ABSTRACT
T HE INFAMOUS 29th Bulletin did not reach King Joseph Bonaparte in Madrid until 6 January 1813, and news of the Emperor's return to Paris did not get through until 14 February. Thus Joseph had no conception of the ruin which had befallen the French armies in Russia. Even if he had, it is doubtful that events would have fallen out differently, for if 1812 had been a disastrous year for French arms in eastern Europe, it had not been exactly a startling success in Spain.
