Grand Cross of Virtuti Militari Order (and other awards) of the Marshal of the French Empire Louis-Nicolas Davout

Marshal Louis-Nicolas Davout was awarded with a Grand Cross of the Military Order of Virtuti Militari on April 17, 1809. Grand cross of the order of Virtuti Militari was awarded only twice under the 1st Empire, the first time to Prince Poniatowsky (who had just reestablished the order) and a second time to Davout in 1809 at the start of the Austrian campaign, for the important services rendered in Poland in 1807 and 1808.​

Gold, enamel.
Size 92 x 45 mm.
Weight 44 g.

Same cross under a different light.

 

Sash and breast star.

 

Silver, gold, enamel.
Size 80 mm.
Weight 37 g.

Same breast star under a different light.

 

Louis-Nicolas d'Avout (10 May 1770 – 1 June 1823), better known as Davout, 1st Prince of Eckmühl, 1st Duke of Auerstaedt, was a French military commander and Marshal of the Empire who served during both the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. His talent for war, along with his reputation as a stern disciplinarian, earned him the nickname "The Iron Marshal" (Le Maréchal de fer).

Arguably the finest corps commander among Napoleon’s marshals, Davout was born in Burgundy to a minor noble family, and followed his father to the royal cavalry in 1788. Though a supporter of the French Revolution, he was dismissed from the regular army in 1791, but immediatelty elected colonel in command of a volunteer battalion. He fought at Neerwinden in March 1793, and first came to public notice just afterwards, when he refused orders from Dumouriez to march on Paris. Though rewarded with promotion to brigadier-general in July, he was retired along with other former nobles in August.

Reinstated from October 1794, Davout commanded cavalry on the Rhine front, fighting around Mannheim in 1795, at Kehl and Haslach in 1796, and at Diersheim in spring 1797. His capture of correspondance between Pichegru and royalist émigrés helped trigger the Fructidor coup later that year, and his close relations with immediate superior Desaix brought an introduction to Napoleon, culmunating in a staff appointment with the Middle East expedition in 1798. Still under Desaix, he fought at the Pyramids and Aboukir, but was captured by the British on his way home in 1800.
​

Promoted divisional general on his return to service in July 1800, he fought in the latter stages of the Italian campaign against the Second Coalition, and was one of the original Marshalate in 1804. He led III Corps with great success against the Third Coalition in 1805, playing an important role at Austerlitz and demonstrating organizational abilities which made his command the most efficient in the Grande Armée. These qualities were fully tested in October 1806, when his outnumbered detachment won a crucial victory at Auerstädt to seal Russia’s rapid defeat.

After fighting through the war against the Fourth Coalition, and leading Napoleon’s right wing at Eylau, Davout was governor-general of Warsaw from summer 1807, and became Duke of Auerstädt next year. He returned to the head of III Corps for the campaigns of 1809, performing vital service at both Eckmühl and Wagram, after which he held a number of senior commands (as Prince of Eckmühl) in Germany.

Davout led I Corps through the 1812 Russian campaign, performing with his usual vigour during the opening advances, and replacing Jérôme Bonaparte in command of the Grande Armée’s southern wing in July. He won a minor victory at Mohilev and fought at Smolensk, but his coprs was replaced as rearguard to the retreat from Moscow after a crushing defeat at Fiodoroivskoy in November. In command at Desden during the early stages of the campaign for Germany, he was transferred to hold Hamburg from May 1813, eventually surrendering a year later and suffering royal banishment from Paris.

He rejoined Napoleon during the Hundred Days of 1815 but was not given a field command. Never particularly popular, but untainted by sycophancy or personal ambition, he was instead war minister and military governor of Paris. He held the capital until 3 July, when he evacuated garrison troops to western France by agreement with the allies. He turned his forces over royal control on 14 July, and remained under house arrest until his partial reinstatement in 1817. His titles were fully restored in 1819.
​

French orders awarded to Louis-Nicolas d'Avout.

Legion of Honor:
Legionnaire (December 11, 1803)
Grand Officer (June 14, 1804, and head of the 6e cohort)
Great Eagle of the Legion of Honor (February 2, 1805)

Knight of Saint-Louis (February 10, 1819, Kingdom of France)


Foreign orders awarded to Louis-Nicolas d'Avout.

Knight of the Order of the Iron Crown (Kingdom of Italy)
Grand Cross of the Order of Christ (February 28, 1806, Kingdom of Portugal)
Grand Cross of the Order of the White Eagle (Duchy of Warsaw)
Grand Cross of the military order of Saint-Henri (April 16, 1808, Kingdom of Saxony)
Grand Cross of the military order of Maximilian Joseph of Bavaria (Kingdom of Bavaria)
Grand Cross of the military order of Virtuti Militari (April 17, 1809, Duchy of Warsaw)
Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary (April 4, 1810, Empire of Austria)
Grand Cross of the military order of Maria Theresa (Empire of Austria)
Grand Cross of the Order of the Elephant (Denmark-Norway)

 

Louis-Nicolas Davout Marshal Batons.

