible to stay there. Especially since Tsar Alexander, refuses to negotiate with Napoleon. And so, after 35 days of wasted time, the Grande Armée leaves Moscow. So what makes his appearance
in the theater of operations, a new actor, one that we could
call General Winter, which will do great harm to the Great
Army on the way home. This year,
winter in the steppes of Russia, turns out to be particularly rigorous. Temperatures are falling
up to -30 degrees. The soldiers having on their backs
than their summer uniform, are completely taken by surprise. In this white hell,
they must travel, almost 3,000 km by borrowing, the path they took on the way out. They cross devastated regions and suffer constant attacks
Cossack troops. In these conditions
almost apocalyptic, the beautiful organization
of the Great Army, literally collapses. For men,
it's the general escape and retirement is transformed
in disarray. At the end of 1812, when she arrived in France, after two months of walking, the imperial army is annihilated. There are more than 390,000 deaths, prisoners and deserters. For months, Napoleon tried
then to push back Europe, united against him. But finally, in April 1814, the enemies of the Empire are coming
at the gates of Paris and push the Emperor to abdicate. With some of his faithful, Napoleon is sent into exile
on the island of Elba, between Corsica and Tuscany. In France,
it is the return of the monarchy. King Louis XVIII ascends the throne, supported by large
European powers. But the eagle's retreat
is short-lived. Less than a year later, Napoleon escapes
and docks on the continent. His former soldiers
welcome him as a hero and he makes a triumphant ascent
from the shores of the Mediterranean, to the capital. But while the tricolor flag
floats again over Paris, the whole of Europe is in turmoil. Former enemies prepare
feverishly to the war to end, a second time
during the reign of the Emperor. When Napoleon returned,
France appears, like a besieged fortress. The whole of Europe
united against her and first and foremost the four
great powers, England, Russia, Prussia and Austria. And all these powers
march their armies, towards the national sanctuary. So several hundred
thousands of Austro-Russians, march towards Lorraine. Piedmontese try to penetrate
in the southeastern territory. Spaniards will try
to cross the Pyrenees. Napoleon, in this situation,
has only one solution, is to attempt an exit and he will try this exit
on the weak part, of the opposing device which is located
in present-day Belgium, where 2 armies are stationed, the Prussian army commanded
by Marshal Blücher, around Charleroi and the Anglo-Dutch army commanded
by the English Marshal Wellington, who instead parks
towards Mons. And to exploit the weakness
from this point of the allied device, Napoleon, finally,
will use recipes, which have worked well so far. The first component
of this recipe, it’s the speed of action. And so, from June 15,
he enters Belgium, near Charleroi, where he meets
the Prussian avant-garde, which he manages to push back. The second component, is to beat
the Allies separately, before they have
makes their junction. This is the reason for
which he continues, with part of his army,
the Prussians, with the intention of delivering
battle at Ligny, and the other part of his army, placed under the command
of Marshal Ney, aims for English concentration and intends to fight
in Quatre-Bras, which is a strategic crossroads. The objective being,
by defeating allies separately, to repel the Prussians
to Prussia and to chase the English towards the sea. For Napoleon, Wellington and Blücher, the chief generals
of the three great armies, the day of June 16
promises to be decisive. In the early morning, 2 simultaneous battles
are about to be carried out, at remote locations
of only eleven kilometers. At this precise moment,
Napoleon is sure of his power. Its cannons, mortars and howitzers, constitute the centerpieces
of his tactics. Inherited from the Ancien Régime, they have
were improved by Napoleon himself, trained artilleryman. The emperor is then convinced that on
the vast land that stretches before him, the shots of his artillery
will decimate his enemies and that his soldiers will not have
just finish the job. Two centuries later,
no trace remains battles that took place
in Quatre-Bras and Ligny. But the topography of the land
has hardly changed. Alain Lacroix is a specialized guide
for over 40 years. He knows the region better than anyone, as well as every minute of the unfolding
fighting here in Ligny. The French have arrived
Friday June 16, 1815, in the morning. They were spread out. The French army practically
in its entirety, over three, four kilometers
deployment. Behind this mound
which did not exist in 1815, there was the village of Fleurus
with the Naveau mill, organized as an observation post
