Our Allies the Bavarians Appendix II : Capitulation of the fortress of Plassenburg.[1]
Articles of the capitulation of the town of Plassenburg, concluded, on the one hand, between M. le Comte de Becker, colonel commanding the 6th Regiment of line infantry of His Majesty the King of Bavaria, commanding the blockade of the fort; Major de Comeau, Chief of Staff of the blockade corps, having powers of His Majesty the King of Bavaria and of his general commanding the provinces of Franconia, His Excellency the Count of Isembourg;
On the other hand, the Baron von Uttenhofen, Major-General, commanding the fort; Major von Ruville, second in command; the Count von Monts, Captain-commander in the regiment of Zweifel.
Article 1. –The Prussian garrison shall be prisoners of war. It will file out, with all the honours of the war, six days after the exchange of the capitulation; it will lay down its arms at the place indicated.
RESPONSE. –Granted, with the restriction that today at 1 o’clock in the afternoon a gate will be delivered to the troops of His Majesty the King of Bavaria; that Bavarian posts will be placed in the arsenal and in the powder, ammunition and food stores; that the major of the Bavarian artillery von Lamay will receive from the commander of the Prussian artillery the cannons, arms and other objects relating to his arm; from the captain of the Prussian engineering corps plans, documents and other objects relating to the fortifications. The Prussian garrison will march tomorrow, the 26th of the current (month), with all the honours of the war, on the path which leads from the fortress to the town, where the Bavarian troops will be drawn up in line. The Prussian garrison will lay down their arms near the city gate.
Article 2. –After having laid down their arms, the Prussian garrison will be prisoners of war, and conducted where His Majesty the King of Bavaria commands.
RESPONSE. –Article 2 is granted.
Article 3. –The gentlemen officers are prisoners of war on their word of honour not to bear arms, until their exchange, against His Majesty the Emperor of the French and King of Italy, against His Majesty the King of Bavaria and against the powers of their allies having troops in the Grand Federated Army. They will be free to go where they want; but those who will remain in the province of Bayreuth will receive their salaries there, on the 1st of each month, according to the control they provide and until the moment of their exchange.
RESPONSE. –Allowed; with the exception that those MM. the Prussian officers who wish to settle in the province of Bayreuth will only receive a single month’s salary from His Majesty the King of Bavaria, provided that the combined salaries do not exceed the same as 1,400 florins. The said sum of 1,400 florins will be considered as a loan made to His Majesty the King of Prussia.
Nevertheless, His Majesty the Emperor and King will beg to please those of MM. the officers taken prisoner at Plassenburg, and who wish to reside in the province of Bayreuth, receive there from the states of the country the same treatment as they would have had in France in the depots of prisoners of war.
Article 4. –Gentlemen officers will keep their swords, their horses and their baggage. The soldiers will keep their rucksacks and what belongs to them.
RESPONSE. –Allowed.
Article 5. –The invalids will keep all their personal property, everything they have; and these objects will be brought to them to the place of their destination.
RESPONSE. –Allowed.
Article 6. –Invalids and individuals who are employed in the fortress as gatekeepers, concierges and trumpeters, will keep these places with the salaries assigned to them.
RESPONSE. –Allowed.
Article 7. –The married officers and having their household in the fortress will keep their lodgings there, until they are provided with the means to transport their personal property.
RESPONSE. –Allowed.
Article 8. –Married soldiers who have wives and their families in this province can go to their homes, with the condition of not carrying arms or their uniform until their even exchange.
RESPONSE. –Allowed.
Article 9. –All tables and genealogical trees relating to the reigning house of Prussia will be taken and kept in the depot for His Majesty the King of Prussia.
RESPONSE. –Allowed.
Article 10. –The sick soldiers will remain in the fortress until their recovery.
RESPONSE. –Allowed.
These soldiers will be treated like sick Bavarian soldiers; they will be prisoners of war after their recovery.
Article 11. –Invalids, having regard to their long and faithful service, will retain their full salary, and will be treated as they were before.
RESPONSE. –The invalids will be transported to Bayreuth, and will be treated there like those who were in Magdeburg.
Article 12. –Debts contracted with various workers for works and supplies in the fortress, will not remain the responsibility of the King of Prussia, and will be acquitted by the government which will take possession of all the objects which are in the place.
RESPONSE. –This article is outside our competence. We nevertheless promise our good offices to ensure that the workers are paid by the States as if their supplies had been requisitioned.
The present articles have been accepted, with their modifications, by the two parties, who have signed them, made in duplicate, and immediately exchanged.
In Plassenburg, 25 November 1806.
Signed: Count DE BECKER, Colonel.
DE COMEAU, Major.
VON UTTENHOFFEN, Major-General.
VON RUVILLE.
Count DE MONTS.
State of what was found in the town of Plassenburg.
18 cannons of 3,
8 cannons of 6,
2 cannons of 12,
3 mortars of 10 or 7 inches of diameter,
4 mortars of 15 or 8 inches,
TOTAL: 35 gun pieces mounted on carriages.
1 1/4 pound fauconasse,*
11 fauconasse of 1 pound,
4 fauconasse of 2,
8 fauconasse of 4,
2 2 1/2 conchorn mortars.
5 mortars of 2,
2 mortars of 2 1/2.
TOTAL: 33 pieces in bronze.
Total cannons and mortars, 68.
46 quintals of musket powder,
18 quintals of gunpowder.
60 pounds of priming powder,
TOTAL: 64 quintals, 60 pounds of powder.
600 pounds of saltpetre, 400 quintals of lead, 40 quintals of bar iron, 1,144 fusils of different models, 700 old muskets, 74 carbines “de croc”, 200 pistols, 200 sabres, 29 old flags, 46 standards, 150 ammunition pouches, 8,000 musket flints, 2,700 billhooks, 4 wheel setters, 8 caissons, 14 front gears, 9 vans, 9 copper drum cases, 429 guns, 277 sabres, 230 belts, 375 cartridge pouches.
The staff were:
1 major general, Baron von Uttenhofen; 4 majors, 7 captains, 7 lieutenants, 600 line soldiers and 150 invalids.
* a small antiquated artillery piece, e.g. fauconneau.
[1] Following the 38th Bulletin of the Grande Armée (Posen, 5 December 1806).