Séjour au Camp de Beverloo
Publisher: J, Gabalda  (Paris), Vroment & Cie (Bruxelles)
Published: 1913
Place of publication: Paris (France), Bruxelles (Belgium)
Language: fre
Number of pages: 1
Copyright date: This book is in the public domain
First sentence: Pendant les journées du vendredi 17 août au lundi 20, passées à Bruxelles, j'ai quelques conversations intéressantes sur l'affaire des vingt-quatre articles avec M. d'Huart, ministre des Finances, M. de t'Serclaes, secrétaire général aux Affaires étrangères, M. Serrurier, ministre de France, et Mgr Zornari, l'internonce apostolique; tous ces Messieurs me font la meilleure impression et le nonce en particulier me paraît un homme plein de franchise et d'intelligence, d'une trempe de caractère toute particulière, qui pourra rendre à la Belgique et à l'Église les plus grands services.
Description: Two years after he had married the daughter of Count Félix de Merode and had just given several fiery speeches in the House of Peers, in favor of Belgium, on the occasion of the Treaty of the Twenty-four Articles, Charles de Montalembert, the 28-year-old pair of France 
was invited by his  his father in law,  to attend with  King Leopold1 and his  staff, the review and maneuvers of the troops at the Camp of Beverloo. He describes his stay at this military camp in the North of Belgium.
Table of contents: title: Translated, his notes read as follows:; title: Nothing more beautiful or satisfying in all respects than this brand new army and so completely unknown in Europe and even in France.; title: First, we follow the King into the square formed by the beautiful regiment of grenadiers and outfielders together, to which His Majesty gives a flag.; title: We then pass under the front of all the other regiments in battle on two lines, to the sounds of the Brabançonne, played by all the music.; title: They were the 1st, 2nd, 9th and 10th linemen, the grenaniers and the aerobatics together, the 2nd hunters on horseback, commanded by the good Colonel Kruszewski (former aide-de-camp of General Szkrynczki , the Generalissimo of the Polish forces during the insurrection of 1830 and who then, at the suggestion of Charles de Montalembert, offered his sword to the young country of  Belgium to defend its threatened independence) and the most beautiful regiment of the army, it is said, the 2nd Lancers Regiment, the foot hunters of Capiaumont, a very national corps composed of four battalions.; title: During a pause between the two lines, the King calls me to tell me that he wishes to distinguish me particularly and cause, indeed, at length and intimately, in the most interesting way, with me. He then calls Jacques Coste (director of Time, an active, intelligent and much less "liberating" man --as my father-in-law says-- than one would expect in the face of the trends of his newspaper).   and while he speaks very kindly to him, a letter brings the news of the birth of the Count of Paris. When the review is over, we are witnessing the maneuvers, which are done with a really excellent set and precision. I admire above all the remarkable speed of the movements of the artillery on horseback. Returning to the camp, we again accompany the King to the games of the various regiments: bayonet fencing and half-mile race with weapons and luggage by partisan hunters, saddle and pack horses by Colonel Kruszewski's hunters. Then, dinner at the King's and second long conversation with him about Szkrinczki and force other topics.; title: Throughout this day, I have received the most touching testimonies of the attachment and recognition of all these brave people, officers and others, to the point of being confused.; title: And yet, it was nothing near what we booked for our evening. Out of the bara-; title: Major Renard improvised a visit to the officers' canteen for us: At the beautiful Pauline's house! I go there charmed to see them more closely. No sooner had I entered the room where more than 150 officers were with Colonel Thomson in front of a glass of the national faro, than the whole assembly rose and greeted me, the most unexpected cheers.; title: A lieutenant of the partisans named Althoff then exclaimed: "No eloquence is needed to drink to the health of the defender of Belgium before the French Assemblies. I propose here that of the Count of Montalembert. Immediately, the cheers begin again.; title: Deeply moved and really surprised by so much warmth in their enthusiasm, I respond with a few interspersed and wooded words to the beautiful Belgian army "as at the forefront of just and sincere freedom in