for Napoleon. At the end of the morning, Napoleon distributed 70,000 men
ready for battle, on either side of Fleurus. Facing him, the Prussians
have also taken a stand. Blücher's HQ is located, a few hundred meters away. This is the Bussy mill and there is his post
observation there. You have to realize
that the Prussians occupied, all this side of the valley,
but they also occupied, the village of Saint-Amand, the village of Ligny that they had
transformed into a fortified place, and they were waiting for the shock. Everything was ready for the shock. At 3 p.m., the first
cannon shots ring out. The assault is given
and the men of both camps, engage in face-to-face
devastating. It's 3 p.m.,
the battle of Ligny has begun. It will last until night. and is going to be a hard, bitter fight. For the first time,
we will fight almost man to man, as if we had accounts
personal matters to be paid. At the end of the day,
Napoleon is the winner of this battle
and as he had planned, he forces the Prussians to withdraw. So Napoleon is quite confident. He will make 2 mistakes
at this moment. The first is that it takes too long
to launch the pursuit of the Prussians. He thinks they are coming back
at home and therefore, completely unconsciously, he will wait 12 hours
and detach 33,000 men, with Marshal Grouchy
to pursue the Prussians. These 33,000 men will not catch up
never the Prussians with this delay. And his second mistake is that he
does not suspect for a single moment, that his adversaries
agreed, to never separate. What makes Blücher, instead
to return to Germany, Blücher, goes back towards Wavre
and will then slant, to the left to
go to Wellington, at this moment. And at the same time,
another battle is fought, at Quatre-Bras between Marshal Ney and the English army
commanded by Wellington. And Ney is confronted
to an English army, which seems to be slipping away. In particular, he does not see
at the end of the day, the withdrawal movement which is
operating the English army. This army is giving up
the battlefield, from Quatre-Bras to head
to Mont-Saint-Jean and make the famous junction, so feared with the Prussians. On June 17,
Napoleon has no conscience, troop movements
Prussian and British. He thinks more expensively on the run and finds himself
facing Wellington's army, apparently alone on a large
plain south of Brussels. It is therefore particularly
confident that on the evening of the 17th, he prepares for his final fight, for European supremacy. The Battle of Waterloo. 200 years later, the name of this battle resonates
as one of the most famous, of the Napoleonic epic. The location of the fighting was
preserved over the years. No construction was authorized
and even today, only cultivated fields
cover this ground. By climbing the Lion Butte, artificial hill
40 meters high, we dominate the entire site. An area of barely 3 km
over 1.5 km, where 140,000 men clashed
weapons in hand, June 18, 1815. We are in the middle of the field
of the Battle of Waterloo, right next to the line
defense of Wellington, which is 3 km long. Very easy to distinguish, it starts
about a kilometer away, on the far right and is located
opposite the Hougoumont farm. It revolves around the Butte du Lion, right in the center of the battlefield, a little in front of the defense lines, the Haye Sainte farm and further,
we see the Papelotte farm, which is the far left of the line
Defense of Wellington. Behind Hougoumont,
La Haye Sainte and Papelotte, which he transformed into a stronghold. Wellington lines up 70,000 men and 184 artillery pieces. Wellington's initiative,
is to have placed all his troops, on the opposite slope,
behind closed doors, of Napoleon's troops. For Napoleon, it was very
destabilizing because in fact, he didn't see the troops
allies of Wellington. All he saw was at the top
from the crest an alignment of cannons. Impossible for him, during the battle, to predict which troops were
reserve, tactical movements, all this was happening
behind closed doors. Facing the English, approximately
one kilometer south of the plateau, Napoleon also positioned his troops. In the middle of the device sits
the Belle Alliance farm. Numerical superiority and power
fire are on the side of the French. The emperor has under his orders
72,000 infantrymen, horsemen and gunners and more than 250 cannons. On June 18, at 11 a.m., both camps are ready to confront each other. The trumpets sound,
the drums beat to the songs and the French army moves
with a crash. Over time,
an unprecedented outburst of violence, invades the board. But that day, the progression
of men is made difficult, by weather conditions
particularly terrible. The previous two days,
it rained a lot. It is clay soil
so with 48 hours of rain, you have 30 cm of mud
and 30 cm of mud, it completely breaks
Napoleon's attack tactics. His horses that attacked
