Louis de FROTTÉ (1766-1800) general-in-chief of the Norman Chouannerie, he was shot. 5 L.A. (3 signed "Le tout Dévoué" or "Le plus Dévoué"), October 1794-February 1795, to Charlotte ATKYNS; 12 1/2 pages in-4, 2 addresses (some splits and frayed edges.
Interesting love and political correspondence between these two royalist agents, about an attempt to free Louis XVII, written from England and Jersey, while, thanks to the financial means provided by Lady Atkyns, he hopes to act in France, and even free the child from the Temple. He landed near Saint-Brieuc at the beginning of February 1795 to try to raise Normandy.
October 23, 1794. "The more I know you and the more I admire you, heroic and perfect being [...] O you who wanted to make the sacrifice of your life and your whole fortune to the memory of a beloved Queen and to the service of my King [...My attachment is above the ordinary feelings that inspire a beautiful woman, but I will die worthy of you, by supporting your generous devotion, or if the Gods want me to live it will be to be for ever your admirer, your friend, your... whatever you allow me to be for you "... If he cannot come to get himself the funds that she destines for him, he will be a man of confidence, and he will know how to use them with prudence. He then mentions his plans to return to France or to go to Switzerland or Germany... - [November]. Mardy morning at 8 o'clock. He learns of the departure of M. de Puisaye for France, which leaves him "with a heart full of sadness and his ideas all upset", in a great embarrassment. One assures him that the King and France will be saved, but he fears to be misled: "It appears that P. It seems that P. de la Paix, leader of a party and an army, has not left France for a simple negotiation of arms, ammunition &c, &c, and that he must be in charge of more important interests and in charge of proposals which undoubtedly leave from Paris and which are perhaps the fruit that Pitt proposed in the fall of Robespierre, but time alone will be able to inform us and provided that the King and France are saved, I will make the sacrifice willingly of the hope that I had to contribute to it directly. He is going to join his regiment and leave for Germany. At 5:30 in the evening: He does not despair, but hesitates to join Puisaye: "I am on the thorns for me, and even more so for you, for two days, I do not know how my head can stand it, especially being obliged to play the calm and quiet man. [...] O charming woman, whatever the end of our Revolution may be when you have no part in it, you will always be for me the tender and devoted friend of Antoinette, the one who wanted to sacrifice everything to her son [Louis XVII] and the one to whom I would like one day to owe all my happiness. On a copy (attached), Lady Atkins wrote a comment, explaining that she had avoided seeing Frotté and writing to him, not wanting to reveal to him the measures taken "to save the King". - Monday [December 22]. He becomes impatient: "P. [Joseph de Puisaye] has not left and does not want to leave until everything is ready, which is very uncertain since we do not have half of the necessary things and L. M. does not want to take charge of a similar expedition"... - Saturday [December 27]. He is finally going to leave with P. [Puisaye] and longs to see her: that she come "to spend 24 hours here but that no one should know of your trip because one could guess the reason for it". He thinks of coming back in a month: "I will see the most adored child, my friend. [...] It is also necessary to make new arrangements for money"...Jersey February 1, 1795.Because of bad weather, he had to postpone his departure for the coast by two days; he received better news from France. "You know how essential it will be for me to have news by your means and especially to be able to correspond with the interesting point and to be informed exactly of everything. You know the means and I rely on your zeal and pure Royalism to get them for me"... He ends his letter because of the ebullient postscript: "The more I see, the more I open my eyes and know details, the less obstacles I see to overcome".
Attached is a L.A. from Frottépère, June 27, 1804, to the same, recommending a young man wishing to join a regiment of dragoons to fight Bonaparte; plus a draft of a letter from G.Lenotre about Charlotte Atkyns, and a note copied by him in the Police Archives; and a l.a.s. from Roulleaux-Dugage, deputy of the Orne (1918), evoking the escape of the Dauphin and a descendant of Frotté
Former collection of the historian G. Lenotre (in autograph folders).
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