Page 24 - Delcampe Collections classiques EN-004

Stamps

The sixth letter I have selected (page 14) has
the following legend:
Document dated 15 December 1801, signed by
the Italian general Pietro Teulié, Minister of War
of the Cisalpine Republic, addressed to the head-
quarters in Gallarate, Lombardy.
General Teulié, whose virtues and fighting
prowess were widely acknowledged, was killed
by a cannonball during the Siege of Kolberg in the
Province of Pomerania, Prussia (the present-day
Kolobrzeg). A 24-hour truce was granted and
observed by the Governor of Kolberg, in order to
organise his funeral. As a sign of solidarity, the
city covered its walls with black crepe.
The image depicts three flags, captioned with
the inscriptions “Italic Legions - Italic Republic
– Everything for the Fatherland”. The ensemble
is topped with a sign reading “Founded by
Bonaparte”. (Philatelic Collection of H.S.H.
Prince Albert II of Monaco)

In 1801, Napoleon was First Consul and had
emerged victorious from the Egyptian Campaign.
In this position, Napoleon tried above all to re-es-
tablish peace in this revolutionary France which
needed stability. General Teulié was killed six
years later during the siege of Colberg in 1807.
Appointed Minister of War of the Cisalpine
Republic, he remains a major French hero of the
Italian campaign. His name is also inscribed on
the famous Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

24 Delcampe Magazine