were not able to do it at a gallop. And at the same time, what we have
noticed after the battle, is that there was a lot
of shoes on the muddy slope. These shoes,
in fact, remained on the ground, in the clay,
the clay which was muddy. And a lot of these French soldiers
attacked barefoot. Another victim of the bad
weather conditions, artillery. On the muddy ground,
these weapons with deadly power, appear less effective
than Napoleon had anticipated. Wooden wheels slide
or get stuck. The impassable terrain
makes it almost impossible, the movement of the cannons. Worse, the projectiles reach
hardly their target. French artillerymen used
the ball bounce technique. They were aiming at a virtual point
a few tens of meters away, before the objectives
and the rebound took place and eliminated, killed and injured, Several dozens
infantrymen at the same time. But on muddy ground,
it does not work. And therefore the effectiveness
French artillery, was reduced to a minimum and there was not a huge impact on Wellington's troops. The state of the ground weakens
therefore considerably, attacks by the emperor's troops. A first difficulty
to overcome for Napoleon and the beginning of a series of setbacks, who will tip over
the battle against him. How does it take place
this battle of Waterloo? The English took up position in the North. The French took up positions to the south. Wellington wants to be resolutely defensive, so it is Napoleon who must attack and he decides to wear
his main effort, on the center,
on the Haye Sainte farm. But to achieve this, he first launches, a diversionary attack on the farm
de Hougoumont, on its left. However, this first part
of the plan does not work. In fact, the English hold
well the Hougoumont farm and are not obliged
to bring their reserves there, so that during
all day of June 18, a fight, a battle
in battle, will take place around this farm and will mobilize much more
more French than English. In the early afternoon. Napoleon decides despite
everything to throw, its main attack on the center, on the Haye Sainte farm, by multiplying the cavalry charges, commanded by Marshal Ney. And it's only late in the afternoon,
around 6:30 p.m., that the Haye Sainte farm
is finally taken. But in the meantime, Napoleon has a problem
extra on the arms, the Prussians arrive. And so all these little people will fall
on the backs of the French. Totally surprised while Wellington,
he is not, since since the morning,
he is waiting for the Prussians. The surprise, in fact,
is total on the French side and the arrival
of the Prussians will mobilize, the entire reserve of the French army, what forces Napoleon, to try a final poker move. The intervention of the guard. The guard,
it is the soul of the Grande Armée. She's the one who's supposed to
take the blow, at the end of a battle. And generally his interventions, are indeed victorious. Now, here, the guard faces, an English army
who is firm in his positions, who opposes him with extremely heavy fire and very deadly. And this time, the guard retreats and the retreat of the guard
truly gives, the signal of general withdrawal and the disarray that takes hold
of the French army. Yes, it's even a general leak. Prussian witnesses
tell us that the mounted French
on top of each other, to escape as quickly as possible
from the battlefield and that obviously, they did not have
to give in to their heart's content, to massacre these fugitives. It is a terrible defeat. The French army is destroyed. At the end of the day, Wellington and Blücher meet, not far from the farm
of the Belle-alliance, to seal their victory. Napoleon manages to escape, narrowly escaping
to the Prussian avant-gardes. On the battlefield, an apocalypse spectacle
offers itself at nightfall. Nearly 11,000 people were killed
and 40,000 injured, in both camps. Today, many
remains of this battle, are kept in museums
from Belgium, England, from France and elsewhere. Sabers, rifles, ammunition. Or this rifleman’s breastplate
François Antoine Fauveau, pierced by a cannonball. The Waterloo site is for its part
become a place of memory, classified as a world heritage site. Fortified farms
are still standing and partly preserved
in their original state. Under the earth, forgotten by all, no doubt that still exist, traces of clashes
which took place. Recently, on occasion
development work, archaeologists have also done
an exceptional discovery. They unearthed the skeleton
almost complete, of a soldier who fell on the field
of battle two centuries ago. Bones and objects
accompanying the deceased, were transported to the Center
of archeology of Walloon Brabant, not far from Brussels. Dominique Bosquet, archaeologist, and Geneviève Yernaux, anthropologist, are responsible for their analysis. - You tell me if it's right. Should I reverse them? - No, it's the fifth.
