By Jerry Lavender Fins

On the 7 July, the French frigate la belle-poule and the corvette the Favorite weighed anchor from the French naval base at Toulon bound for the island of Sainte-Hélène on board was the official French mission to recover the body of the Emperor Napoleon, they arrived on October 8.and visited the British governor of the island, Lord Middlemore who formally agrees to hand over the mortal remains of Napoleon to their care on Thursday October 15.
Following this short interview, the Mission visited the valley of geraniums where the Emperor was laid to rest and were surprised to find an old English sergeant who had been keeping the grave since his death. And who had fought at the great Battle of Waterloo,
Through the steamy eyes of the Baron Gourgaud, all the memories of the battles, victories, glory, and distinctions, he remember the moment, twenty-six years earlier, during the campaign of 1814, at the time of the battle of Brienne, how he saved the life of the Emperor by killing a Cossack who tried to kill him with his lance.

After a few minutes the mission moved along the path to Longwood house, which was the home occupied by the Emperor until his death. An afflicting spectacle waited them there. Indeed, the garden, which the Emperor had built, and tendered with such love, had disappeared and now sheep were found grazing, the house had been transformed into a farm. The windows are without panes and slapped in the wind, the interior, was total desolation: one room stored the manure, and the floor itself had rotten though. While in the small room, where the emperor milled his own corn, the ceiling had fallen though and the doors where missing.

It is in the cold and with the rain pouring down that the work of the exhumation begins, a little after midnight on October 15th, in the light of the oil lamp, the coffin is exhumed the Prince of Joinville considered it being more suitable to remain on the quay with his staff, in order to make preparations to receive the coffin of the Emperor. All the French and English troops were present. Several tents are drawn up near the tomb. The largest being intended to receive the coffin of the Emperor. Ten English soldiers lifted his coffin, which had been made with a single mahogany tree.
The mahogany coffin which was two centimetres thick had to be sawn open, the inner coffin which was made of lead was removed and laid within the tent, and a new coffin of lead was placed along side and in places was inlaid with ebony, an ex-officer of the Grande Armée, who had retired to become a cabinetmaker, had manufactured the coffin with as much love as if it was for a family member. The lead coffin was opened in side was found another coffin which was of iron, which in turn had been welded, this was then opened.


Marshal Bertrand could no longer contain his feelings and leaves his companions. Tears roll down his cheeks there in front laid Napoleon.
The skin was entirely preserved. As was is uniform of the Chasseurs a cheval de la Garde wearing his Legion of Honour which the ribbons had also kept their hue of origin, only the seams of the boots had rotted. Laid between the legs, was his famous hat with two Munds of money, and two containers filled with vinegar, in which Dr. Antommarchi, nineteen years before, had placed the heart and his stomach.
Dr. Guillard feared that the air would advance the decomposition of the body. And hurried to reseal the coffin. The iron case was then laid into the new lead coffin comprising a plate engraved in gold letters with the following epitaph: « NAPOLEON, EMPEROR AND KING, DIED AT SAINTE-HÉLÈNE V MAY MDCCCXXI. > > This was then into the sarcophagus of ebony brought from France, which was then covered with a purple velvet fabric, embroidered gold eagles, strewn with imperial bees and stars. After a last blessing, the sarcophagus, which weighs nearly 1200 kg, was transported by forty-three English Artillerists to be placed upon a British gun carriage drawn by four Black horses.

Nearly five hundred British soldiers and militiamen of Sainte-Hélène marched before the procession, which moved majestically with the sounds of the drums, which were draped in black. Behind the hearse are the members of the Mission, companions and servants, the civil authorities and military, the French and British warships in the bay fired their guns one every minute until he was aboard. After twenty-five years, England finally returned the honours due to an Emperor, which were not provided in defeat but only in death, British troops lined the route with reversed arms and lowered heads.
The coffin was lifted into a launch and rowed towards Belle-poule. He arrived aboard the French frigate where a vault had been prepared for him, finally! The Emperor is again under the protection of the French flag.
On October 18, the French Ships weigh anchor, greeted by a salute of the guns of the British forts of Sainte-Hélène. The crossing proceeds without incident, in spite of rumours of war with France against England. Finally, the fleet arrived in Cherbourg on November 30, with the salute of the shore batteries.
After a short ceremony on board, he is transferred on the sloop Normandy and sailed for Le Havre. From La Havre he sailed along the River Seine to Rouen, Since the departure from Le Havre, with the river winding its way though the villages, the inhabitants lined the river banks, with Temps as low as -15in the bells of the local churches sound as he passed each town and .All of France appeared to turn out for him priests, men and women of all ages, children, soldiers and of course the Veterans of the Grande Armée.
Some had been there for several days waiting in spite of the severity of the cold installed in. All in their old uniforms shabby from years in the cupboard.
The bridge of Neuilly was reached on December 14. That evening, Marshal Soult, president of the Council and Mr. de Las Cases father, went on board and stood in front of the remains of his late Emperor, and in the morning light with a temp of –8 twenty-six sailors of Belle-poule unload the sarcophagus and hoist it on board a monumental tank of ten meters top and five broad, decorated of fourteen statues representing the brightest victories of the Empire.
The detachment is composed of sixteen black horses covered with purple velvet with the Arms of Victory of the Empire. All the French departments are represented by as many flags, which are held proudly by eighty-seven warrant officers. The 300 sailors of Belle-poule, in full dress, surround the Carriage a 21-gun salute is fired and Napoleon begins he’s final march home.
An impressive crowd massed along the whole of the route which leads to the Invalids members of the Old Guard in their Full dress uniforms proud and standing to attention as if he was about to inspect them, lined the route, then as he passed fell in behind, at first they were not allowed but there were many whom felt it was there final duty they could not be refused, with shouts of. “Lives the Emperor! Which punctuated the funeral march? Some manage to kiss the crepe of the coffin with tears of emotion. The procession passes under the Triumphal arch which the Emperor had been built to the glory of he’s armies victories, and whose king Louis-Philippe had attended the inauguration of its completion only four years earlier, in July 29, 1836.
Down the Champs-Elysées, which was decorated with imperial eagles? Many Parisians kneeling in front of the passing procession, at 2.30pm, the procession finally reaches the Les Invalids. The coffin is lifted from the carriage and the slowly lowered into the centre of the Saint-Louis church, which is to become the final resting place, the first notes of the requiem of Mozart resound though out the church. The king and all his family are there as well as the highest civil authorities, military and ecclesiastical. At the invitation of the king, the Grand-Marshal Bertrand lays upon the coffin the glorious sword of the Emperor and Baron Gourgaud laid the Emperors now famous hat, which he wore on every battlefield in Europe with this the legend finally passes into history but never has he been forgotten.

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