Eylau: Precis Des Travaux de la Grande Armée
The Capitulation of Hameln: 20 November 1806
Capitulation for the handing-over of the place, the forts and the garrison of Hameln to the French and Dutch Army, under the orders of the major general Savary, aide-de camp of H. I. and R. M.., grand-officer of the Legion of Honor, colonel of the gendarmes of the guard, decorated with the grand-ribbon of Baden, and represented by the major general Dumonceau, adviser-of state, member of the Legion of honor, commanding as head of the Dutch troops in Germany; with Mr. the major general Von Schoeler, commanding the garrison, places and forts of Hameln.
Suggested Articles.
ART. Ist. The garrison will leave on November 22 at nine o’clock in the morning, with weapons and luggage, deployed ensigns, canon, drums beating and matches lit, by the gate named Oster-Thor, and will be free to join its army.
R. The garrison will leave by the indicated gate, with the honors of the war, will be put in battle-formation on the roadway of Hanover. It there will hand-over its weapons, guns, flags and horses, and will proceed to start for France, where it will be captives of war.
II. The officers will keep their horses and luggage, and the soldiers their bags.- R. Granted.
III. The officers will have freedom to withdraw themselves to their premises and where it will seem good to them, with the insurance not to be disrupted. They will receive passports and passenger waybills, so that food and fodder are provided to them until they reach the place of their destination; or will provide also carts and horses to those which will need some for transport for their effects.
R. Granted. But the officers will be prisoners on parole, and will not be able to carry the weapons against France and its allies until an even exchange.
IV. For the officers who will not want to benefit from the permission to turn over on their premises, assignments to the place where they can go, with the certainty that their subsistence will be provided for.
R. The only other destination that can be assigned to these Messrs is their own homes, and those which will not want to benefit from it, will be able to follow the fate of the garrison to France, where one ensures to them the usual treatment of prisoners of war.
V. If the fate of the war decides that some of the Prussian provinces are yielded to another monarch, the officers who would have been there in garrison, would have the right to obtain the pension of their rank from it, if by the infirmities or the age, they were out of condition to continue to be of useful service.
R. In any capitulation, it is not allowed for a general officer to dictate conditions to a sovereign. In the present case, these Messrs will deserve the kindness of their new Masters, and one quotes to them the example of Piedmont, Belgium and Naples.
VI. The handing-over of the gates, the forts and the stores, will take place only after the exit of the garrison.
R. At once after the exchanged capitulation, the commanders of the French and Dutch engineers, with the military police chiefs, will have freedom to enter the city. The police chiefs named by Mr. the General Von Schoeler, will be given the stores of any species, the powder magazines, all that relates to the artillery material and the engineering.
The gate by which the garrison must leave, as well as the three forts, will be occupied by the French and Dutch troops, tomorrow the 21st, at nine o’clock in the morning.
Made at the camp of Hameln, this 20 November, at half past four oclock in the evening, in the year 1806.
Signed, VON SCHOELER, DUMONCEAU.
Ratified by me, major general commanding the troops of the blockade of the fortress of Hameln.
Signed, SAVARY.
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