- Yes, I reversed them. The position in which they were found
the bones are very evocative, of his last moments, since he
was not found in a burial. We didn't dig a grave. He was really found
in the position in which, either, he was dropped off or, he himself
collapsed on the ground. How was he buried?
That remains a bit of a mystery. It remained hidden for 200 years
until we found him. Who was this man ? How old was he?
His health ? Specialists observe
carefully the bones, who have passed through time
a very good state of conservation. The measurements reveal
that this man measured between, 1.58 m and 1.64 m. He was therefore
of a rather frail stature. The detailed analysis of these bones
indicates that he was, slightly hunchbacked and that he was
suffering from spina bifida, a malformation at the bottom
of the spine. Dominique Bosquet and Geneviève Yernaux
now determine, the cause of his death. His skeleton shows no trace
apparent injury or trauma. But at the time of the search, we found a rifle bullet
in the middle of his ribcage. We found him at the level
of the right lung. This is one of the most common causes
probable cause of his death. On the other hand, the ball,
he must have received it face to face, because the rear
of the rib cage, does not show any traces of impact. The front of the ribs has not been preserved, probably weakened
by the passage of the ball. Who was this soldier?
who lost his life, on the battlefield of Waterloo? Which side did he belong to? Analysis of the ball and others
objects discovered near the deceased, allows you to scaffold
solid hypotheses. 16.2mm. This is the diameter
French bullets. The English bullets measured 19 mm. So there is no doubt, on the origin of this projectile. In action,
it must have pulled in all directions, there are indeed other clues, and in particular gunflints, made from flint
which is dark gray with fine grain, which is a flint that is used by
the English for their gunflint, and the dimensions of these stones
are suitable for the Brown Bess musket, which is the iconic musket
British armies and allies. French bullet, English weapon, so we are on a victim
ally very clearly. This man would therefore have fought
facing the French army, under the orders of Wellington. A conclusion that is confirmed
the many coins, found next to the body. We actually have the majority
of French currency. We recognize here,
a 5 franc silver coin, bearing the image of Napoleon. These are not discriminating currencies
from the point of view of nationality, because French francs,
at the time of the Empire, were imposed throughout the Empire. However,
he also had 2 Hanoverian pfennings. These are the currencies
which allow us to tighten, its identification, all the more
that we are in the place where were Hanoverian troops
at the time of the battle. In archaeology,
there is never 100% certainty, but there actually,
he is most likely Hanoverian. This is all completely consistent. This frail and tired young soldier, now has a nationality. The investigation will probably not allow
never go further and give it a name and a face again. But after two centuries
gone underground, despite everything, he emerged from oblivion and will integrate the Waterloo memorial. He thus becomes the ultimate witness
of this bloody battle, which marks the end
of the Napoleonic epic. Four days after his crushing defeat, the French Emperor
is forced to abdication. He is sent into exile on
the island of Saint Helena, in the heart of the South Atlantic. This is where he passes
the rest of his existence, before passing away on May 5, 1821. Today his body rests
under the glittering dome, of the Hôtel des Invalides in Paris. A monumental tomb, like fascination
that Napoleon exercises, since the end of his reign. The legend of the emperor,
it is also the one, of these hundreds
thousands of soldiers, who fought in his name. Never so many men
of the same generation, had not been mobilized
to wage war. By studying the remains
that they left behind, archaeologists and historians contribute
to perpetuate their memory. They give us another look
on living conditions, of these fighters
who have known glory and the setbacks of the Grande Armée. Of these men whose destiny
continues to fascinate, two centuries later.