Europe". On this, new cheers, then Brabanconne and Marseillaise repeated in chorus by the officers.; title: These male and warlike voices, these unanimous testimonies of a sympathy to which I was far from pretending penetrate me more and more of an insurmountable emotion, unknown to me until now. General Hurel is coming to join us; the time of retreat had long since rung (11 hours for the officers), when I left this beautiful and precious meeting, overwhelmed with emotions and of various feelings to which I will give way by writing to my beloved, whom I regret so much not to have by my side.; title: Sunday, August 26. "After lunch and a mass (indeed!) heard in the chapel of the camp far too small for the number of soldiers who flock there, I am once again the object of a most expressive approach on their part.; title: All the heads of corps come, to my real confusion, to make me, in great terms, an official visit, an honour that is usually given only to princes and generals-in-chief, but recognition prevails among these good people over everything else and yet I have not succeeded in my efforts to bring justice to their cause. They ask me, so cordially that I cannot refuse them, to give them one more day and dinner with them the next day, telling me that the manoeuvres of the little war that bad weather had prevented from doing before the King before us will be carried out in the morning. It is Colonel Chazal, a French officer of origin and charming in all respects, who speaks, the others are Colonels Dupont of artillery, van Assche of the 1st line, Lose of grenadiers and outfielders together, Thierry of the 1st Lancers, Kruszewski of the 3rd Hunters, Trump of the General Staff, Capiaumont of the partisan hunters and two other colonels of the line, whose names I could not grasp.; title: The King left this morning for Diest, after jokingly about "my visit to the cabaret" the night before and expressing his satisfaction "that I am being done justice!" In the afternoon, General Hurel shows us in detail the whole camp, stables, barracks, artillery park, etc.; title: Dinner with the brigadier generals Magnan and Neefs, both very kind, with the other generals and senior officers. We drink to my father-in-law's health and mine. Delicious music during and after meals and smoked cigars then in the garden of our guests. They make me drink like a real sapper, which I don't like.; title: Monday, August 27. "Another beautiful and striking day for me by all that I see there. At 10 o'clock, we ride a horse with General Hurel to watch the little war, two hours from the camp. The army is divided into two bodies, one of which, commanded by Magnan, is the Dutch army, and the other, commanded by de Neefs, including the Belgian army. It was to force the parade of the Nethe, defended by impassable marshes. Nothing more interesting and curious; title: for me who had never, ever found myself involved in military operations. The removal of the Bridge of the Nethe at the no charge by the 10th line hit me and dragged me. We were in the middle of the movement: gunners, bayonet loads, square formation, loads of rifles, platoon fires, especially admirable artillery maneuvers, nothing was missing in a word than the whistling of bullets to imagine that one was at the center of a real battle. Finally, after eight hours on horseback, we return to the camp.; title: I don't feel tired at all, but I don't think the troops should be. And yet, it would hardly seem to see their beautiful return to camp, arriving to the sound of the music of their various directions.; title: It's a beautiful and impressive show.; title: After the dinner full of cordiality, I finally separate, with real regret, from these brave and enthusiastic officers, who have filled me with undeserved friendships and goodness for sure, and after drinking one last time with them at the fraternal union of the two tricolor flags and the perpetual alliance of Belgium and France. Chazal, who I very much like, astonishes me by saying, during the evening, that, according to him, "society is supported only by two forces: Christianity and the army", thought very right and very apt, but that I did not expect to read on the lips of a rather liberalizing officer like him. Another interesting conversation with Magnan about the affairs of Lyon in 1836 and my interview with Casimir Périer, then with the brother of my former collaborator Bartels on Freemasonry.; title: On Tuesday, August 28, we leave at 7 a.m. this beautiful camp, of which I will keep one of the most touching and catchy memories of my life.