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 



