BERTHIER LOUIS ALEXANDRE: (1753-1815) Marshal of France, Prince of Wagram and Neuchatel. Chief of Staff under Napoleon. A very interesting D.S., Alex Berthier, a large and good signature example, one page, folio, Milan, 9th December 1796, to General Dumas, in French. The partially printed document bears the heading of the General Chief of Staff, Milan Head-Quarters, and states in part `The General in Chief orders General Dumas to consider as null and void the order he was given to replace General Dallemagne, commander of one of the divisions of the siege of Mantua..´ With blank integral leaf. Three pinholes not affecting the text or signature. VG £250-350 Thomas Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (1762-1806) French General during revolutionary wars. Father of Alexandre Dumas the Author. Dumas was one of the highest-ranking men of African descent ever to lead a European army, and the first person of color in the French military to become General. Claude Dallemagne (1754-1813) French General who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later in the French revolutionary wars, and took part in the 1796 Italian campaign under Napoleon Bonaparte. The Siege of Mantua lasted from July 1796 to February 1797. French forces under Napoleon Bonaparte besieged and blockaded a large Austrian garrison at Mantua until it surrendered. This surrender, together with the heavy losses incurred, led the Austrians suing for peace in 1797.