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innocent émigré , the Marquis de Thuméry, whose name – unfortunately for him – when spoken with a German accent was mistaken for ‘Dumouriez’. The interrogation of one of Cadoudal’s servants had provided the flimsiest scraps of intelligence: but they were enough to lead Bonaparte to the erroneous conclusion that the duc d’Enghien and Dumouriez were masterminding the plot against him, while Cadoudal was merely their weapon of execution. Ignoring the fact that these two men resided in neutral Baden, the first consul demanded their arrest and trial. What was more, he wanted to set an example to all would-be plotters. He would strike a blow, both swift and deadly, to instil fear into all who opposed him. He discussed the situation with his supporting consuls and ministers – some of whom raised doubts about the implications – but Bonaparte was determined to have his way, and ordered the seizure of d’Enghien and ‘Dumouriez’.
    On the evening of 14 March, under cover of darkness, a detachment of French cavalry crossed the border between France and Baden. At dawn they surrounded the house where the duke was living. There is a suggestion he received a warning of the danger and resolved to leave Ettenheim and join his grandfather. This journey required him to travel through Austrian territory, and it was while he awaited the appropriate travel documents he that wasseized. 3 The duke, Thuméry, and a secretary – along with a batch of papers – were bundled out of the house and escorted speedily back to France, where they were held outside Paris at the Château de Vincennes.
    The first consul authorised a trial by court martial, which would allow for a swift judgement and sentence. The recently appointed governor of Paris, the dashing cavalryman Joachim Murat, received instructions from Bonaparte to select the officers to form the court martial, a task he found repugnant. One of those selected, Général Hulin, claimed that the seven officers had not, ‘the least idea about trials; and, worst of all, the reporter and clerk had scarcely more experience’. 4 GD Savary, back in Paris after his failed mission to Biville, received orders to proceed immediately to Vincennes to carry out the sentence of the court martial. Two days after the seizure, Bonaparte learnt of the error concerning Thuméry: he brushed the matter aside and concentrated on the duke. The papers taken with the duke confirmed his communications with the British government and of his hope to lead a force in a future European war, but in no way did they suggest his involvement with Cadoudal: the reason for his arrest.
    The court martial went ahead on 20 March. The direction of the trial now changed, following the intelligence gleaned from the duke’s papers, his complicity in the Cadoudal plot reduced to a minor charge in the prosecution. When questioned, he admitted bearing arms against France, accepting payments from Britain, and his desire to fight against the current French government. He requested an interview with the first consul, which the court was prepared to assent to, but Savary, observing proceedings and well aware of his master’s wishes for a swift resolution, advised Général Hulin against it. Although showing reluctance to pass sentence immediately, the court eventually proceeded, finding the duc d’Enghien guilty of conspiracy against the State and sentencing him to death. The whole process had taken but a few hours and was completed early the following morning. With sentencing concluded, Savary lead the prisoner directly out into the dry moat of Vincennes. Denied a priest, the duke bowed his head in prayer as Savary’s gendarmes formed a firing squad, the poignancy of the moment and the enormity of the deed framed in the light of a few flickering lanterns. Standing with his back to the chateau wall just a few feet from his grave, the duc d’Enghein faced the firing squad. On Savary’s order, the guns fired and the duke