Year 1812 saw Louis-Nicolas Davout in the battles of Smolensk and Borodino with the latter resulting in his concussion. Having returned from exile, Napoleon did not want to risk his loyal fellow, appointed him his minister, bestowed with the command of the capital troops. The Emperor persuaded Louis-Nicolas, "Paris I can entrust only to you." Being flattered a lot, the commander, desperately waving his protests and trying to escape to the front, could not help resigning to his fate.

The marshal’s baton, a symbol of valor, glories of the military and warriors, is the ultimate dream of every soldier. It makes thousands of people mount an endeavor towards victory. The story behind the baton, owned by d’Avout, is one very much known. Nikolay Karnovich, a warrant officer with the Life Guards Finnish Regiment, found it among other spoils of war captured on November 5, 1812 in the Battle of Krasny.

His battalion CO, Staff Captain Baykov, delivered the baton to St. Petersburg and presented it to the Emperor. Alexander I took off his St. George’s Order and awarded it to the officer. The Russians held a special grudge against the marshal, who had had his bedroom at the altar of the Cathedral Church of the Chudov Monastery during the occupation of Moscow. Imagine, right where a deacon used to pray for “peace of the whole world”, an armed adversary now reined. The insult could not have escaped the attention of the marshal.

St. Petersburg’s Vedomosti relayed this noteworthy event to people. November 13 saw ‘captured from the foe five banners and Marshal d’Avout’s imperious baton’ (as was registered in the Kammerfurier Ceremonial Journal) put on display during a ceremonial service, held in Kazansky Cathedral.

At the Imperial behest the relict was left in the Cathedral, where speaking Prince Kutuzov’s words “the victory adorns the shrine, and the shrine magnifies victory.” In the early 20th century, in preparation for the anniversary of the victory the trophies stored in the Cathedral, banners, keys to fortresses and d’Avout’s baton, were “permanently” transferred to Moscow’s Museum of the Patriotic War of 1812.​

A wooden cylinder, dressed in blue velvet, up to 483 mm long and 40 mmin diameter, rendering it handy for holding in a hand. Stitched on the fabric in a checkerboard pattern with golden (silver) threads were 32 Imperial single-headed eagles, arranged in four parallel columns, eight eagles in each. The ends are covered by golden caps. The inscription on the top cover reads: LOUIS NICOLAS DAVOUT NOMMEPAR L`EMPEREUR NAPOLEON MARECHAL DE L`EMPIRELE 29 FLOREALAN 12-E (Louis Nicola d'Avout was granted the title of Marshal of the Empire by Emperor Napoleon on 29 Floréal of the 12th year of the Republic (April 19, 1804). The opposite cap bore a Latin motto: DECUSPACIS – TERRORBELLI (virtue of peace – dread of war). The caps are decorated with laureate wreaths.


The baton became part of the exhibition arranged by the museum at the State Historical Museum to commemorate the centenary of the Victory over Napoleon and later was handed over to the Military Historical Museum.​

Baton in the museum collection back in 1910s.

The baton, turned over to the State Historical Museum for a spell following the shutdown of the Military Historical Museum, ended up in the Museum of the Patriotic War of 1812 in September 2012, where it has been stored ever since.​

 

On display at State Historical Museum in Moscow.

 

Marshall's uniform (so called "small uniform") of Davout.

 

Davout's marshal baton from the collection of Musée de l'Armée in Paris.

Length 480 mm.
Diameter 40 mm.

Gold hallmarks.

Original case.

Marshall's uniform (so called "grand uniform") of Davout.

 

Military Order of St. Henry Breast Stars of the Marshal of the French Empire Louis-Nicolas Davout

Superb collection of breast stars that once belong to 1st Prince of Eckmühl, 1st Duke of Auerstaedt, Marshal of the Empire Louis-Nicolas Davout (10 May 1770 – 1 June 1823)...

asiamedals.info

 

Breast star of the order of Saint Stephen of Hungary (Grand Cross of the order was received on April 4, 1810) privately-comissioned by Davout from Biennais workshop in Paris.

Silver, gold, enamel.
Size 88 mm.
Weight 88 mm.

Back leather medallion with gold inscription “Biennais orfèvre de l’Empereur et Roi à Paris /Biennais goldsmith to the Emperor and King in Paris”.

 

Breast star of the Portugal order of Christ (Grand Cross of the order was received on February 28, 1806) privately-comissioned by Davout from Biennais workshop in Paris.

Silver, gold, enamel.
Size 84 mm.
Weight 45 mm.

Back leather medallion with gold inscription "Biennais goldsmith to H.M. the King of Holland, rue Saint Honoré No.283 in Paris/Biennais orfèvre de S.M. le Roi de Hollande, rue Saint Honoré n°283 à Paris".

 

Order of the Iron Crown (Kingdom of Italy) knight badge.

Silver, gold, enamel.
Size 35 x 23mm.
Weight 9.2 g.

 

Order of the Iron Crown (Austria) knight badge.

Silver, gold, enamel.
Size 48 x 24 mm.
Weight 16 g.

 

Davout's gold miniature bar with four orders.

Silver, gold, enamel.
Size 42 x 12 mm.
Weight 8 g.