Campaign on to bring home Napoleon’s Cahirmee charger
‘NO DOUBT’ MARANGO WAS BOUGHT IN BUTTEVANT
THE bones of what could turn out to be a long-running campaign to bring ‘ home’ the remains of one of the most famous horses in military history have been dug up by a North Cork county councillor.
This comes after Cllr Bernard Moynihan led the rallying cry for horse-trading to begin with British authorities for the bones of Napoleon Bonaparte’s famous mount Marengo to be repatriated to Buttevant.
Folklore has it that the white charger, which saw action under Napoleon at the battles of Austerlitz, Jena and Waterloo, was actually sold at the famous Cahirmee Fair.
After Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo in 1815 Marengo was captured alive by Grenadier Guards and taken back to England as a spoil of war.
After its death at the grand old age of 38 in 1831, Marengo’s skeleton was put on display at the now defunct Royal United Services Museum and then at Britain’s National Army Museum.
Having undergone a painstaking restoration, the skeleton which had been held together by iron bars and bolts, now stands proudly in a new display case at the museum.
However, if Cllr Moynihan and his colleagues in the council’s Kanturk/Mallow municipal district area have their way, Marengo’s bones will be shipped back to Buttevant to be put on public display.
He said he would like to see the skeleton become part of a planned local museum, alongside other artefacts discovered during the town’s recent streetscaping works.
A team of up to 16 archaeologists documented a staggering 2,788 finds during the process, including what may have been a northern gate tower and associated town wall opposite the convent, building foundations and layers of cobbled street surfaces.
Other items found include pottery, tiles, coins, buttons, clay wig curlers and a gold Poesy ring inscribed with the date 1713.
The local community council is aiming to eventually put these on permanent display in a museum – with Cllr Moynihan and his colleagues hoping that Marengo’s bones will form the centrepiece of the museum.
While at first glance Cllr Moynihan’s call may be somewhat ambitious, he insisted it was not simply a mere “flight of fancy”.
However, he may face opposition from the village of Bartlemy, with locals claiming that Marengo was actually sold at a fair there. Indeed, up until recently a mural of Napoleon and Marengo had adorned the side of a local pub.
While other historians insist Marengo was actually imported into France from Egypt, Cllr Moynihan insisted there was “no doubt” that the steed was bought at Cahirmee.
“While they may be may be some debate about where the horse originated, there is no doubt in my mind that Marengo came from Buttevant. I have spoken to a few historians and they tell me that is a fact,” he said.
His call for the council to write to British authorities seeking that the bones of the horse be returned to Buttevant received the full support of his council colleagues.
“This has the potential to be a major tourist attraction for North Cork,” he insisted
Cllr John Paul O’Shea (Ind) agreed, saying the area had a rich equine history, given the fact that the first steeplechase was held between Buttevant and Doneraile.
“Marengo’s skeleton would build on this heritage and it would act as a key tourist attraction,” he said.
Cllr Melissa Mullane (SF) suggested the local community become involved in the campaign by starting an online campaign to get Marengo’s bones back to Buttevant