Guys,
I have a question about a marking on Napoleon horses.
....
Alex, dare I say you've started a hare running here. Been doing a bit of research and have
uncovered the following. I'd better add that there were only two sources involved so it's in
no way conclusive.
Marengo is the most famous of Napoleon’s 52 horses. Named for his success at the Battle of
that name in 1800. The stallion is thought to be the horse portrayed in Jacques-Louis David’s
famous painting of Napoleon Crossing the Alps.There were however five versions of this portrait
made by the artist between 1801 and 1805, showing a strongly idealized view of Napoleon's passage
through the the Great St. Bernard Pass in May 1800, which feature alternative coloured horses.
Marengo is known to have carried the Emperor at the Battles of Austerlitz, Jena-Auerstedt,
Wagram, and Waterloo, where it was captured by William Henry Francis Petre. During it's life
in England, Marengo was shown at many public events, and the stallion's battle scars along with
the bullet that remained in it's tail, and the Imperial crown and letter N that were branded on it's
hind quarters, are a matter of record. Hmmm....?
Mike