Diary of Mary Berry, 5 April 1802

urn:iso:std:iso:639:ed-3:eng

179–181

text excerpt

At last I have seen this famous parade, which all the Parisians have been talking of for a month past. I was not disappointed in it, because my great object was to see Buonaparte, and I knew beforehand how little one could possibly see of him upon such an occasion […]We were conducted by our friend the tailor to a window in the entresol of the Tuileries looking into the Court, the best situation possible, as it is above the lines of infantry and not much above the level of a man on horseback. There were several people at the same window with ourselves […]

Great part of the troops marched in by the centre door of the grille which now divides the large space before the Palace, from the Place de Carousel and this space, though large, is small for a review. Buonaparte mounted his horse (a light-coloured dun with a white mane and tail) before one o'clock, at the great centre door of the Palace accompanied by the generals of the different divisions of infantry, cavalry, and artillery; […] After riding along all the four lines, he and his attendant generals placed themselves beyond the second line, exactly opposite our window, while all the troops—first infantry, then cavalry, and then artillery—marched before him with their music playing and colours flying; none of the officers saluted but their colonel. After passing Buonaparte they filed off, and when the last had passed, he came again to the same door of the Tuileries, dismounted and disappeared.

excerpt from 'Diary of Mary Berry, 5 April 1802' pp. 179–181 (255 words)

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