James R. Olson: About the Author

Napolean and the Bunnies

Napoleon Bonaparte (August 15, 1769 – May 5, 1821) is remembered by history as the first Emperor of France and is considered one of the world's greatest military leaders.  During the Napoleonic Wars his armies conquered most of continental Europe. 

In 1807 Emperor Napoleon was at the height of his reign.  On July 7^th he and Emperor Alexander I of Imperial Russia had signed the Treaty of Tilsit which made France and Russia allies against Sweden and England. (This alliance would only last until 1812, when Napoleon led his vast army in a disastrous invasion of Russia.)  To celebrate the Treaty of Tilsit, the emperor proposed a rabbit hunt, asking Chief of Staff Alexandre Berthier to make it happen.

Berthier knew rabbit hunting was Napoleon’s preferred recreation, and this was his opportunity to make a favorable impression.  He spared no expense, arranging an elaborate outdoor luncheon and inviting some of the military’s biggest brass.  The only thing that could possibly ruin the outing was if the hunters didn’t find any rabbits.  Berthier sent his staff out to collect as many rabbits as possible for the hunt. 

Gathering a sufficient supply of wild rabbits was probably unlikely, so Berthier’s men scoured the countryside purchasing domestic rabbits. Some say Berthier took in hundreds of bunnies, while others claim he collected as many as 3000. Regardless, there were a lot of rabbits, and Berthier’s men caged them all along the fringes of a large field.

When Napoleon and his Generals started into the grassy field—accompanied by beaters and gun-bearers—the rabbits were released from their cages.  Instead of scattering in fright, the rabbits bounded toward Napoleon and his hunting party. Suddenly hundreds and hundreds of fuzzy bunnies charged the world’s most powerful man.  It must have been a terrifying sight—all those fluffy cotton tails, with red eyes, twitching noses, and floppy ears.

Napoleon’s party had a good laugh at first. However, when firing guns did nothing to slow the onslaught the hunting party became a bit nervous. The sea of rabbits was storming toward Napoleon quicker than revolutionaries had stormed the Bastille. From the sidelines it must have looked like something out of a Bugs Bunny cartoon. 

Outnumbered hundreds to one, Napoleon and his generals attempted to withstand the furious charge. Within moments the rabbits were swarming the emperor’s legs and even tried to climb up his jacket. Napoleon tried shooing them with his riding crop, as his men grabbed sticks and tried chasing them. The coachmen joined the battle, cracking their bullwhips to scare the rabbits, but they kept coming.  Even men with nerves of steel could only stand so much before breaking.  Napoleon was forced to retreat, fleeing toward his carriage. 

With a finer understanding of Napoleonic strategy than most of his generals, the rabbit horde divided into two wings and poured around the flanks of the party. Some of the rabbits even managed to leap into the imperial coach ahead of Napoleon.

As the royal drivers whipped the horses into a gallop and the coach sped away, observers could see Napoleon tossing rabbits out of the carriage window.  The world’s greatest general, who dominated Europe, proved to be no match for a battle with bunnies.

In the end, Napoleon’s most humiliating defeat was Berthier’s fault. Awaiting the arrival of Napoleon and his party of hunters, the domestic rabbits his men purchased from local farmers had been kept waiting all night, crammed in make-shift cages without food or water.  The fuzzy little bunnies were both thirsty and hungry.  For these domestic rabbits, humans were seen as the source of food.  When they saw the approaching hunters, they were simply looking to be fed.  No one knows why they seemed to concentrate their attention on Napoleon. 

History doesn’t record any fatalities in the battle of the bunnies.  The only serious injury was suffered by Napoleon’s pride.  I suspect the horde of rabbits enjoyed the lavish luncheon they had liberated from the royal party.  I’m pretty certain Chief of Staff Alexandre Berthier was never again asked to organize another rabbit hunt.