98 CARNOT. 



have never seen fire, I could keep the fortress of Antwerp 

 with the eight dependent forts ? . . . . 



" It only remains then here, for us to disgrace ourselves 

 or to die ; I beg you to be believe that we are all deter- 

 mined to prefer the latter .... 



"I think, Sir, that if you could take upon yourself to 

 leave me at least the infantry and the artillery (there was 

 at Antwerp a detachment of the Imperial Guard), you 

 will render a very great service to His Majesty ; but all 

 will be ready to depart to-morrow, unless I receive a 

 counter-order from you, which I shall await with the 

 greatest impatience and the greatest anxiety." 



Besides the despatch to General Maison, I find under 

 the same date a letter to the Minister of "War, the Duke 

 de Feltre ; and I remark the following passage in it : 

 " When I offered to serve His Majesty, I was willing 

 to sacrifice my life to him, but not my honour. Your 

 Grace knows that I am not in the habit of dissimulating 

 the truth, because I do not seek favour. The truth is, 

 that the state to which your orders reduce me, is a hun- 

 dred times worse than death, because I have no chance 

 of saving the place confided to me, but in the cowardice 

 of my enemies." 



Bernadotte having wished to dissuade Carnot from the 

 line of conduct that he had laid down for himself, received 

 from him the following answer : 



" 10th April, 1814. 



" PRINCE, It is in the name of the French Govern- 

 ment that I command in the fortress of Antwerp. That 

 Government alone has the right to fix the termination of 

 my duties : as soon as it shall be incontestably established 

 on a new basis, I shall hasten to obey its orders. This 

 resolution cannot fail of obtaining the approbation of a 



