I have been reading Fitz-Clarence’s Manual of Outpost Duties, and very interesting it is too. It includes a letter from William Napier, he of the Peninsular War history, in which he refers to his brother Charles, having his exchange certificate signed by Wellesley, and then going under a flag of truce to the French about it. Charles had been captured at Corunna, badly wounded, and allowed by Ney to go home. Does anyone have any idea how the exchange system worked, or where I can read about it? When he went to the French under a flag of truce it was while Ney was besieging Ciudad Rodrigo and he was with Crauford observing. I wonder if it was simply a courtesy call?
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One source states that his release on parole was for a specific length of time, after which he was to return. So that seems like what happened.
Yet another source
More possible sources:
Boudon, Jacques-Olivier, « Napoléon et la question des prisonniers de guerre », Carnet de la Sabretache, juin 2014, n° 199, p. 37-43
Boudon, Jacques-Olivier, « Le retour des prisonniers de guerre dans l’Europe de 1814 », dans J.-Cl. Caron et J.-Ph. Luis (éd.), Rien appris, rien oublié ? Les Restaurations dans l’Europe postnapoléonienne (1814-1830), Rennes, Presses universitaires de Rennes, 2015, p. 183-197.
Boudon, Jacques-Olivier, « L’expérience de la captivité comme forme de contact. Les prisonniers prussiens en France après la campagne de 1806-1807 », dans J.-O. Boudon, G. Clemens et P. Horn (éd.), Erbfeinde im Empire ? Franzosen und Deutsche im Zeitalter Napoleons, Ostfildern, Thorbecke, 2016, p. 245-262.
Boudon, Jacques-Olivier, « Les prisonniers russes en France en 1814 » dans M.-P. Rey (éd.), Les Russes en France en 1814, (à paraître).
Boudon, Jacques-Olivier, « Les négociations sur la libération des prisonniers à l’issue des guerres de la seconde coalition », dans V. Martin (éd.), La paix de Lunéville, actes du colloque de juin 2015 (à paraître).
There are regular references in Napoleon’s correspondence to prisoner exchanges, mainly because no-one was geared up for holding lots of prisoners. It was also handy cover for getting into the enemy HQ under a pretext of negotiating such exchanges. Savary was sent twice to Allied HQ prior to Austerlitz and Varnhagen von Ense notes that groups of senior French officers were seen on most days at Austrian HQ prior to Wagram. It seems to have been exchanges of approximately the same number of fit soldiers and others would be on parole not to fight again for the rest of the campaign (this was a bit of an issue at Jaffa).
Some sources:
https://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/cart1812.asp
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/60321/60321-h/60321-h.htm
(Chapter 2, The Exchange of Prisoners)
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/43487/43487-h/43487-h.htm
(Chapter 10, Prisoners on Parole—Social Habits—Marriages—Exchange of Prisoners)
https://www.jstor.org/stable/24427641?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/66883/1/WRAP_THESIS_Duche_2014.pdf
A few entries on "cartels"
https://www.cairn.info/revue-napoleonica-la-revue-2014-3-page-118.htm