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Napoleon Buonaparte Inspects the Royal Marine Guard

Updated: Jul 24

Unit/ Formation: Royal Marines


Location: France


Period/ Conflict: Napoleonic Wars


Year: 1815


Date/s: 16th July 1815


From the Memoirs of Sir Frederick Lewis Maitland then Captain of HMS Bellerophon


About ten A.M. the barge was manned, and a captain's guard turned out.


When Buonaparte came on deck, he looked at the marines, who were generally fine-looking young men, with much satisfaction; went through their ranks, inspected their arms, and admired their appearance, saying to Bertrand, "How much might be done with a hundred thousand such soldiers as these."



He asked which had been longest in the corps; went up and spoke to him. His questions were put in French, which I interpreted, as well as the man's answers.

He enquired how many years he had served; on being told upwards of ten, he turned to me and said, "Is it not customary in your service, to give a man who has been in it so long some mark of distinction?"

He was informed that the person in question had been a sergeant, but was reduced to the ranks for some misconduct.

He then put the guard through part of their exercise, whilst I interpreted to the Captain of Marines, who did not understand French, the manoeuvres he wished to have performed.


He made some remarks upon the difference of the charge with the bayonet between our troops and the French; and found fault with our method of fixing the bayonet to the musquet, as being more easy to twist off, if seized by an enemy when in the act of charging.


Bellerophon soon sailed back to Torbay, on the south coast of England. When they arrived the news that Napoleon was onboard quickly leaked out.


Hundreds of small boats surrounded the ship on a daily basis as people tried to catch a glimpse of the most famous man in the world.  


To increase security Bellerophon was moved to Plymouth, although the crowds there were just as fierce.


It was in Plymouth, on 31 July, that Napoleon received his most distinguished guests, Admiral Lord Keith (Commander of the Channel Fleet) and Major General Sir Henry Bunbury (Under-Secretary for War). It was these men who informed Napoleon that he was to be exiled on St. Helena.  


The original figurehead of HMS Bellerophon at the National Museum of the Royal Navy, housed in our Victory Gallery.


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