At the far end of Longwood’s reception hall, the room in which Napoleon died, a door opens into the dining room. Here his companions-in-exile and his occasional guests gathered in the evening to eat a brief supper—for meals with Napoleon were only twenty-minute affairs. Afterward, they dissected battles or the emperor read aloud from Corneille, […]
Longwood House Part 5 Read More »
In 1819, the French general and grand marshal, Henri-Gratien Bertrand, who had accompanied Napoleon into exile, designed a large birdcage for Longwood House’s gardens. Chinese carpenters, who otherwise spent their time repairing the poorly-constructed house, built the cage and stocked it with doves and pheasants. At first, Napoleon admired it, but he was known to
More St Helena Prisoners Read More »
There was a serious suggestion in yesterday’s Washington Post to exile Gaddafi to St Helena: A St Helena Home for Gaddafi by William C. Goodfellow of the Center for International Policy. While that may be a fine solution to the Libyan crisis, some of the writer’s statements about Napoleon are wrong. For example, Napoleon’s young
Exile Gaddafi on St Helena? Read More »
Beyond the Billiard Room lies the Reception Room. Here, Napoleon, standing by the fireplace, one arm resting on the black stone mantel, greeted his visitors. Here, he argued with the British governor, Hudson Lowe, whom both Napoleon and Lowe himself, viewed as his jailer. Here, on May 5, 1821, Napoleon died. This is Longwood’s hallowed
Longwood House Part 4 Read More »
As visitors did during Napoleon’s time, I entered Longwood House up the stone steps through the green latticed portico, and stepped into the Billiard Room. The French volunteers-in-exile who had accompanied Napoleon crossed that same threshold with heavy hearts for a man without a future. Back then, sympathizers and enemies alike must have felt awe
Longwood House Part 3 Read More »
While looking through St Helena’s official archives, I found the record of Napoleon’s death and burial in May, 1821. In the middle of the page is the entry, “Napoleon Bonaparte, late Emperor of France, he died on the 5th Instant at the old House at Longwood, and was interred on Mr Richard Torbett’s Estate.” Click
Record of Napoleon’s Burial Read More »
To get the lay of the land, I decided to see St Helena’s historical sites first as a pure tourist, joining a group of my fellow shipmates for the Napoleonic tour in a modified 1929 Chevrolet. The engine whined as the car clung to steep hillsides on twisty one-lane roads, the driver honking at each
First Visit to Napoleonic Sites on St Helena Read More »
After five relaxing days on calm seas, we rose early to capture a true Napoleonic experience: our first sight of the island’s dark cliffs at dawn. Although my camera couldn’t do it justice, St Helena’s forbidding silhouette didn’t disappoint me. The barren rock faces do indeed rise out of the sea like prison walls. Napoleon’s
Arrival on St Helena Read More »
Today, the 190th anniversary of Napoleon Bonaparte’s death on St Helena, was our first day in South Africa. We commemorated the occasion with a visit to Groot (Estate) Constantia, just outside of Cape Town. One of the few pleasures Napoleon experienced during his six-year exile on St Helena was the Grand Constance sweet white wine
190th Anniversary of Napoleon’s Death Read More »
I’ve been thinking back about my visit to Brienne, the French country town where Napoleon attended his first military school from age nine to fifteen. By all accounts he grew up isolated, mocked for his accent and poverty. Even his politics brought derision as this drawing—the earliest known Napoleonic caricature—shows. In it, a fellow student
Symmetry at Brienne Read More »
